Eat Localicious! Seasonally inspired street food.

The Truck is gone, long live the truck!!!

2011-04-27T08:55:00.000-07:00

New owner and new graphics. I think she's happy...

http://www.good.is/post/heirloom-la-s-new-food-truck-pairs-local-fare-with-the-city-s-best-watering-holes/

Truck is sold!!!

2011-04-15T15:02:00.000-07:00

Super nice young guy with a catering biz in LA is driving it home right now. We're both very happy with the deal.

Cheers everyone!

Wanna buy an awesome food truck?

2011-04-13T15:41:00.000-07:00

The truck is listed on eBay, item 170628210900

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170628210900

Localicious is closing...

2011-03-28T10:00:00.000-07:00

Due to a change in my personal situation we are closing Localicious. My apologies to all of our wonderful regulars and especially those of you that have become addicted to the kale salad and the caramel.

The main reason is that Maggie is due in June, and I want to be around to help raise our daughter. Growing a new business would make that pretty tough.

Thanks to all of you for all the wonderful feedback and compliments you've given us.

If you know anyone that wants to buy a really cool food truck let me know,

Cheers,

Jeff & Maggie

Schedule Update & Lessons Learned

2011-02-09T11:12:00.000-08:00

I've got my fingers crossed, but it looks like we'll be keeping our current Emeryville schedule for a while:

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11 to 2 PM, on the park at 62nd near Hollis.
Fridays 11 to 2 on Hollis at 53rd on that park.
Great spots. We're considering other non-e-ville spots to expand our hours and diversify the way a good biz should.

We did a couple of events in Jan/Feb. It was a learning experience. Expressions College: it rained, bummer. Girl's Rock Camp benefit: very cool event, it went well. Working a double shift on Friday is tough for an old goat like me. Even tougher for my lovely wife Maggie who is 5 months pregnant (woohoo!). I kept her up way past her bedtime that night.

Biggest lesson: when driving the truck home on the freeway after a double shift and you come into a right hand corner a little hot the door on the big fridge will open. The clattering sound coming from behind me is not unusual (plus the stereo was cranked), but why did that light come on back there? Fridge light, oops...lentils everywhere. The truck cleans up nice though.

Our media debut!

2011-01-29T17:45:00.000-08:00

So, this article about us on and our fellow food trucks on OaklandNorth.net

http://oaklandnorth.net/2011/01/29/seasonally-inspired-street-food-rolls-into-town/

is really well written and fun to read (it was for us anyway!).

Meet James

2011-01-08T14:25:00.000-08:00

James has been working with me since we opened in November. He's been a tremendous help in getting our chops down and he's a killer soup-meister. Master of the flattop griddle, he has perfected the world's best grilled cheese sandwich. I literally couldn't do it without him.

Thanks James!

Photos by Tiago
http://tiagopinto.sites.livebooks.com/

Mission Statement

2011-01-08T14:19:00.000-08:00

This is the entry door to the truck...

Photo by Tiago
http://tiagopinto.sites.livebooks.com/

January Schedule

2011-01-05T11:04:00.000-08:00

We're trying to have a regular schedule so you know where to find us, but with the holidays and trying to organize with the other food trucks...it's tough. We hope to hit the tipping point soon where it makes sense to open more days of the week. For now it's Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

So, for January we'll be at 62nd near Hollis on the park on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Fridays at Hollis and 53rd (all in Emeryville).

Next month? We'll see.

Holiday Schedule & Menu Update

2010-12-17T11:13:00.000-08:00

The next two Fridays are holiday-eves, so for the next two weeks we'll be at 62nd near Hollis on the park on Tues and Wed, and at 45th & Doyle near Pixar on Thur. If Emeryville is still under water next week that could change a little.

The hot/warm food is eclipsing all other menu items, no surprise there. The saffron rice with chicken and sausage is neck n neck with the pulled chicken sandwich, followed closely by the grilled cheese with spicy greens and soup of the week combo. The house-made caramel with almonds and sea salt is always a hit.

We are test kitchening some new items for next month, and, of course, as the seasons change so shall the menu. Stay tuned...

