SoupmAn - The FoodTruck Market The FoodTruck Market

CB 8 Vendor Task Force Page 10
ISSUE # 1 • JULY-AUG. 2014
Shaq
And The
Soupman
Basketball Legend
Partners in
SoupMobileVenture
Letter Grades for
Food Trucks Page 5
Movie Review: Chef
Page 20
Welcome to Food
Truck Magazine!
By Eric Levy
What you are holding in your hands is the
first food truck print publication in New
York City. With the tremendous growth of the
industry, we thought it’s about time there’s a
magazine that provides you the latest news and
cuisine, whether you’re a customer during your
lunch break, an existing food vendor, an entrepreneur ready to invest in your own mobile restaurant or an event planner needing catering.
The days when hot dogs and shish kabob
were the exclusive fare on food trucks has
come to an end. Though they’re still prevalent, a new era of the food truck is here, with
gourmet selections, many of which originated
from popular brick and mortar restaurants. As
food trucks have become an essential part of
the New York landscape, so will Food Truck
Magazine, keeping you informed every step
of the way.
We welcome your letters to the editor and
will publish them in future issues.
[email protected]
INSIDE
THIS ISSUE
5
6
8
10
12
16
18
20
21
Commentary: It’s Time for Letter
Grades on Food Trucks in NYC
Soupman’s On a Roll
Food Truck Promotions
Manhattan Residents Speak Out at
CB 8 Vendor Task Force Committee
Forum
Food Trucker of the Month: All
American Diner
Street Vendor Project
New Food Trucks
Movie Review: Chef
Mobile to Mortar: Mamu Thai
Publisher: Richard Kayatt
Associate Publisher: Ben Goldberg
Editor: Eric Levy
Art Design & Layout: Oscar Polanco; Victor
Cuevas, Sal Graci
Advertising: AnnMaria Coyle
Photographers: Virginia Allyn,
Ed Bobrow
Editorial Staff: Linda Y. Yung, Katherine
Yuna, Stephanie Uribe, Sarah Henry
Food Truck Magazine
178 Varick Ave - Brooklyn, NY 11237
(212) 903-5839
Social Announcements
Share the joy and happiness ...
We at Food Truck Magazine and the rest of the mobile food industry in New York City would
like to know who’s getting engaged ... what couples put the rings on and got married, who’s
having babies .... as well as who got divorced and who died.
These announcements are exclusively for the mobile food industry workers and owners.
We require names and where they are employed.
Please send to editor@foodtruckmagazine
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FOOD TRUCK MAGAZINE | JULY-AUG. 2014
Commentary
It’s Time For Letter Grades
on Food Trucks in NYC
By Richard Kayatt
In 2010, the NYC Health
Department began requiring restaurants to
post letter grades summarizing their sanitary inspection scores to inform the
public about a restaurant’s
sanitary conditions and
food safety practices. Research has demonstrated
that most bacterial, viral
and contaminant-based
foodborne illnesses occur
because of poor hygiene,
and inadequate cooling
and heating of food.
Each year, the city receives 2,700 complaints
about foodborne illnesses
and 3,000 complaints
about restaurant hygiene.
Health code violations
result in points based on
a restaurant’s inspection
score. Restaurants with 0 to
13 points earn an A grade;
4 to 27 points earn B and
28 or more get a C.
Grading has also led to
significant improvement in
restaurant sanitary practices. Fewer restaurants have
violations associated with
foodborne illnesses. Salmonella infections have also
declined since the letter
grading was implemented.
It’s our contention that
food trucks should be subjected to the same letter
grading system. Consumers are entitled to know
about a food truck’s sanitary conditions, food safety, and cooking practices.
