HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Using Social Media to Expand Your Brand

We all know that without Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, FourSquare, etc (Social Media) the Gourmet Food Truck industry would have never been born.  How would you tell a customer where you are? How would build a following? You wouldn't.

You use twitter notifications Facebook messages not only to communicate your locations and upcoming events but even more importantly build an ARMY of loyal followers that promote your business. They in tern use even more tools to extend your reach. They re-tweet your posts, add reviews on Yelp & Urbanspoon and write clever and informative blogs. You can build on this even more by treating these people as VIPs after all they are giving you free advertising, no even better they are giving friends, family and followers their personal recommendation.

Chef/Owners, now you can use this power by interacting with your customers via social media. When they compliment you thank them. When they write a blog or review tweet it out or add it to your Facebook "Like" page. They will then continue to push your "BRAND" to the public.

You could even offer your strongest supporters discounts, or deals knowing in turn they will bring you new customers and the cycle continues. If your going to be at a special event or location tell them via a Facebook invite. Its the personal touch that keeps them coming. If the planed event/dinner starts at 6:00 PM tell them the time is 5:30 and thats only for them.

You may not see immediate quantifiable results but you will see your followers and customer base grow. More and more people will walk up to your truck feeling like they know you and they are on the A List.

Win Tickets! OC Fair New Years Block Party

12.17.2010 - Thank you to all that entered the contest. Our WINNER is @NayUCLA 

@GourmetFoodTrk will be giving away one pair of tickets to the OC Fair New Years Eve Block Party December 31st.

RULES to Enter: The rules are simple, leave a short comment at the bottom of this post including your Twitter name and follow @GourmetFoodTrk on Twitter. All entries must be received by midnight Thursday Dec 16th Pacific time. We will select one entry and notify you via twitter. Its that simple.

Saturday Night Foodies To Host Special Celebrity Edition OC DinDin-A-GoGo For ‘Drive Out Hunger’ – November 17

Drive Out Hunger is in full swing. People are bring in food and many trucks are offering specials when you drop off food donations. Saturday Night Foodies is now taking the food drive to the next level. In conjunction with 19 gourmet food trucks and other leading food bloggers, Saturday Night Foodies  will host a special food truck event Wednesday, Nov. 17, from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m., in the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater parking lot (8808 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine, CA).

This special Drive Out Hunger event will expand on OC DinDin-A-GoGo, a weekly gourmet food truck event managed by the Tropical Shave Ice Truck. For those that have experienced a DinDin-A-GoGo event, think OC DinDin on steroids! We really encourage everyone to bring folding tables, chairs and blankets.

Celebrities helping to bring awareness to the hunger crisis in Orange County will be on hand to take pictures and sign autographs for a donation of 10 non-perishable canned or dry good items, per person. There will also be a silent auction, and participants will have the opportunity to bid on Lakers and Lady Gaga tickets, vacations, and autographed art, to name just a few. Event admission and parking are free.

Celebrities* participating in the special Drive Out Hunger OC DinDin-A-GoGo event at press time are:

Ashley Argota (Nickelodeon’s True Jackson VP)
Rachael Bell (Disney’s Suite Life on Deck)
Doug Brochu (Sonny with a Chance)
Taylor Dayne (Singer)
John and Steven French (Disney’s Suite Life: 2 for the Road)
Shar Jackson (Moesha, Celebrity Fit Club)
Savannah Jayde (Big Time Rush)
Ashley Jones (True Blood, Bold and Beautiful)
James Kyson Lee (Heroes)
Corey Miller (LA Ink)
Bronson Pelletier (Twilight Saga)
Raini Rodriguez (Paul Blart Mall Cop, Disney’s Prom)
Rico Rodriguez (Modern Family)
Gretchen Christine Rossi (Real Housewives of Orange County)
BooBoo Stewart (Twilight Saga)
Fivel Stewart (Guardians of Luna)
Kaycee Stroh (High School Musical 1, 2 & 3)
Jessica Sutta (Pussycat Dolls)
*Celebrities subject to change without notice. Visit www.saturdaynightfoodies.com for latest lineup.