Holiday Schedule

2010-12-01T07:41:00.000-08:00

This week's schedule is normal...Tues & Thur on 45th near Pixar and Friday on 53rd & Hollis (Emeryville)...but the rest of the month? Vacations, jury duty, Xmas & New years...it'll be a little different each week.

Next week will be Tues & Wed on 45th, Fri on 53rd. After that? I'll keep you posted.

We will be doing some days on 62nd on the Doyle/Hollis Park starting the 2nd week of December.

Cheers!

This Week's Menu

2010-11-22T05:55:00.001-08:00

It's great soup weather. The combo of grilled cheese & spicy greens with a cup of hearty lentil soup or Riverdog carrot soup with ginger and coconut milk should hit the spot.

Click on the image to see the menu better...

2010-10-29T15:49:00.000-07:00

Fall Menu
Fall is here and we’re loving the greens, winter squash, watermelon radishes and tart, crisp apples. One of the really fun things we get to do is meet and talk to the people we’ll be getting our food from: Judith from Full Belly Farms, John from Field to Family (awesome chicken), Doug from Acme Bakery, to name a few. And what could be better than spending time in the test kitchen? Super fun and we get to eat the results. We ask ourselves: is this the best chicken salad sandwich you’ve ever had? When the answer is yes it’s ready to go on the menu. We’ve been doing menu/recipe development for a year now. Our good friend Eskender (radioafricakitchen.com) was instrumental as our menu consultant and he’s helped us to focus in on our style and given us great pointers that will help us get consistently great food out the window quickly. Our menu will be constantly changing with the seasons, so expect to see new things all the time.

Here’s a draft of our start menu (stuff may change before we start):

Fall Vegetable Salad - green beans, cauliflower, potatoes and carrots with a citrus herb vinaigrette on a bed of lentils and arugula, topped with toasted almonds and crumbled chevre $8

Chicken Sausage Rice - saffron seasoned rice with marinated chicken, spicy sausage and fall vegetables $8

Chicken Salad Sandwich - breast meat tossed in housemade oregano aioli with arugula on Acme ciabatta $8

Pulled Chicken Sandwich - shredded chicken in bourbon BBQ sauce topped with cole slaw on Acme ciabatta $8

Egg Salad Sandwich – farm fresh eggs in herb aioli with olive tapenade and arugula on Acme pain au levain $7

Happy Boy Greens - with Gala apples, toasted walnuts and Romano cheese tossed in a sherry-dijon vinaigrette $4

Slaw - shredded cabbage in lime vinaigrette with toasted sesame seeds $2

Saffron Rice - side $2

Today's Crostini- topped with avocado and chevre $3

Gingery Butternut Squash Soup $5

Almond-Sea Salt Caramel $2

Ginger Brew $3

Santa Cruz Organic Sodas $1.50

Soda water $1

Truck Graphics done....

2010-10-26T17:41:00.000-07:00

Look for the struttin' rooster as you drive down Hollis. The blank space next to the service window is where the menu board will be. We're still on track to start selling in E-ville starting Nov. 9th. We will tweet the exact location when we have a spot.

One last permit to go: Emeryville police stamp of approval...wish us luck! (Update 10/28...passed!!! thanks for the luck!)

First inspection passed!!!

2010-08-22T10:16:00.000-07:00

It's going to be a great kitch en to work in. In the photo you can see our bitchin Garland stove with its custom hood and fire suppression system. Huge operable skylights let in tons of fresh air and light. Welded aluminum diamond plate floor. You can see the 3 compartment pan washing sink, the handwash sink, and the veg prep sink. On the right are the standup fridge, the "sandwich prep" fridge, and worktables. One of the big challenges was bolting everything into the truck. If anything can move it will shake loose on the road. That would be bad.

The wood for the service window frame is from an 80 year old oak tree from a Sacramento river levee. The tree had to go when they updated the levee. Not in the pic are the window panes (acrylic for safety), and a wide shelf from a single board that will mount on the outside of the window. The figure of the wood is really pretty and I don't usually like oak all that much. Also, the frame pushes out for an emergency exit. It was tricky to get that to work without the window rattling loose on the road. We did this so we could keep the liftgate on the back of the truck (with the gate on you can't open the back door from the inside). It may come in handy.