Just like restaurants,
letter grades would give
customers more confidence because vendors
would be more motivated
to keep their trucks up to
par with health and sanitary standards. Industry
businesses have supported
the letter grades for food
trucks, including the Street
Vendor Project. A survey
conducted by Food Truck
Magazine concludef that
all consumers questioned
approved of the letter
grades for food trucks and
believed that the grades
would help them decide
whether or not to purchase
food from a particular vendor. New York City should
follow the lead of Los Angeles; Louisville, Kentucky;
and San Diego, which have
implanted the letter grading system. It makes no
sense that New York City,
which has over 5,000 food
trucks throughout the five
boroughs, doesn’t follow
the lead of other urban
areas.
As food trucks become more sophisticated
with gourmet offerings, it’s
quizzical why they’re not
deserving of letter grades
that are given to similar
brick and mortar restaurants.Tell your city council
member that it’s time to do
what’s right to protect the
health of the thousands of
New Yorkers who deserve
to know if the food they
eat won’t make them sick.
It’s an obvious move, but
we’ve got to press local officials to do what’s right.
FOOD TRUCK MAGAZINE | JULY-AUG. 2014
5
SoupMan’sl!
On A Rol
By Sarah Henry
Remember “The Soup
Nazi” episode from “Seinfeld” in the mid-90s? When
bumbling George visits the
popular soup stand, only to
be told “No soup for you!”
Not only does the business
still exist today, it’s rising to the
next level due to an unusual
combination: food trucks and
Shaquille O’Neal.
Already a partner in the
business, the former basketball star now joins Marcus
Crawford of Amongst Elite
LLC (previously of The Original
SoupMan) to bring the public
soup on wheels.
“By being mobile we can
really take it to the people,”
Crawford said.
The new venture is called
SoupMobile, and though
there’s been a trailer in New
Jersey for about six months
serving up soup to sidewalk
traffic, the game plan over
the course of the next five
years is to up the ante to 100
trucks spread across the na-
6
Shaq serves a customer at the SoupMobile
tion. Next up is New York City,
where the mobile portion of
the franchise debuted June
19-21 at the Javits Center in
Manhattan.
The New Jersey truck currently caters to those in Newark and Old Bridge, NJ, but
will later expand to Jersey City
and Rutgers University. The
truck serves lobster bisque,
chicken gumbo, crab corn
chowder and jambalaya, with
sides of bread or oyster crack-
FOOD TRUCK MAGAZINE | JULY-AUG. 2014
ers, fruit and a token piece of
chocolate. Also available are
rice bowls and $10 lobster
rolls – with big chunks of lobster that aren’t smothered by
mayonnaise. Beverages are
also available, including hot
and cold teas and smoothies.
It’s these types of
offerings that attracted
Shaq to the venture. “The
first thing that impressed
me is that they have a
great product,” he told
ESPN.com. “It’s all about
the product. And they
have a great team.”
Then there’s the backstory of Al Yeganeh, the creative
genius behind The Original
SoupMan. The authoritative disposition of the soup
“Nazi” portrayed in Seinfeld
was no gimmick, according
to Lloyd Sugarman, CEO of
the company.
“The show was written
around real things happening
at that time,” he said.
“Al is a perfectionist. He’s
also a seasoning genius.”
Famously temperamental, Yeganeh didn’t take any
flak and changed prices on
a whim. According to Sugar-
man, a writer from the David Letterman show, he had
heard murmurings about
great soup and stood in the
long line to get himself some.
Sugarman observed Al’s mannerisms and customer care
approach (the customer is not
always right), and reportedly
contacted Larry David, then
executive producer of the
Seinfeld show, who saw the
comedic appeal. The rest is
history: The business began
in 1984, but exploded after
the “Seinfeld” episode aired.
The original location at 55th
St. and 8th Ave. still functions
in Manhattan.
Recently, the company
has had some significant ex-
pansions. The brand can now
be found in 4,000 supermarkets across the United States,
an advancement that began
about eight months ago.
Coupled with the burgeoning
SoupMobile project, many
Americans should soon be
able to taste the soup locally.
For The Original SoupMan, good food goes hand
in hand with benevolence.