The donations that are needed most are:

Non-perishable canned goods or dry food**:

• Canned meats, fish, soup, fruits, vegetables
• Pasta
• Hot and cold cereal
• Macaroni and cheese
• Rice
• Beans
• Peanut butter

Personal care items:

• Diapers
• Toothpaste and toothbrushes
• Toilet paper
• Soap

** Please no glass containers or expired items.

The following gourmet food trucks will be at the event to accept donations: @BakeryTruck, @BrcelonaontheGo, @CalbiBBQ, @ChompChompTruck, @ChunknChip, @CrepesBonaparte, @DanDanBBQ, @DosChinos, @LeesPhilly, @LomoArigato, @Loukstogo, @OhForSweetsSake, @PiaggioonWheels, @Seabirdstruck, @ShortstopBBQ, @TheBurntTruck, @TheGreasyWiener, @TheLimeTruck, and @TropShaveIce.

For food enthusiasts that are not located in Orange County, but want to contribute, a virtual food drive has been established online so they can participate regardless of where they are located. Please click on the Drive Out Hunger icon to make a monetary contribution.

Participating bloggers helping with the virtual drive are: The Cupcake Activist, Diary of a Mad Hungry Woman, Gourmet Food Truck, Marian the Foodie, Just Spotted, Save the Food Trucks and Savored.

Please join us for this very special edition of OC DinDin-A-GoGo! Bring lots and lots of cans!

When you see @satnightfoodies and @DriveOutHunger thank them and follow them on Twitter for latest updates, news, truck specials and other information supporting Drive Out Hunger!

Food Drive Nov 7 - 20, 2010 - Help Those Less Fortunate

Join the Team and Make a Difference.


Its up to all of us to take this wonderful community of new found food and friends and show how much we care.

Saturday Night Foodies has partnered with 20 Orange County Gourmet Food Trucks, leading food bloggers, to host Drive Out Hunger, the county’s first mobile food drive. The two week food drive will be held from November 7-20, 2010 and will benefit Second Harvest Food Bank.


Did you know according to the Second Harvest Food Bank, approximately 615,000 Orange County residents are at risk of going hungry each month.

Because the economy has been slow to rebound, donations have been low this year. In turn, the Second Harvest member agencies are reporting an average 35 percent increase in demand for food assistance. We, with the help of the foodie community, want to collect 1,000 pounds of food for the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County.

What to you do? Easy:
Bring a food donation when you visit your favorite Gourmet Food Truck during the two week food drive.  Oh and spread the word.

Whats needed most? Easy:

Non-perishable canned goods or dry food:

• Canned meats, fish, soup, fruits, vegetables
• Pasta
• Hot and cold cereal
• Macaroni and cheese
• Rice
• Beans
• Peanut butter

Personal care items:

• Diapers
• Toothpaste and toothbrushes
• Toilet paper
• Soap

* Please no glass containers or expired items.

Participating gourmet food trucks will have collection bins at their food stops from Nov. 7-20, to accept donations:

• Bakery Truck,
• Barcelona on the Go,
• CalbiBBQ,
• ChunknChip,
• Crepes Bonaparte,
• DanDanBBQ,
• Dogzilla Dogs
• Dos Chinos
• KonaiceBC
• Lomo Arigato
• Longboards
• Louks
• Oh For Sweets Sake
• Piaggio on Wheels
• Seabirds
• Shortstop BBQ
• The Burnt Truck
• The Greasy Wiener
• The Lime Truck
• The Taco Dawg
• Tropical Shave Ice

Find their daily locations via their respective Twitter or Facebook pages.
If you are not located in Orange County or want to make your donation on line, click here Drive Out Hunger.

