National Culinary Review

FEATURES

Anna Gilmore

Café de Wheels’ owner Tom Acito, in the driver’s seat, and Michael Katz, chef, offer customers such treats as this Cincinnati Cuban sandwich— roast ham, roast pork loin, caramelized balsamic onions and Swiss cheese on local artisan French bread with butter, mustard and dill pickle slices.

Will Travel
H AV E F O O D,
Chefs take it to
the streets.
By Laura Taxel

FOOD TRUCKS have gone from fad to full-fledged phenomenon fast. What started in fall 2009 with Roy Choi’s roaming Kogi BBQ as a quirky LA thing has quickly spread to other parts of the country, becoming the industry’s hottest success story.

National Restaurant Association Restaurant Hotel-Motel Show in Chicago had a display area dedicated to food trucks, held a panel discussion about how to get up and running, and hosted the launch of Mobi Munch, a new company with turnkey services for putting meals on wheels.

and late-night bar hoppers. Enthusiastic bloggers, Tweeters, 4-Square posters and other smartphone users help spread the word. Some trucks are connected to bricks and mortar restaurants; others are providing chefs and culinary entrepreneurs with a route for breaking into the business and building a reputation.

The media buzz has been intense, with
coverage in major national publications such
as Time, GQ, The Wall Street Journal and
Forbes. The Food Channel gave the number-
five spot to sweet-treat trucks on its 2010 list
of Top Ten Dessert Trends. And in May, the
These modern-day chuck wagons project a
hip, youthful energy. Relying on social media
and the latest location-tracking technology
to keep customers informed about where
they are and what they’re serving, they feed
downtown workers, shoppers, event goers
Five mobile operators in five different
parts of the country talk about what’s
driving their efforts, how they’ve navigated
the inevitable bumps in the road and what
they’ve learned along the way.