“Everyone should be able to
put soup on the table,” according to the Random Acts
of Soupness campaign, the
company’s charitable component. Donations are made to
charities, soup kitchens and
more. Visit originalsoupman.
com for more information.
The SoupMobile attracts attention at the International Franchise Expo at Jacob Javits Center in New York
City on June 19-21
FOOD TRUCK MAGAZINE | JULY-AUG. 2014
7
Food Truck Promotions
Makes Huge Impact in the Food Truck Community
By Ben Goldberg, Live Fast Group Consulting
In today’s food truck economy, there is a
new golden age rising. This gem of an otherwise tough sector is proving to be a very lucrative avenue for current food truck owners.
What I am talking about is none other then
food truck promotional events. These promotions are a relatively new part of the industry but
are taking up more and more market share every year as businesses and brands realize its cost
effective nature. Top of the line brands spend
millions upon millions every year to ensure that
their companies get exposure and that they
attract a specific target demographic. Often
this requires the services of high-end marketing
firms that put together large budgeted promotional projects. In recent years food trucks have
become increasingly popular in the mainstream
and as this happens, marketing companies and
the brands they represent see an amazing opportunity. Food trucks give these companies
the ability to stretch their budgets much further
and reach a wider audience that can be very
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FOOD TRUCK MAGAZINE | JULY-AUG. 2014
tough and costly to capture through traditional
marketing strategies. These gourmet kitchens
on wheels allow firms to hand out something
tangible that won’t be thrown away as a free
mug would be. Food, especially in New York
City, has always held a special place in the
hearts of its residents, so when you offer them
a free gourmet meal you capture their attention
and satiate their appetites. New Yorkers have
come to embrace food trucks and view them
as a fun alternative to going to a typical blasé
corner deli.
A typical promotion will last a day or two
and involves having the truck “wrapped” in
a temporary graphic laden covering. This
wrap is designed by the brand that hires the
truck and turns it into a moving billboard that
would otherwise cost tens of thousands of
dollars for a similarly sized ad space. The truck
will then often go to one or more designated
spots picked out by the client and hand out
free samples of their cuisine to “influencers”
in the media or public relations. One event a
food marketing company did recently involved
Fox Broadcasting announcing the fall lineup of
their shows. This strategy is very cost effective
and allows a client to engage their brand in a
social media push.
On the other side of the coin is the food
truck owner/operator. While daily sales on the
streets make up the bread and butter of the
business, it is becoming increasingly competitive
in the market. Owners are constantly searching
for new revenue streams and these promotions
provide the holy grail of opportunities. These
trucks are able to bring in a week or more income in a single day and also have very little
cost since they are usually only handing out
samples and also require less staffing for the
day due to the limited menu often used at these
events. These branding events give food truck
owners the lifeline that many desperately need
and they are becoming more and more available to those who can position themselves as
reliable and brand friendly.
In today’s food truck scene, both brands
and food truck owners benefit tremendously
from promotional events. These events allow
companies to stretch their marketing budgets
and reach a wider market that is often very
tough to penetrate. At the same time, food
truck owners have found a source of revenue
that helps them flourish financially and also
build upon their own brand, which is key to
their longevity and growth. For a long time,
marketing companies viewed food trucks as a
waste of time or as competition, but now they
are embracing them with open arms. It appears
that food trucks are entering a new golden age
in New York City and across the country.
Food Truck Makeover
Isn’t it about time that a network had
a food truck makeover show? We at
the Food Truck Magazine think so!
Food truck owners have committed
their lives and money to fulfill their
dreams of running a food truck. And
once they’ve bought a truck, outfitted
it and went through the difficult permitting process, then they realize that it’s
much more difficult to run than a brick
and mortar restaurant. This is TV worth
watching. rk
FOOD TRUCK MAGAZINE | JULY-AUG. 2014
9
Manhattan Residents Speak Out At
CB 8 Vendor Task Force Committee Forum
By Eric Levy
The Vendor Task Force Committee of Community Board 8, which represents the Upper
East Side of Manhattan from East 59th Street to
East 96th Street , 5th Avenue to the East River,
and Roosevelt Island, held a forum at Lenox Hill
Hospital on May 20. The main item on the agenda was a discussion on how to create a large
coalition of city-wide organizations to work
together on vendor controls and compliance.