Taste of Abbot Kinney Sunday Oct 24th

Sunday October 24th is the Taste of Abbot Kinney. Its shaping up to be an Awesome mix of Gourmet Food Trucks, Food,, Beer and Wine tastings and PRIZES.


Check out the website and get your tickets in advance.

"The Taste of Abbot Kinney is walking urban adventure, one of the newest and most original food and wine events in Los Angeles.  Buy your tickets in packages of 15, 30, 45 or 60, get your map and set off on a journey of eating, drinking, art and music performances. 
Follow your trusty tasting map and exchange your fistful of tickets for....

• Special menu tasting items from Abbot Kinney restaurants
• Tastings from select food trucks 
• Samples from cafes with sweets, treats and drinks 
• Wine tastings 
• Beer tastings
• Music performances by local and internationally known artists
• Surprises all along the route....from NiteSpa, Floyd's Barbershop, Tarot Card Readers and more...
• Prize drawings!   Anyone up for a new 52" flat screen TV?"

Orange County Fairgrounds Food Truck Fair Thursday Lunch

The Orange County Fair Grounds with the help of Mobile Food Properties in Cypress CA, launched their inaugural "Food Truck Fair Thursday Lunch" on September 23rd. This will become a weekly event with a few different trucks coming each week to keep the selection fresh and interesting. The weekly event is next to the OC Fair Events Center at Fairview and Arlington Costa Mesa CA.


Follow the OCFair on twitter www.twitter.com/OCFair for up to the minute information about all Fair events and the trucks that will be attending each week.

The Daily Pilot covered the event. Follow the link to their story.

Flocking to food trucks
Inaugural event takes a spot of the Orange County Fairgrounds to bring food to followers and newcomers.

SAVE THE FOOD TRUCKS AND FOOD TRUCK TWEET-UP JOIN FORCES AT LONG BEACH STREET FOOD FEST OCTOBER 9, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Dan Iehl

Phone: 714-625-0199

email: dan@savethefoodtrucks.com

Website: www.savethefoodtrucks.com

Twitter: @SaveFoodTrucks

September 25, 2010

SAVE THE FOOD TRUCKS AND FOOD TRUCK TWEET-UP JOIN FORCES 

AT LONG BEACH STREET FOOD FEST OCTOBER 9, 2010

Long Beach, Calif., September 25, 2010 – Save the Food Trucks is joining forces with Food Truck Tweet-up on October 9, 2010 at the Long Beach Street Food Festival. They will have a table setup for anyone that is interested in more information on the challenges and successes of the Gourmet Food Truck phenomenon. The meeting place will also be a great place for @twitter and Facebook fans to meet their friends face to face. People interact all day via social media and this will give people a chance to put a face with the tweet.

During the event there will be guest Gourmet Food Truck owner/operators on hand to answer questions, take pictures and meet their customers. The list of owners and times will be published prior to the event.

For more information on the Long Beach Street Food Festival, please visit www.lbstreetfoodfest.com and www.twitter.com/lbstreetfood.

ABOUT SAVE THE FOOD TRUCKS

MISSION:

Save The Food Trucks was launched to publicize the great things Gourmet Food Trucks do for the community, charities and redevelopment of downtown locations in cities across the country. Its also a place to call out the challenges that face food trucks from politicians, developers and private land owners. www.savethefoodtrucks.com provides a place for people to go to voice their opinion and get more information on this great industry. 

Twitter: @SaveFoodTrucks

ABOUT FOOD TRUCK TWEET-UP

MISSION:

Food Truck Tweet-up is simply a way for people with a love of Gourmet Food Trucks to get together and put a face to a tweet. The overall purpose it to help build a solid family oriented community of like minded Gourmet Food Trucks lovers.

