Cupcakes, anyone?

BY Denise Clay

The Buttercream cupcake truck is back in business and doing fine.

From a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich to start your day to a plate of jerk chicken and rice and beans to end it, nearly every cuisine has its own food truck here in Philadelphia.

To that list, you can also include dessert. Armed with a menu that includes cupcakes ranging from Red Velvet to Peanut Butter to Dulce de Leche, the Buttercream cupcake truck makes its way around the city, sharing cupcake goodness with everyone from radio disc jockey to newspaper reporters to students needing a little comfort food in the middle of finals week.

The truck is the brainchild of Kate Carrara, an attorney who decided that if the choice was taking (depositions) or baking (cupcakes), cupcakes had the edge. She bought a truck, modified it, and took her snacks on the road, according to her husband, Andy, who sometimes works in the truck.

"This is the first cupcake truck in the city," he said. "She had originally thought about starting a bakery, but she opted for a truck."

But while she opened a truck because she figured it would be easier to negotiate than a bakery, easy turned out to be relative, Andy Carrara said.

A trip on the Buttercream website takes you through the odyssey the couple went through to keep their cupcakes from going flat.

That quest included battles with the City of Philadelphia’s Licensing and Inspections bureau, licensing issues, and problems getting one simple question answered: Where can we park the truck?

The truck makes stops all over the city, including Temple University, radio station WXPN, the Philadelphia Inquirer building and LOVE Park in Center City.

But if you’re not there when Buttercream makes its weekly visit to your section of the city, you’re out of luck until the next week.

"We only go to each stop once a week," Andy Carrara said. "Doing it that way makes it more special. If the truck were there every day, you would take it for granted. This way, you can’t."

Buttercream’s cupcakes are $2 each or six for $10. To find out when Buttercream is coming to your section of the city, you can call 267-505-7486 or follow the truck on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/Buttercreamphl.

Denise can be reached at nuttyprofessor64@gmail.com

Sexy Green Truck replaces burgers with salads

By: Shannon McLaughlin

In 2008, Selim Zeka’s food truck was on its last legs. Competing with other burger and cheesesteak carts on Temple University’s campus, business was slow, and there was nothing to make the truck stand out among a long line of others outside the Student Center.

Enter Ben Schneible. Now a senior, Schneible was then a sophomore student at Temple’s Fox School of Business who had helped found the school’s Students for Responsible Business (SRB).He was struck by the number of trucks that all offered the same greasy fare – and he was looking for a project.

Schneible approached Zeka and Rudi Gurra, the truck’s co-owner, with a plan. He and another SRB member would make some quick suggestions for change based on market research, anecdotal observations around campus and insight as students themselves.

Three weeks later – in time for the annual campus Spring Fling, the 2008 theme of which focused on sustainability – Zeka’s truck had been painted green, was serving an entirely fresh, new menu, and had a new name: The Sexy Green Truck.

"We handed out coupons [at Spring Fling] and the line for the truck was down the street," Schneible said.
They estimate that business went up some 400 percent immediately following the grand re-opening.

The truck was originally going to be called The Green Truck, but Schneible said the group was surprised to hear from another sustainability-minded truck in California named the Go Green Truck.

After receiving a cease and desist letter, Schneible and his partner decided to tack on the "Sexy," which had already been painted under the truck’s countertop as an inside joke among staffers.

Schneible, who has experience with catering and whose mother is a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute, suggested that the truck take its menu in a greener direction. Why? Where did he get the idea?
"I’ve always paid attention to food," he said.

Soon the truck was as well known for its wraps, salads and vegetarian fare as for its bright green color.

Sustainability was also a big part of Schneible and SRB’s mission in remaking the Sexy Green Truck. By buying local, organic ingredients, Zeka is able to contribute to lowering carbon emissions by reducing food transportation.

The truck’s power source is tied into the grid right now, but Schneible has big plans for that too.

"We are looking into PECO wind," he said.

Buying locally also allows him to support nearby farmers and retailers.

"I try to bring in different produce," Zeka said.

The truck always offers organic coffee, spinach and yogurt, he said, and is well known for using only cage-free eggs.

"In the summer, the Amish bring [produce] by twice a week," he said. That usually enables him to offer local lettuce, cucumbers and other vegetables.

Three years later, Zeka says business is still booming. He estimates the truck serves nearly 300 people a day. He, his wife and two other chefs staff the 20-by-8 truck from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., 5 days a week. Between semester breaks and a summer vacation, the truck works all but about 8 weeks each year.

Students are still snapping up the pesto chicken and hummus wraps, Zeka said, which were immediately popular on the new menu in 2008. Paninis, pitas and wraps are his other most-popular items.
Schneible and SRB are still very much involved with the truck on a volunteer basis.

"We’re not trying to profit," Schneible said. He still talks with Zeka often, offering suggestions and networking opportunities.

As of now, the Sexy Green Truck remains the only truck with a focus on organic foods and sustainability on campus – and Zeka wouldn’t have it any other way.

"It’s unique to Temple," Zeka said.