The meeting yielded a plan and volunteers
who will go forward and form a steering committee to address the concerns of NYC communities regarding street vending.
According to residents at the forum, they
weren’t aware of any food or general merchandise vendors in attendance. Particular areas in
Manhattan were cited as having difficulty with
vendors. A major topic of discussion was the
line of street vendors parked in front of the
Metropolitan Museum of Art. Ed Bobrow, who
lives in a co-op building directly across from the
museum’s entrance, said that the vendors are
side-by-side blocking the street so that even
hailing a taxi poses a problem.
Bobrow is on his building’s Board of Directors committee that has been in discussions with
the MET, which is planning to construct two sites
outside the museum that will sell food, and have
outside seating. “What effect, if any, this will have
on the food street vendors,” Bobrow says, “is yet
to be seen.” He notes that the museum administration has been very responsive to community
residents, one of whom attended the forum.
It’s ironic, observers say, that one of
the most prominent art institutions in the
world should have unsightly food vendors
just feet from its majestic steps. Adding to
the congestion problem is the controversy surrounding veteran-owned food vendors. A recent court decision sided with a vet who has a
hot dog stand at the museum, which has permitted him to operate legally, without paying
well over $100,000 it costs others to sell their
hot dogs and fries. In addition, the vets are renting out their carts to non-vets for $100 a day.
“Key complaints from residents are the
grease and litter from food trucks,” said Michele Brirnbaum, chair of Community Board
8’s Vendor Task Force Committee on its website
podcast. “The odors are going into people’s
homes and offices.”
“When you’re talking about an issue like
this,” she concludes, “where people make their
livelihood as vendors, they also have to live within the community and the community has to be
comfortable with their presence.”
Street vendors outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art - ©Ed Bobrow All Rights Reserved
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FOOD TRUCK MAGAZINE | JULY-AUG. 2014
Food Trucker OF THE MONTH
Take a Trip Back in Time With the All American Diner
By Linda Yung
Tommy has parked his All
American Diner truck on
Whitehall and Water Streets
in Manhattan since 1989. His
family has been in the diner
business for more than three
generations and on Wall
Street since 1972. His grandfather opened his first diner
when he was 18, and his father owned up to eight diners
in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and
New Jersey. Tommy remembers going to these diners as a
little boy and seeing his grandparents and parents working
six to seven days a week.
Tommy explains that
he had a blessed childhood
growing up. He didn’t have
to spend a day working and
he was always well fed. He
remembers visiting his classmates’ homes and eating
scrambled eggs for dinner,
when he regularly ate veal
chops, pork chops, porterhouse steaks, and whole fish
at home. His father didn’t
want Tommy and his siblings
to have to work the diner life
he did, so he heavily stressed
the importance of school.
Even so, Tommy was enamored with the diner business
and pleaded with his mother
to let him work on weekends.
12
“All American” Tommy, who grew up in the diner business, now has a
food truck in Manhattan with an extensive diner-type menu
At 14, he worked two 12
hour days, earning a total of
$25 (which could bring you
a long way in the mid 60’s),
but he didn’t even want the
money. He just wanted to
learn more.
He started as a dishwasher and gradually worked up
the ranks and did bussing,
worked the grill, the sandwich station, the broiler, the
counter... he did everything
because he genuinely wanted
to master each task. The lessons his father taught him
FOOD TRUCK MAGAZINE | JULY-AUG. 2014
about cleanliness, quality, and
service carried with him to the
All American Diner truck he
runs today.
He used to miss working
at the diners, but now at 62
years old, Tommy prefers the
truck because he gets to do a
lot less running around.