Twitter: @FoodTrkTweetup

CONTACT

Dan Iehl

E-Mail: dan@savethefoodtrucks.com

Mobile: 714-625-0199


Downloadable copy

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Food Trucks the New Community

Food Trucks the New Community by Dan Iehl

Its been six short months since I was bitten by the Gourmet Food Truck (GFT) bug. See “On the Outside Looking In”.  During that time I have noticed the “community” of food truck followers is rapidly growing. Us food truck followers I call myself a “GFT Groupie” now have a reason to not only interact via twitter and the like, but to go to a destination and hang out with others of a like mind. We all talk about the trucks we have tried, the good ones and the not so good. Where else can you have true 4 star restaurant food at a fraction of the price.

Over the course of time people have found different places to gather and socialize. Barber shops, drugstores, bars, restaurants and now food truck events large and small, street corners, vacant lots, parking lots and parks. You will see people with cameras and cell phones taking and sharing pictures (food porn), tweeting and updating Facebook. You stand in a GFT line and next thing you know your talking food and more often than not I find out the person i’m talking with knows me via twitter or I know them. Crazy world we live in.

The large and small gatherings of GFTs are changing how we plan our lunches, dinners, nights and weekends. I hear “Wednesday is Din Din a GoGo or I’ll see you Thursday at the LA Art Walk” and on an on. You see groups of people eating and laughing. WOW, life is good. All for a common goal, good food and a good time. You see all types, rich not so rich, all races, ages, shapes and sizes. Everyone is really just one big crazy GFT eating family.

Look at some of the places I have gone, I would never have considered six months ago. All because of GFTs.

Downtown LA
Santa Ana Art Walk
Downtown Los Angeles Art Walk
Outdoor Cinemas
Barnsdall Art Park
Silver Lake Jubilee

Large festivals all built around GFTs:
Orange County Foodie Fest
Long Beach Street Food Fest

Thank goodness for the Gourmet Food Trucks. They are uniting us a a people with one common interest and thats GOOD FOOD.

See you at the truck.
Dan

Building a Gourmet Food Truck "From Shell to Sell"

Recently I was lucky enough to spend some time at Wyss Catering Truck Manufacturing. One of the companies that has found a new group of customers. These customers are gourmet chefs, new culinary school graduates and entrepreneurs wanting to share their passion for foods of all kinds.

The featured truck is owned and operated by Claudia of Chunk-n-Chip. She was nice enough to let us photograph the truck being built and painted prior to the official launch August 28, 2010. The truck launched at the first OC Foodie Fest. The event was held at the Honda Center Anaheim, CA.

The Chunk-n-Chip Boo-Yah Truck is available for special events, festivals, catering and private events.

The truck was custom painted by Tiki Jay One a local artist in Los Angeles, CA. Web Site



If your interested in building a truck of your own send me an email and we can certainly help.

Los Angeles Food Truck Wars

I wrote this article originally for Save The Food Trucks, please pop over there and see all the other good information.

Many of you have heard about the ongoing controversy between the Miracle Mile Restaurants and City Councilman Tom Labonge and the new wave of Gourmet Food Trucks in LA. This link will take you to the KABC Talk Radio article with all the details.

Picture courtesy of KABC Talk Radio
You make your own decisions. Regardless exercise your right of free speech and let the elected officials in your city know your feelings.  You can shape the thoughts of your elected officials after all you hired them you can fire them. There is nothing that gets elected officials attention more than hearing from the people that give them money for their campaign, second is the people that vote for them.

Don't sit back and let the politicians decide where you can eat.

Lets give it a try...LA Flea Market at Dodger Stadium July 18th

On the surface it would not seem like my normal subject for a blog. “Flea Market”  What does that have to do with Social Networking or Gourmet Food Trucks?

Well here’s why this one maybe different.

Here’s my logic (scary I know).

