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bean
 Post subject: Food Trucks
PostPosted: Sat Jan 02, 2010 3:51 pm 
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Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2007 10:16 pm
Posts: 337
Location: Roscoe Village
Can we start to compile a list of food trucks spotted around town?

Identifying the neighborhood, usual hours of operation and type of cuisine would be most welcome.

Thanks in advance!


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Hombre de Acero
 Post subject: Re: Food Trucks
PostPosted: Sat Jan 02, 2010 4:52 pm 
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Posts: 325
Is it also possible-
that we can use the collective might/wisdom/"passion-for-good food"
found here on lthforum-
to modify The Mayors/City Councils
"formal" position on off-premises food sales?

I mean if we want to be known as a "food centric" town, beyond
Deep Dish and Hot Dougs and Alinea, why can't there be
a "zone" or part of town where entrepreneurs can try out new food concept with out
tearing up their IRA's?

The duality of the situation is truly absurd-
Bootleg Food Trucks and 'Roach Coaches" are "legal"-
whilst any Latino Mango/Elotes/Fruit seller is "illegal"-
Selling from a cart on Chicago Park District Property is Legal (when licensed??!)
yet,
selling any food on any City Street or Boulevard is illegal?

How hard is it to revisit the laws and sanitation requirements needed to make Chicago, like
Portland ,OR or LosAngeles in allowing and EMBRACING some diverse forms of "Street Food?
What do ya say people- who's "wired" to an Alderman,
or even better-
da Mayor, that can help change the way our City looks upon "mobile food"?
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nsxtasy
 Post subject: Re: Food Trucks
PostPosted: Sat Jan 02, 2010 5:26 pm 
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Phil Vettel made the same argument in Thursday's article on changes he'd like to see in Chicago's restaurant business in 2010.

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opentune
 Post subject: Re: Food Trucks
PostPosted: Sun Jan 03, 2010 9:46 am 
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Location: chicago
The restaurant Lobby will not allow a Portland style street scene. sadly !!

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opentune
 Post subject: Re: Food Trucks
PostPosted: Sun Jan 03, 2010 9:48 am 
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Location: chicago
http://www.foodcartsportland.com/ this is a great site

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Hombre de Acero
 Post subject: Re: Food Trucks
PostPosted: Sun Jan 03, 2010 10:15 am 
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"The Restaurant Lobby",
has no more a known face,
than Rick Bayless- and if he's behind the concept of more a
"mobile food" scene- then what argument does the "Restaurant Lobby" have,
other than their same old ones?

The fact is- in this current economic environment we need more innovation-
we need
more creative ways to empower small business owners,
and potential small business owners to get a leg up!

One of the more powerful benefits of places like Chicago's Maxwell Street,
is that they created or allowed for an entry level/lower rung to the economic ladder of life.
So many peddlers at Maxwell Street, who started without even a "cart" or a "table" just a handful of mismatched socks
to carry up and sell to people on the street- have become Chicago business giants....
where do you think Morrie Mages Sports Store got his start?
Where do you think the legendary sellers of fine Mens Suits,
Gene and Joe Silverberg of Bigsby & Kruthers fame
(ex-haberdasher of Michael Jordan and Dennis Rodman amongst others..

My point is- no where in history is there a better time,
for a solution to many of the "ills"/downsides of starting a restaurant/cafe/food establishment,
than today-
by making "mobile food" sales legal and profitable in Chicago.
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GAF
 Post subject: Re: Food Trucks
PostPosted: Sun Jan 03, 2010 6:05 pm 
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Location: New York by birth, Chicago by inclination
Maybe we can start with the Evanston side of Howard Street? :lol:

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Mhays
 Post subject: Re: Food Trucks
PostPosted: Sun Jan 03, 2010 8:31 pm 
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Location: Evanston, IL
Evanston's even harder on food trucks than Chicago is: they just have fewer resources to catch them.

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GAF
 Post subject: Re: Food Trucks
PostPosted: Sun Jan 03, 2010 9:24 pm 
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Location: New York by birth, Chicago by inclination
I guess that's true. Many universities are a magnet for food trucks, but I haven't seen any at NU. What is the Evanston politics that produces that bias?

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Cathy2
 Post subject: Re: Food Trucks
PostPosted: Sun Jan 03, 2010 10:09 pm 
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Hi,

I was in New York last week, where I met someone in the vending business. He advised his vending machines, mostly located in coin laundries, have not suffered any decline in business.

The conversation drifted to roach coaches, which he said has been hard hit. Many visit construction sites and car dealerships, which have shrunk or disappeared.

Regards,

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School of Fire
 Post subject: Re: Food Trucks
PostPosted: Mon Jan 04, 2010 9:32 pm 
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Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2010 9:15 pm
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Location: Plainfield
Having attended The World of Flavors Street Food Convention and absorbing all that I could, Wine and Food:)

Roy Choi was staying at my hotel and I had a chance to speak with him for a moment on this subject.. In case you are in a bubble, he started KogiBBQ.