The state life safety inspection is done (woohoo!!!), next is the the health dept. and city permits. Outside graphics are still in progress...we remain optimistic.

Maggie and I are frantically working on the menu (awesome!!!) and logistics.

We're getting close!!!

Summer's coming!!!

2010-06-14T09:09:00.000-07:00

The truck is slowly but surely taking shape. It'll be a couple more months before it's all done and the permits/inspections are done. We're having the truck's full vehicle vinyl wrap designed on Crowdspring, very exciting.

The Eat Real Festival is already taking shape. It's on the last week of August. There's a great video of Maggie cooking padron chilis on their homepage:

http://eatrealfest.com/

Here it is on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhD4cqS1IIU&feature=player_embedded#!

I'll post some pics of the truck soon.

This is hard work!

2009-10-29T13:43:00.000-07:00

Wow, I never predicted how much work it really is to get this thing up and running. A couple successes of the week are signing our operating agreement (we have a limited liability company or LLC structure, and the operating agreement is the legal contract governing it) and starting a bank account. Woohoo! (I know, doesn’t sound like much, but you’d be surprised how many documents you need in order to be able to open a business account.)

I’m partway through writing our revised business plan (the school version is great, but somehow there are a lot of changes when it’s “for real”). In the meantime, Jeff is working all hours on the truck. He’s been a little stressed, and that’s pretty unusual for him. He’s getting some bids now from subcontractors for pieces of the work we need some help on. Did you know it could cost $3,000 for a diamond-plate aluminum floor in that darn truck? Yikes! That’s real money. And I’m not even mentioning the electrician.

We also scoped out some locations in Emeryville (thank you, E-ville for being so truck friendly) and visited Liba outside Pixar (very, very tasty falafel). Looks like some contenders are Powell & Peladeau, the little city park at 61st & Hollis and outside Pixar. Thoughts?

Kiva’s birthday party next week will be a fun diversion (please come join us!) and I had a great time visiting Presidio last week to talk to the new student food club. Got a great idea from them too… have runners that can deliver food from the truck to people ordering from nearby offices so people don’t even have to leave their desk to eat Localicious. What do you think? Sounds especially useful on a rainy day when getting to the truck might be daunting.

And, lastly, we’re starting to consider the possibility that we may need some outside funding to get through the prototype phase. Initially we thought we have enough of our own money to self-finance, but now we’re exploring the possibility of some funding since it could be close. Hmm…

Julia Child's Stove

2009-10-17T09:51:00.000-07:00

Our stove

Julia's stove

A couple month’s ago, Jeff’s friend Rachel heard about the truck build project and mentioned that her boyfriend Alex has Julia’s stove just sitting in his loft and we can have it! I thought maybe a six-burner professional stove with a 24” griddle, a broiler and two ovens might be too heavy for a taco truck. But, wow, she’s a beauty.

As the engineer on the team, Jeff was undaunted. He’s always going on about the beefy suspension on the Snap-On.

OK, so it turns out that its not really Julia’s stove, just the same model, a Garland 182. But it’ll always be Julia’s stove to us.

Alex and Rachel just want the stove to have a good life, how cool is that? Thanks guys.

Maggie's Localicious Story

2009-10-09T11:09:00.000-07:00

I quit my corporate job of fifteen years to start Localicious. A few years back I went to a BALLE conference and got inspired by entrepreneurs like Judy Wicks and Ari Weinzweig who started values based businesses and tout the importance of just getting out and taking some action, even if small. In response, I planted tomatoes, cucumbers and kale in my backyard and started an MBA program in sustainable management at the Presidio. In school, I met an amazing community of people, explored how business can be an avenue for social and environmental change, hatched the venture plan for Localicious… and worked up the nerves to quit.

After over a decade with the security of a regular corporate gig, Localicious can be a bit nerve-wracking, but, wow, it is so energizing doing something I really care about. And people are so incredibly supportive; it’s a real joy. Thanks everyone!