Shannon can be reached at shannonm@temple.edu

Economics of food trucks

BY: Denamarie Ercolani

These tough economic times have spurred the popularity of food trucks for low-end entrepreneurs. Opening a food truck costs less than opening a restaurant, but is the risk any less?

It turns out that food truck costs are harder to predict -- gas and food prices are extremely volatile. Basic staples such as rice, corn and sugar are at all-time highs. Meanwhile, the increased worldwide demand and lack of production could cause domestic gas prices to reach $5 per gallon by 2012, according to the United States Energy Information Administration.

The major advantage of food trucks is mobility. The owner has the freedom to find hotspots throughout the city, and move when things cool.

Along with low capital expense – less electricity usage, smaller staffs, less insurance costs, the upside seems huge. But that freedom comes with the cost of transience, most notably the unstable fuel markets that can befoul a bottom line. This volatility could possibly cripple food truck profits.

Denamarie can be reached at tud11959@temple.edu

Neither wind nor rain

BY: Denise Clay

Rain might make the trek more challenging, but it doesn’t stop students from hitting their favorite food truck.

The rain was falling in sheets outside of the Pizza Shop truck at 13th and Montgomery, near the Student Activities Center (SAC) at Temple University.

But it didn’t stop Jamie from waiting under an umbrella for her lunch. Under normal circumstances, she would have been standing in front of the Sexy Green Truck nearby, but ...

"The line was too long," she said.

Because you’re being asked to eat outside, food truck owners are asking a lot of their student consumers. But as one truck owner, The Prince, said, mutual interest comes into play.

"They have to eat somewhere," he says. "We give them good food here. Business may drop off a little when it rains, but we still do okay."

Denise can be reached at nuttyprofessor64@gmail.com

Filling up with Cornbread

BY: Maggie Reynolds

Jennifer Merkle said the hardest part about driving a carriage is not being able to leave the horse all day.

"It makes it impossible to get any lunch, unless you’ve packed it," said Merkle, a driver for 76 Carriage Company.

Merkle and her horse and co-worker, "BB," have been a regular fixture on 5th and 6th streets in Philadelphia for two years now.

The solution to this problem has come in the form of a food truck, run by James "Cornbread" Brown.

"Cornbread saw that we were a captive audience, and parked right next to the carriage stands," said Sherry Derr, a driver of 76 Carriage Company. "On days when there aren’t very many rides, I get bored and hungry."

And although the drivers cannot pull their horses over to order from the truck, orders can be placed via a loud shout across the street.

"He wants us to yell what we want," said Derr, adding that Brown also wants to know whether the carriage drivers are paying with $5, $10 or $20.

Brown then leaves the truck, brings drivers their food and the change, and usually gets a tip for the effort. Serving mainly carriage drivers, he has perhaps carved out the most unique niche market of any food vendor in Philadelphia.

In recent months, construction on 5th Street has pushed out local street vendors, causing carriage drivers to rely on their wits for food.

"Mostly we just pack lunch," said Derr. "But we can’t wait for Cornbread to get back."

Maggie can be reached at tuc69736@temple.edu

Iron Chef Jose Garces talks tacos

BY: Shannon McLaughlin & Natalia Chiarelli

Philadelphia food trucks aren’t just cheesesteaks and gyros anymore. And they aren’t just limited to stationary cinder blocks during the Center City lunch rush, either. Need proof? None other than Iron Chef Jose Garces has taken the scene in a completely new direction.

Garces’ beer-cap-bedazzled taco truck, Guapos Tacos, has been making nocturnal weekend trips around the city since it launched in March. Typical spots include 2^nd and Poplar in Northern Liberties and between 20th and 21st Streets across from Whole Foods in Fairmount.

The truck is covered in 45,000 beer bottle caps and usually hits the streets between 7 p.m. and 2 a.m. Devotees have declared the tacos, traditionally thought of as street food, to be as sublime in the early evening as they are after a long night.

Garces was already well known as a celebrity restaurateur and winner of the Food Network’s “Next Iron Chef” well before he put plans for Guapos Tacos into motion. He’s already successfully launched more than a half dozen other restaurants throughout the city, with construction underway at an eighth property.

Moveable Feasts caught up with Chef Garces to discuss his latest nomadic gastronomical endeavor.

Moveable Feasts: What led you to expand into the food truck realm?

Chef Jose Garces: When I travel, I always make a point of sampling as many different foods as I can, and that often includes street food from trucks or other vendors. In particular, I enjoyed terrific, satisfying street food snacks in Mexico City while I was there doing research to open Distrito. I wanted to bring those vibrant flavors to Philadelphia, and a food truck seemed like a fun way to make these snacks accessible.

MF: How is managing the truck's business different from (and similar to) the standard restaurant management?

JG:  There is a different permitting system associated with a mobile food business, so that has been a learning experience for us.  Overall, though, the truck is wonderfully low maintenance – we load it up, prepare the food on the go, and share it with our friends.

MF: Do you feel that an Iron Chef-backed food truck has elevated the culinary scene in terms of trucks in the city?