“When I was in the diners, I was a lot younger, a lot
stronger, and it didn’t bother
me. This is perfect for me because I just have to move a
couple of feet and everything
is here.”
What really sets Tommy’s
mobile diner apart from all
the other food trucks in
town is his extensive menu.
Unlike the typical food truck
that has only about a dozen
items on board, Tommy has a
nearly full diner menu of selections to offer his customers. He’s taken his 300+ item
menu that has been in use
for more than twenty years
and simplified it for this new
generation of consumers.
There are still more than hundreds of options served at his
decked-out quarter million
dollar truck, but he only
keeps his bestselling items
listed and leaves more options for customization such
as his popular three-egg omelets and panini sandwiches.
He’s looking to expand his
food truck business by emphasizing catering, delivery,
and pick-up orders. Tommy’s
also venturing onto social
media and launching a website, so be on the lookout for
him beyond Whitehall and
Water Streets.
“If you come to me, you
can get something different for breakfast every day
of the week. For lunch, you
can have stuffed peppers,
meatloaf, brisket, open-faced
sandwiches or chicken cordon
bleu. There’s no end! For me,
it’s easy. I’ve been doing this
all my life.”
Tommy takes a lot of
pride in his work and is very
grateful that he learned it
all from the best. He highly
values providing customers
with great service and quality food, whether they’re
just having a cup of coffee
or ordering a steak burger.
He oversees everything on
the truck and is proud of his
life’s work and everything he
serves.
“I make the best pancakes and French toast. I
make the best omelets. I’m
a diner guy. Whatever I carry
is the best. The key is freshness. The proof of the pudding is when you put it in
your mouth.”
FOOD TRUCK MAGAZINE | JULY-AUG. 2014
13
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Street Vendor Project
Makes Huge Impact in the Food Truck Community
By Stephanie Uribe
Walk down any street in New York City
and you are bound to come across at least
one or two food trucks. It’s easy to believe
that food vendors are comfortable on the
streets, slinging halal food, hot dogs or tacos
on a daily basis, but the truth of the matter is that New York City food vendors need
to constantly watch their backs. From violations ranging from being inches too close to
a curb, to having a license in a pants pocket
rather than hung around the neck, food vendors struggle to stay within the confines of
specific legislation that can hinder their ability to support their small businesses.
We sat down with Sean Basinski , the
founder and director of The Street Vendor
Project, to see what he’s doing to make a
difference within the vending community.
FTM: What sparked you to begin The
Street Vendor Project?
SB: I was a vendor for a summer before law
school. I sold burritos up on 52nd Street in
Manhattan. I enjoyed starting it, but it was
hard. That had been a very political summer
because Mayor Giuliani tried to close down
streets that weren’t already closed to vending. I was about to graduate from law school
and I was going to have some skills to help
these folks; to organize them and provide
services that vendors didn’t have.
FTM: How does The Street Vendor Project recruit members?
SB: Once a month we have a team of volunteers that goes out on Saturday afternoons
for about 3 hours and does outreach. We
might go up to a vendor who says, “Hey!”
and pulls out his membership card, or often
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FOOD TRUCK MAGAZINE | JULY-AUG. 2014
we go up to someone who has no idea what
the Street Vendor Project is. Usually though,
folks come in upon the reference of another
vendor.
FTM: What benefits does a membership
card give to a vendor?
SB: We are a worker’s center, which means
that we provide services and direct forms of
assistance to our members. We can go to
court with you to sort out your tickets, or
your cases, and represent you. We provide
small loans of up to $2,000 for people that
would never be able to get a loan like that.
Sometimes members need help filling out
forms, processing their taxes, or with licensing paperwork.
FTM: Can you talk a little bit about the
“Lower the Fines” Campaign?