Besides being a way for me to bring my values and cares into my work, Localicious is an exploration of how to help others to experience the joy of eating locally and being connected to the source of our food. Eating from my Full Belly CSA box has totally revolutionized the way I think about food – making the most of what is in season and available, even when it means cooking in uncharted territory (like the Tokyo turnips I julienned and tossed in lemon juice, coarse salt and parsley last night).

Right now, for busy people, it can be a lot of work to eat locally, so with Localicious we want to make it convenient and accessible, while helping to create a new food infrastructure as part of a thriving local economy. We offer people a direct connection to local farmers and the delight of seasonal eating, served on the street from the truck rather than in a white tablecloth restaurant.

Theoretically I’m the chief executive of Localicious, but after admiring the resident dogs at the Hoes Down festival last weekend, I’m thinking that chief border collie might be more apt. For now, my job is getting our finances and legal documents in order, designing the menu, plotting out our operations/logistics (I love spreadsheets!) and working on this blog. The work is pretty diverse, so hopefully all of my past experience will turn up to be useful…things like having a second degree black belt in aikido, being a Feldenkrais practitioner and playing bluegrass banjo. We’ll see how that works out. Can’t wait to see what’s on the horizon!

I look forward to meeting you and sharing great food with you. You can reach me at maggie@eatlocalicious.com.

Localicious Truck Build

2009-10-09T09:50:00.000-07:00

Here it is! This truck spent the last 10 years peddling Snap-on tools. It’s getting ready for its new life selling Localiciousness. The Snap-on trucks are customized with a beefy suspension, 6 kW Honda generator, rack of auxiliary batteries, and a large propane tank. That’s all stuff I would have had to buy and install. I’m gutting the interior now, much of which I’ll be able to re-use. I pulled out these giant wooden shelves that I’ll give away on Craigslist.

I met with the health inspector and showed him the plans for the new kitchen. Very cool guy and he gave me some good pointers. Involving him in the process early will make things go a lot smoother. I also have to get approval from the California Department of Housing and Community Development. They want to make sure I’m not going to electrocute anyone.

Stuff to do:
- Finish gutting the truck
- Tune up the generator
- Sort out the wiring
- The thing has the generator, main battery, 3 aux batteries, battery isolator, aftermarket beefy alternator, rectifier... they took the inverter, so I'll need to buy one (modified sine wave 5k inverter ~$500)...
- There is a drain on the main battery, bad isolator?
- Rough in plumbing and electrical
- Put it all together
- Get final approval from county and state
- Remove Snap-On vinyl and have ours applied

We love Full Belly Farm - Thank You!!!

2009-10-05T14:20:00.001-07:00

The Localicious crew, Natasha, Jeff and Maggie spent the weekend up at our favorite farm celebrating the harvest. A warm sunny day kept the people thirsty and we sold out by 5pm. After that, we rambled over to the walnut orchard where our new friend Chris taught us to walk on a slack line (which is vaguely like a tight rope, but, true to its name, it's slack). Natasha was a natural and is considering joining the circus.

Over dinner we made some new friends and reconnected with old ones from food businesses that inspire us, like Neighborhood Fruit, Three Stone Hearth, and Pizzaiolo.

It's a lot of work, but doing these events is so satisfying and gives us energy to get back to the work of getting Localicious up and running. For now, that means that Natasha is enhancing our web presence, Jeff is tinkering with the truck design, and Maggie is procrastinating doing our bookkeeping and finances.

Localicious will be at Hoes Down this weekend!

2009-09-30T15:06:00.001-07:00

We were in the kitchen this morning perfectly our watermelon sparkler. It's a miraculous concoction of watermelon, ginger, and lime - oh, so refreshing. The watermelons are Mickey Lee's from River Dog farm. Localicious will also be serving our housemade ginger brew.

We head out to the farm on Friday to get set up, then the festivities begin on Saturday. I plan to sneak out of the Localicious booth to pet a few goats and do some dancing.

Hoes Down is at Full Belly Farm in the Capay Valley this Saturday, October 3 from 11am to 11pm. Camping is available Saturday night and there are seminars and tours on Sunday. The festival raises funds for organizations with projects benefiting sustainable agriculture and rural communities.

Hope to see you there!