JG:  There is a real food truck renaissance sweeping the nation right now, which is especially cool because it echoes the lively street food cultures in Europe and elsewhere in the world. Guapos Tacos is just another piece of that puzzle.

MF: Who is cooking at Guapos Tacos? Have they been inside other Garces Restaurant Group (GRG) kitchens in the past, or are they new employees?

JG: The Guapos Tacos team comes from our GRG kitchens – sous-chefs, chefs-de-cuisine, and occasionally, even me.

MF: What has the scene been like at the truck? How consistent has business been?

JG: We’ve been very lucky to experience such a positive response. Whenever possible, we try to let our guests know where we’ll be in advance, and we use social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to make sure that our whereabouts are available to anyone who wants to sample our food.  We’ve also tried to visit many different neighborhoods, so people understand the spirit of the truck – that we’ll come to them, rather than the other way around.

MF: What kinds of special events have been booked for the truck so far?

JG: The truck is already booked for a birthday party or two, a going-away party for a large company, and a wedding. We really want people to think of it for any occasion.

MF: Are there any plans to expand the truck's business or hours?

JG: We’re very new, so we’re really playing it all by ear at this point.  We love working private events, and we expect that to be our primary business, but it’s also been great fun to show up around the city and interact with people in that way.

MF: Are there any plans to launch any other trucks reflecting other restaurants in GRG?

JG: We don’t have plans for any other food trucks at this time, but we never say never.

Without a standalone website, Garces fans can follow the truck’s stops via its Twitterfeed, @guapostacos.

Shannon can be reached at shannonm@temple.edu / Natalia can be reached at natachiarelli@aol.com

Philly food trucks take on New York's best at Vendys

BY: Patrick Gordon

Mario Batali has been successful in the food industry as a chef and restaurateur for 30 years, so when he expresses an opinion on something, people tend to listen.

Case in point: the annual Vendy Awards, where Batali serves as a judge. Recognized as one of the top food events in New York City, the Vendys are an annual cook-off competition pitting the best food trucks in the Big Apple against each other for street vendor supremacy.  Nearly twenty food trucks compete in the annual event and vie for one of four awards - Rookie Vendor of the Year, Best Dessert, People’s Taste and the coveted Vendy Cup, awarded to the best food truck as judged on by a celebrity panel.

“It’s like the Oscars of food for the real New York,” Batali has said.

The Vendys originated in the Big Apple in 2006 as a fundraiser for the Street Vendor Project of the Urban Justice Center. The competition has since blossomed into a yearly highlight for hundreds of food vendors and connoisseurs up-and-down the Eastern Seaboard. More than 1,000 people bought tickets to last year’s event on Governors Island and enjoyed live music and unlimited food from 18 different vendors. Proceeds from the sale of each ticket (ranging from $80 to $220) went to the Street Vendor Project, earmarked directly to assist immigrant vendors with legal representation and advocacy efforts.

 “There really is a unique atmosphere, almost like you are at a carnival,” said Yolanda Simmons, a hot dog cart vendor based in Atlantic City who has attended the Vendys. “I like seeing what different people are doing, the different types of food and styles. Being in the business, it also gives me a chance to see new things that I may be able to improve upon with my cart.”

Simmons witnesses the day-to-day tribulations of running a sidewalk business firsthand, so she also appreciates the newfound fanfare of her craft.

“I’m glad people enjoy the trucks because it wasn’t always like that,” Simmons said. “We weren’t celebrated. People used to think we were a nuisance, but that’s not the case anymore. We now have our own day.”

Thanks to a partnership between the Street Vendor Project and Philly Homegrown, an initiative of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, three food trucks from Philadelphia were invited to the Vendy Awards last year. The trio of trucks marked the first time vendors from outside New York City participated in the competition.

“It was a neat experience to show everyone what we could do,” said Tom McCusker, owner and operator of Honest Tom’s Taco Shop, one of the three food trucks invited to the competition. “They hauled the trucks up on two flatbeds. It was interesting to see the [best] food trucks of New York City all in one place, and Governors Island was beautiful.”

Along with Honest Tom’s Taco Shop, Denise’s Soul Food and Birchrun on a Roll represented Philadelphia in the contest.

“I think food trucks in Philadelphia are really starting to boom,” McCusker said. “From what people come and tell me, there should be another 20 or 30 trucks opening this year of all different types of foods.”

The idea of a food truck competition is catching on elsewhere as well. Los Angeles held its first Vendy Awards last year and had more than 1,000 food trucks nominated for consideration.

Philadelphia, too, will get involved with the Vendy circuit later this year when the city hosts its own food truck cook-off. Details of when and where remain elusive, but the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation is committed to hosting the competition sometime in late 2011.

“Philadelphia is a natural choice for a Vendy Awards and other celebratory gatherings that shine a light on Philly’s homegrown and diverse food cultures,” GPTMC President and CEO Meryl Levitz said. “Residents and visitors alike are eating their way through the Philadelphia region like never before.”

Patrick can be reached at pgordon@temple.edu