SB: The number one problem that we heard
from vendors for the first several years, when
we started in 2001, was not only the number
of tickets issued but the price of tickets. We
noticed that, for example, parking tickets
were $65, or sometimes $105, which is a lot
of money. On the other hand, vendor tickets
often were $500, $750, or $1,000. And so,
about four years ago now, we started a legislative campaign, “Lower the Fines,” to lower
the price of the tickets, which required the
City Council to vote a new law in and have
the mayor sign it. We were successful in having the law changed. That law was passed
about a year ago. It was a historic victory for
the vending community and we’re hoping
to use the power we gained from that win
to continue on to future victories.
Nuchas Empanadas 2013 Vendy Award Rookie of the Year
FTM: Tell me about The Vendy Awards.
SB: We got the idea in 2005 and thought
we wanted to have a fundraiser party. It
was about the time that Iron Chef and
food contestants on the Food Network
were getting popular, so we said let’s
have a cook-off and we’ll call it The Vendy
Awards. It’s gotten larger here in New York
every year since. This year we will have
2,000 to upwards of 3,000 in attendance.
It takes place September 13 on Governors
Island.
“The Vendys” have now expanded to
four other cities (Los Angeles, Chicago,
Philadelphia, and New Orleans) all throughout the year. This is a way of bringing the
respect we have in New York City for food
vending to other cities to create excitement,
and also to help raise money to fund the
local vendor rights movements that are
happening across the country.
FTM: Do you think that the letter grade
system could work for food vendors?
SB: Yes. It’s the same health department, it’s
the same health code that’s being enforced,
and in fact our members have asked to be
graded. A lot of people don’t even know
that food vendors are inspected by the Department of Health, so it would be a way for
them to show that. If anything, we should be
making it easier for food vendors, most who
have fewer resources and have to struggle
in more difficult conditions on the street.
It’s not very often that we’re calling on the
Health Department to do more to regulate
food vendors, but in this case it is a good
regulation.
FOOD TRUCK MAGAZINE | JULY-AUG. 2014
17
New Food TrucKs
By Linda Yung
Eat Me, Drink Me
Michelle Panciarello and her best friend Jessica
Conti run a two-woman show at Eat Me, Drink
Me. The Wonderland-inspired truck focuses on
using organic and local produce whenever possible and all American-made cheeses. The grassfed burgers, artisanal grilled cheeses, and hand
cut fries are popular menu choices, but the real
star is the French-Canadian inspired poutine.
This national dish of Canada is typically made
with french fries slathered in cheese curds and
gravy, but what sets Eat Me, Drink Me apart is
their secret ingredient: booze.
“I’m not talking a splash,” spills Michelle,
“I’m talking cups. That’s where the ‘drink me’
comes in. Beer or wine depending on my
mood.” If you’re in the mood for some boozy
grilled cheese or hearty poutine, venture no
further than the Long Island-based Eat Me,
Drink Me.
Eat Me, Drink Me is usually parked at the
Great South Bay Brewery at 25 Drexel Ave., Bay
Shore. You can find their other locations on
twitter @eatmedrinkmeny.
Teddy’s Ice Cream
Teddy just bought his wife an all new
custom built ice cream truck that is coming
soon to Astoria Park in Queens. Since moving
to the states five years ago, this will be her
first job and first time working in America.
Though Teddy has previously worked in the
Mister Softee business, he found their rules
too stringent, the commissary overpriced,
and the trucks not necessarily sanitary. Now
with his independently owned family operated ice cream truck, he will have more flexibility. But Teddy and his wife aren’t the only
ones in the family running a food business.
You can also find his dad’s hot dog and pretzels pushcart in Astoria Park. Once the Parks
Department gives Teddy the okay, you know
where you will be able to find all your childhood favorite ice cream bars, popsicles, and
soft serve ice cream.