Localicious Comes to Eat Real

2009-08-21T16:51:00.000-07:00

Join us next Saturday and Sunday (August 29 and 30) at the Eat Real Festiva l at Jack London Square in Oakland for some extraordinary and sustainable street food. Localicious will be serving tasty small bites from a vintage cart. Our locally-sourced treats will include skillet-blistered padron peppers, California-inspired paella and house made ginger beer. Check below for our detailed menu and pricing. Looking forward to seeing everyone there.

Localicious Eat Real Festival Menu

Skillet Roasted Padron Chilies $3

Tossed with olive oil and coarse salt

Happy Quail Farms, East Palo Alto, CA

Chicken and Sausage Rice $5

Saffron rice with chicken, Chorizo sausage,

Gypsy peppers, sweet yellow onions & green beans

Field to Family Natural Foods, Petaluma, CA

Full Belly Farm, Guinda, CA

Localicious Ginger Ale $3

Sparkling house-made citrus ginger brew

**Photo Credit: David @ Happy Quail Farms

Detailed Senior Games Menu

2009-07-31T16:53:00.000-07:00

Announcing the full, farm source-identified menu...

EAT

Straus Yogurt with Localicious Honey Almond Sesame Granola & Capay Fruit

Yogurt, Straus Family Creamery, Marshall, CA

Almonds, Walnuts, Honey, FarmShop, Capay Valley, CA

Suncrisp Peaches, Cantaloupe, Grapes, Full Belly Farm, Capay Valley, CA

Late Summer FarmShop Fruit Medley

Suncrisp Peaches, Honeyloupe, Ambrosia & Orchid Melons, Grapes, Full Belly Farm, Capay Valley, CA

Capay Valley-Inspired Greek Salad

Sweet 100 Tomatoes, Gypsy Peppers, Armenian Cucumbers, Chives, River Dog Farm, Capay Valley, CA

Oregano, Full Belly Farm, Capay Valley, CA

Feta, Belfiore, Berkeley, CA

Kalamata Olives, Berkeley, CA

Vinaigrette

Late Summer Harvest Vegetable & Pasta Salad

Sweet 100 Tomatoes, Gypsy Peppers, Chives, River Dog Farm, Capay Valley, CA

Oregano, Full Belly Farm, Capay Valley, CA

Pasta, Berkeley, CA

Feta, Belfiore, Berkeley, CA

Vinaigrette

Capayrese Sandwich--Heirloom Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Basil & Tapenade

Lemon Cucumbers, Basil, River Dog Farm, Capay Valley, CA

Early Girl Tomatoes, Full Belly Farm, Capay Valley, CA

Mozzarella, Belfiore, Berkeley, CA

Kalamata Tapenade, Berkeley, CA

Ciabatta, Acme Bread Company, Berkeley, CA

Little Gem, Lemon Cucumber & Sungold Salad

Little Gem Lettuce, Happy Boy Farm, Freedom, CA

Lemon Cucumber, Sungold Tomatoes, River Dog Farm, Capay Valley, CA

Point Reyes Blue Vinaigrette, Point Reyes Station, CA

Localicious Lavender Shortbread

Culinary Lavender, River Dog Farm

Lemon, Terra Vista, CA

Lavender Fleur de Sel, Boulette's Larder, San Francisco, CA

C&H Sugar, Crockett, CA

Butter, Straus Family Creamery, Marshall, CA

Flour

DRINK

Cantaloupe-Lemon Verbena Refresher

Cantaloupe, Ambrosia, Honeyloupe Melons, Full Belly Farm, Capay Valley, CA

Lemon Verbena, FarmShop, Capay Valley, CA

C&H Sugar, Crockett, CA

Watermelon-Ginger Agua Fresca

Orchid Melon, Full Belly Farm, Capay Valley, CA

Ginger, Fresno, CA

C&H Sugar, Crockett, CA

Lime

Find Us at the Senior Games

2009-07-31T16:44:00.000-07:00

Come find Localicious at the AstraZeneca Athlete Village at Stanford University in Palo Alto starting this Sunday for the Senior Games. We'll be there daily from 9am to 5pm through August 15.