Hi wisdom of "you have to slip throught the shadows of the night" was very true. His trucks are banned from some areas, he gets tickets, towed, shutdown etc. His answer is"we just roll with it." He is a true renegade.

I have been researching this for a year now. I am planning on something mobile soon. Anyone interested in sharing the glory of being food ninjas of the night. Send me a message.

Matt F

http://schooloffires.com

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Hombre de Acero
 Post subject: Re: Food Trucks
PostPosted: Tue Jan 05, 2010 8:53 pm 
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Santa Monica has taken an unused "lot"- and transformed it into
a Food Truck zone- unofficially speaking...
Santa Monica's Food Truck Lot
http://laist.com/2010/01/04/quick_report_santa_monicas_food_tru.php
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bean
 Post subject: Re: Food Trucks
PostPosted: Wed Jan 06, 2010 11:56 am 
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Location: Roscoe Village
Hombre de Acero wrote:
Santa Monica has taken an unused "lot"- and transformed it into
a Food Truck zone- unofficially speaking...
Santa Monica's Food Truck Lot
http://laist.com/2010/01/04/quick_report_santa_monicas_food_tru.php



I think I would hate to see this happen in Chicago, though I suspect it might help revitalize the Maxwell Street Market if they haven't already figured that out.
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Mhays
 Post subject: Re: Food Trucks
PostPosted: Wed Jan 06, 2010 2:08 pm 
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Location: Evanston, IL
GAF wrote:
I guess that's true. Many universities are a magnet for food trucks, but I haven't seen any at NU. What is the Evanston politics that produces that bias?


Not really politics, largely health code (see subsection H,) - interestingly, the State health code cited requires a cart to have a pressurized potable water source and a waste-water system, something that pretty much restricts mobile food operations to large-scale operations - so it seems it depends on the municipality's stand on enforcement. As I recall, Evanston's health inspectors weren't pushovers. Mobile businesses also require a license in Evanston, something many of them don't have (though I don't think that's a big deal, it's just filling out a form and paying a fee) This doesn't stop our school playground from being overrun with ice cream and candy vendors after school in the summer (not that I mind, as long as there's a paleta vendor.) I'm guessing NWU itself discourages mobile food vendors.

Right or wrong, I wonder if sometimes the purpose of these kinds of restrictive health codes is to reduce the number of businesses that have to be inspected regularly - I can't imagine enforcing yearly inspections for every paleta vendor and ice cream truck everywhere, let alone the tamales, elotes, etc. It might be more reasonable, though, to offer a small number of licenses limited to the number of mobile businesses that can be inspected.

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JeffB
 Post subject: Re: Food Trucks
PostPosted: Wed Jan 06, 2010 2:37 pm 
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Every time this comes up, I wonder about (and point out) the well-established Puerto Rican carts in Humboldt Park that clearly meet City code requirements. Why wouldn't other cuisines be able to do likewise? They might need to be situated in a park, and i don't see the city allowing anything like that in Millenium, but why not Grant or parts of Lincoln?
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Cathy2
 Post subject: Re: Food Trucks
PostPosted: Wed Jan 06, 2010 2:48 pm 
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Hi,

Washburne Culinary School had a food concession at Buckingham Fountain last summer via the Chicago Park District.

Regards,

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"You'll be remembered long after you're dead if you make good gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits." -- Nathalie Dupree
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boudreaulicious
 Post subject: Re: Food Trucks
PostPosted: Wed Jan 06, 2010 3:15 pm 
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Location: W. Lakeview
Does tamale man count??

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Hombre de Acero
 Post subject: Re: Food Trucks
PostPosted: Fri Jan 08, 2010 10:20 am 
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Posts: 325
The original idea behind the Korean Taco Trucks
of LA-
is featured in this Wall Street Journal article....
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... _lifestyle
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Mhays
 Post subject: Re: Food Trucks
PostPosted: Tue Sep 28, 2010 1:05 pm 
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Location: Evanston, IL
Word to the wise - just found out that Evanston's first food truck, Hummingbird Kitchen, will debut at Bike the Ridge this upcoming Sunday from 9-noon (don't drive there :D - Ridge will be closed from 8-1)

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GAF
 Post subject: Re: Food Trucks
PostPosted: Tue Sep 28, 2010 1:49 pm 
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Out here in the Bay Area, there is a food truck culture, but it is one by which I am a bit put-off. In my mind, food trucks should be small, ethnic, and somewhat scruffy. But here one finds massive trucks, often owned by local restaurants. To me that works against the food truck aesthetic and food truck economics, a location where local entrepreneurs can make a living, providing food for the neighborhood or campus. I have the feeling that should we win the battle of food trucks, we will come to see a set of unintended consequences.

The wealthy and powerful rarely lose.