Schnitzi
Just when you thought there was a food
truck for everyone’s taste buds already developed, Nir Messer and his partner present the
Schnitzi truck, an all-Kosher affair specializing
in chicken schnitzel. How Kosher is this truck,
you ask? For starters, there can be neither pork
nor dairy found in the vehicle, and for those
that are more observant (mostly their Hasidic
customer base), there’s always a certified religious supervisor on board to ensure the quality
and preparation of the sandwiches. There are
many choices of schnitzel on board, and they
are served on a foot-long baguette with over a
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FOOD TRUCK MAGAZINE | JULY-AUG. 2014
dozen different sauces. Popular combinations
include the spicy Spanish schnitzel with garlic
mayo or chimichurri sauce and Nir’s personal
favorite, the French schnitzel made with Dijon
mustard. Though Nir has worked in the food
industry since he moved to the U.S. in 2000,
he has learned a lot about working with Kosher food since he started his two Schnitzi restaurants in Brooklyn. To find the Schnitzi truck,
head down to Wall Street on Mondays, or on
46th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues,
Tuesdays to Thursdays.
DUB Pies
Meat pies are the unofficial national dish
of New Zealand, and DUB Pies’ founder Gareth
Hughes has brought them all the way to New
York City. DUB is short for Down Under Bakery,
and Down Under is the inspiration for these
on-the-go hot flaky pies stuffed with chunks of
prime meat, hearty gravy, fresh vegetables, and
tangy cheese. All pies are handmade in New
York with imported “New Zealand Oval” pie
tins. There is the classic steak mince pie, an allbeef New York shepherd’s pie, the popular Thai
chicken curry pie, and other meat and cheese
combinations. But vegetarians need not fret
because there is also a vegan curry pie. And
don’t forget about dessert because DUB also
has an apple pie made with Granny Smiths.
Dub is in DUMBO on Mondays until the end
of September and on East 46th Street and 6th
Avenue in Manhattan on Tuesdays. For exact
locations, visit twitter @dubpies.
Vegan Goes Mobile
A longtime advocate of healthy lifestyle
and diet, former New York City chef James
Rafferty has transitioned into the food truck
business. In September of 2013, lunchtime
seekers of vegan fare found a new haven
on the streets of New York. The menu includes the expected soup and salad, but
also offers grilled cheese, a black bean
burger, wrap/bowl options and even some
desserts. Visit The Green Radish on Twitter
or Facebook to get daily information on the
cart’s location.
FOOD TRUCK MAGAZINE | JULY-AUG. 2014
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Chef: A Delicacy
on the Big Screen
By Linda Yung
If you have ever taken a photo of your
food, trekked an extra mile for the perfect
slice, found joy in biting into a fresh toasty
sandwich, or have simply been fed a mouthwatering meal, then you will most definitely
enjoy Jon Favreau’s film Chef. Writer, director, and star Favreau depicts Carl Casper, a
chef at an upscale restaurant in Los Angeles
who has been serving the same menu for
10 years. He has a 10-year-old son with his
successful ex-wife Inez (Sofia Vergara), but
Casper is too preoccupied with cooking to
properly upkeep a real relationship. After a
scathing review and unintentional viral social
media stunts, Casper finds himself as a failed
chef and a failed father.
Favreau’s independent film deals with
heartfelt problems in an honest manner.
Though Casper’s life is at a crossroad, his sous
chef (John Leguizamo) and ex-wife keep the
mood light. Furthermore, charming and hilarious appearances are made by Bobby Cannavale, Dustin Hoffman, Scarlett Johansson,
and Robert Downey Jr.
Throughout Casper’s journey in starting a
food truck business and a menu that reflects
what he wants to cook, you also get to ven-
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FOOD TRUCK MAGAZINE | JULY-AUG. 2014
ture with the tropically colorful El Jefe’s Cubano truck from Miami to Los Angeles. Casper
makes stops for fluffy sugar dusted beignets
at New Orleans’ Café du Monde and tender
spiced rub brisket at Austin’s Franklin Barbecue, which leaves any food lover drooling with
envy. Panning shots of sizzling chunks of pork
belly, crunchy grilled cheese, and golden hash
browns puts all other food porn to shame. I
can almost taste the tart chimichurri over the
flawlessly medium rare carne asada.