Senior Games Menu

2009-07-29T16:34:00.000-07:00

Localicious is excited to announce our menu for the upcoming Senior Games in Palo Alto. Look for more details soon!

EAT

Straus Yogurt with Localicious Honey Almond Sesame Granola & Capay Fruit
Late Summer FarmShop Fruit Medley
Capay Valley-Inspired Greek Salad
Late Summer Harvest Vegetable & Pasta Salad
Capayrese Sandwich--Heirloom Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Basil & Tapenade
Hearts of Romaine, Lemon Cucumber & Sungold Salad
Localicious Lavender Shortbread

DRINK

Cantelope-Lemon Verbena Refresher
Watermelon-Ginger Agua Fresca

We're Back

2009-07-14T21:18:00.000-07:00

Localicious is back in action! Come visit us at Stanford University for the Senior Games next month, August 1 through 15. We'll be selling fresh, delicious, locally-sourced treats at the AstraZeneca Athlete Village with the Capay Valley Farmer's Market. August means flavorful and complex heirloom tomatoes, luscious sweet melons and the last push of mouth watering peaches! Check back soon for our menu, specific times, dates and location.

Localicious Wins the Audience Choice Award!

2009-06-02T16:29:00.000-07:00

After pitching at 10:30 last night, Localicious was voted the audience favorite and will be presenting on the main stage at Sustainable Brands at 11am tomorrow. Check in soon to see what's next for Localicious!

Localicious Goes to Sustainable Brands

2009-05-31T09:00:00.000-07:00

Localicious will be competing in the SB New Venture Competition at the Sustainable Brands Conference in Monterey on Monday. Wish us luck!

Localicious in the Park--The Day in Pictures

2009-05-29T18:15:00.000-07:00

Sunday's Menu

2009-04-25T21:10:00.000-07:00

EAT

Savories

Asparagusta
Asparagus, Couture Farms, Kettleman City, CA
Backyard Meyer Lemons, Palo Alto, CA
Bariani Olive Oil from Sacramento, CA
Spring Hill Goat Feta from Petaluma, CA - farmstead artisan cheese
Salt, Pepper

Yummy Yam Chips
Yams and Sweet Potatoes, Stockton, CA Family Farm
Bariani Olive Oil from Sacramento, CA
Salt

Peanut Noodle Salad with Spring Veggies
Egg noodles, Berkeley, CA
Sugar Snap Peas and Scallions, Catalan Family Farms, Hollister, CA
Cilantro and Mint, River Dog Farms, Capay Valley, CA
Wildwood Tofu, Santa Cruz, CA

White Bean Hummus with Sugar Snap Peas
Sugar Snap Peas, Catalan Family Farms, Hollister, CA
White Beans, Rancho Gordo, Napa, CA
Mint and Parsley, River Dog Farms, Capay Valley, CA
Bariani Olive Oil, Sacramento, CA

Sweets

Localicious Carrot Cake with Cardamom-Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting
Carrots, Bunny Luv, Fillmore, CA
Carrots, Miriam's Farm, San Juan Bautista, CA
Ginger, Phan Farms, Fresno, CA
Fuji Apples from a Stockton, CA Family Farm
Arbequina Olive Oil, St. Helena, CA
Cream Cheese, Straus Family Creamery, Marin County, CA
Eggs, Stockton, CA, Family Farm
Lemons, Menlo Park, CA
Sugar produced in Crockett, CA
Vanilla, Cardamom, Cloves, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Baking Soda

Tangy Caramelized Strawberry Tart
Strawberries, Miriam's Farm, San Juan Bautista, CA
Lemons, Menlo Park, CA
Sugar produced in Crockett, CA

Navel Oranges
Bernard Ranches, Riverside CA

DRINK

Navel and Moro Orange Ginger Rickey
Hand-picked Navel and Moro Oranges from a backyard garden, Atherton, CA
Ginger, Phan Farms, Fresno, CA
Seltzer water from the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir carbonated by the Seltzer Sisters in Redwood City, CA

Find Us in Golden Gate Park!

2009-04-24T12:52:00.000-07:00

Localicious in the Park...This Sunday, April 26

2009-04-23T13:00:00.000-07:00