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Dave148
 Post subject: Re: Food Trucks
PostPosted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 2:02 pm 
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Location: Eating Through The North Shore
Inspectors in Rearview as Food Trucks Rule Road - http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/12/us/12 ... ref=dining

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happy_stomach
 Post subject: Re: Food Trucks
PostPosted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 2:27 pm 
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"Design your own food truck concept and signature meal" via GOOD on Twitter:

GOOD wrote:
Project: Food Truck Fantasy

Want BBQ mango wings with a side of pudding? Look no further than the streets of Los Angeles. Craving bacon-topped waffles? New York's got them. Haven't tried Korean BBQ tacos yet? Get on it. They're quickly approaching "so 2009" status.

From coast to coast, food trucks are reinventing what and how Americans eat. In the process, they're mashing up our culinary traditions to create some of the wackiest and most delicious combinations we've eaten in years.

Have food truck entrepreneurs used up all the best ideas already? Or do you have a fresh concept for a food truck you'd be willing to wait in line for? In the spirit of unbridled food truck creativity, our latest GOOD Project wants to know: What would your fantasy food truck be?

Like any food truck, your dream truck needs to have a cool concept and signature dish. What would you call it? What would it serve? We'll compile the best ideas into a slideshow format, and the GOOD community will vote to choose their favorite.

the THEME

The food truck revolution is sweeping American cities. What's your food truck fantasy?

the OBJECTIVE

We want to see what's missing from the mobile culinary landscape. Dream up a concept for a food truck that doesn't exist yet. Name your truck and explain the concept. Then, cook up the signature dish and take a photo. If you're culinarily challenged, you can draw or graphically represent your signature dish.

the REQUIREMENTS

Send an e-mail to projects[at]goodinc[dot]com with your submission. Submissions must include the following: 1) name of the truck, 2) a few sentences describing the concept, and 3) an image of the signature dish. It can be in any image format, but it should be high enough resolution that it can be printed at 300 dpi. We’ll take submissions now through October 17. We'll publish a Picture Show with a selection of the best submissions on October 21.

Once we receive the images, we will turn to you, the GOOD community, to choose the winning submission by voting. The winning entry will be announced on October 28 and featured on our homepage. The winner will also receive a GOOD T-shirt and a free subscription (or gift subscription).
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Dave148
 Post subject: Re: Food Trucks
PostPosted: Fri Oct 29, 2010 2:38 pm 
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Restaurant Franchises Try Truckin' as a Way to Grow - http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 68160.html

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dansch
 Post subject: Re: Food Trucks
PostPosted: Sat Oct 30, 2010 10:48 am 
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Chicago will legalize food trucks just in time for the fleet of McTrucks to hit the streets. Awesome.

-Dan
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stevez
 Post subject: Re: Food Trucks
PostPosted: Sun Oct 31, 2010 7:10 am 
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dansch wrote:
Chicago will legalize food trucks just in time for the fleet of McTrucks to hit the streets. Awesome.

-Dan


Don't think it won't happen!

I wish all this food truck energy was being put into developing a decent permanant market instead of food trucks, but that's just me.

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Dave148
 Post subject: Re: Food Trucks
PostPosted: Mon Dec 13, 2010 3:58 pm 
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Moving Violations: In Chicago, Cooking and Driving Don't Mix - from today's WSJ - http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... _lifestyle

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zoid
 Post subject: Re: Food Trucks
PostPosted: Tue Dec 14, 2010 9:15 am 
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Interesting article in the Sun Times today:

Local restaurant owners choke on proposal for food trucks

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Ursiform
 Post subject: Re: Food Trucks
PostPosted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 4:25 pm 
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Another food truck on the way, this one serving Pasties:

http://www3.timeoutny.com/chicago/blog/ ... ort-pasty/

They can be followed on Twitter @bridgeportpasty

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Rene G
 Post subject: Re: Food Trucks
PostPosted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 3:05 pm 
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Ursiform wrote:
Another food truck on the way, this one serving Pasties:

http://www3.timeoutny.com/chicago/blog/ ... ort-pasty/

They can be followed on Twitter @bridgeportpasty

One day at the end of December I was hanging around in Bridgeport and lucked into meeting Jay and Carrie, owners of Bridgeport Pasty Co. I got to sample a test batch of pasties and thought they were very good. The big chunks of beef and butter crust impressed me. I look forward to following the progress of the Pastymobile. From what I understand they will have no storefront but their pasties may be available in local coffee shops etc.

Bridgeport Pasty Company
http://bridgeportpasty.com/
http://twitter.com/BridgeportPasty#
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bridgepor ... 5156766933
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JeffB
 Post subject: Re: Food Trucks
PostPosted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 4:16 pm 
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Rene G wrote:
Ursiform wrote:
Another food truck on the way, this one serving Pasties:

http://www3.timeoutny.com/chicago/blog/ ... ort-pasty/

They can be followed on Twitter @bridgeportpasty

One day at the end of December I was hanging around in Bridgeport and lucked into meeting Jay and Carrie, owners of Bridgeport Pasty Co. I got to sample a test batch of pasties and thought they were very good. The big chunks of beef and butter crust impressed me.


Doesn't sound very authentic.


But seriously, a vendor selling pasties, empanadas, patties, etc. could do a ton without having to cook to order....
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