Jon Favreau definitely pleases a food lover’s palate, and hopes that his training with
L.A. chef Roy Choi pays off. Favreau formally
trained for six weeks and has spent time at Roy
Choi’s restaurants and famous Kogi truck to
prepare for the role.
As for the Cubanos? Thin crispy bread is
halved and smeared with mustard, topped
with tender citrus marinated roasted pork,
sliced pickles, and Swiss cheese. It is then
brushed with butter and pressed until golden
brown. Let me tell you that watching dozens
of people on screen biting into these Cuban
sandwiches leaving crumbs and strings of
cheese with abandon will surely leave you
craving one long after you leave the theater.
Mobil to Mortar
Mamu Thai
Siblings Nix Careers To Fulfill Their Culinary Dream on Wheels
By Stephanie Uribe
Customers line up to experience the Thitiwatana family recipes
Not all of us have the guts to sacrifice
comfort in place of following our dreams.
It’s always easier said then done to actually quit
your day job and go for it. When people do
follow through, great things come of it because passion is always at the forefront.
Siwat and Alissa Thitiwatana are a
brother and sister duo that did exactly that.
Last year they quit their jobs, she worked
behind a desk for 10 years at her corporate
job and he as an E.R nurse, working long
hours in an intense, painstaking field. It’s not
that by deciding to open their first food truck
they thought the work load would diminish,
rather it was that they were finally ready to
put in the work towards something that was
meaningful to them and completely in their
vision. Thus, Mamu Thai was born. Named
after their mother’s nickname, Mamu Thai,
has paved its success in the past year. Ope­
rating from Monday thru Friday in different
spots around the city, they have accomplished providing New Yorkers with quick,
authentic tasting Thai. Updates on their
Facebook and Twitter (@mamuthainoodle)
pages allow the hungry lunch time crowd to
follow their daily outposts. On the weekends
they focus on catering events and private
parties. Their service is built on their strong
familial ties. As a family-owned and operated venture, these siblings recall their many
visits to Thailand, where members of their
family would cook together and make a real
occasion out of partaking in meals together.
FOOD TRUCK MAGAZINE | JULY-AUG. 2014
21
The exotic flavors of Thai cuisine also played
a major role in inspiring them to recreate the
tastes for their New York clientele.
With the huge success of the food truck
during its first year of operation, it was obvious for them to take it a step further. Their
second venture Mamu Thai (Take-Out), located in Astoria, Queens (36th Ave. & 36th
St.), began serving customers mid-May. “We
wanted to push ourselves to the next level. As
you’re working towards your goal, you get to
the point where you reach it and set a new
goal for yourself,.” says Alissa. “Things just
fell into place. We were thinking about expanding and we got lucky by finding a good
location. Having this second kitchen is now
better for our catering work and offers more
space for production.”
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FOOD TRUCK MAGAZINE | JULY-AUG. 2014
Both Siwat and Alissa have a hearty
work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit, so it
comes as no surprise that they have continued to build their business. Food is made
fresh to order daily and the menu has been
expanded. There are exclusive noodles that
are only being served at the Mamu Thai
(Take-Out) location, where there are several
bar stools and two table tops that entice
customers to linger a bit longer. More curry
and rice dishes, as well as Thai BBQ, are now
available to round out an already tasty menu.
What Siwat and Alissa have accomplished
with Mamu Thai is the ability to serve Thai
in a way that is very Thai--quick, and chock
full of flavor. These two are definitely ones to
watch, as they continue to set new, delicious
goals for themselves.
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At Neapolitan Express, we are dedicated to making
authentic Neapolitan pizza.
Our company runs completely on alternative energy,
including electric and Compressed Natural Gas. Eac h
of our pizzas are made with organic, 100% non-GMO
ingredients. And all of this ser ved in under 90 secondsfur thering our commitment that fast food should be
good food.
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