1. Dodger Stadium, whats more beautiful than Dodger Stadium in the summer?
2. Do we like getting deals? Of course we do.
3. GOURMET FOOD TRUCKS 

Now you see the tie in to “Gourmet Food Trucks”. Sunday, July 18th will be the coming out party for LA Flea Market Dodger Stadium.
I’m going for all the reasons above, but mostly to talk with the “Food Truck” people like myself.
There are a number of “Food Truck” people, the ones that own and operate their mobile restaurants, the chefs and cooks that prepare extraordinary food for us, the food truck groupies (me), food experts and bloggers (me sort of), and social networking crazies (me for sure).
I want to learn as much as I can about the Gourmet Food Truck craze and what makes it tick.

How better to do that than a beautiful Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium. Join me there; look for some deals, buy some fresh produce and have some great food from the Gourmet Food Trucks. I’ll be in the food court, talking with some truck owners/chefs, eating and talking with you the Twitter, Facebook crowd that is making these trucks successful.

Disclaimer (actually non disclaimer): I pay full price to enter, pay for my food and give my honest opinions.

Let’s give it a try.

email: Dan (at) gourmetfoodtrks.com

Dan's Famous Mac & Cheese

Ingredients:
Serves 12

•  6 slices bread (optional)
•  8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
•  4 1/2 cups non fat milk
•  1/2 cup all-purpose flour
•  2 teaspoons kosher salt
•  1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
•  1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
•  4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated Tillamook Medium Cheddar (Costco)
•  2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Jarlsberg Swiss 
•  1 pound elbow macaroni

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. 
2. Place bread pieces in food processor to make breadcrumbs. Melt 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter in microwave. In a medium bowl add breadcrumbs and melted butter, and toss. Set the breadcrumbs aside. 
3. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. 
4. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute. Slowly pour hot milk into flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.
5. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups Tillamook Cheddar, and 1 1/2 cups Jarlsberg. Set cheese sauce aside.
6. Fill a large pan with water. Bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 minutes less than manufacturer's directions. The macaroni should be cooked on the outside and underdone on the inside (al-dente). Drain the macaroni, rinse under cold running water to stop the cooking process. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.
7. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish(s). 
8. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups Tillimook Cheddar and 1/2 cup Jarlesberg Swiss on the top. OPTIONAL scatter breadcrumbs over the top. 
9. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes; serve.

Twitter: @GourmetFoodTrk  

Blog: http://gourmetfoodtrucks.blogspot.com/

Facebook Fan Page: http://bit.ly/GFTFBFan 

Street Food Grows Up

The food truck craze is taking off like crazy. We can all agree on that. When I first discovered Food Trucks on @Twitter I thought I had discovered something new. Well I was wrong. The concept has been around for many years. Taco carts, fruit, ice cream, bread, etc. Think about it, no matter how old you are you have seen them since you were a child. What's new is they have grown up, like we all have. They are now run by Chefs that were trained in culinary schools and have left restaurants that have closed due to the recession. What's new, is they are creating blends of different foods (fusions). The mix of flavors are just out of this world. 

I believe without social networking, web enabled cell phones (iPhone, Blackberry, Droid, etc.) and laptops with cellular cards, we wouldn't be seeing the explosive growth of this industry. But remember, if you live by technology you can die from technology. Here is what I mean. It's not enough to have a clean truck and good food, you need to have a web page, Facebook Fan page, Twitter account and mobile device to stay in touch, and you need to know when to use them and how to use them. There are many so called experts out there that can help, if you think you need it. 

I think it's simple to stay connected to your target base. Re-tweet your follows when they say something good about you, and even more importantly, tweet them back when they are not happy or dissatisfied. You can die from a few well read and re-tweeted complaints. If you don't believe me see what happened to the movie industry. Some movies no longer have premiers because the buzz from social networking can kill them before it's released. The Twitter & Facebook crowd has more influence than so called movie or food critics. I have been in restaurants where I have sent a tweet about poor food and got a response in minutes asking me to see the manager and they would make it right. That is awesome customer service. I went back, and I would have never set foot in that restaurant again if they hadn't been paying attention. I tried to go to a food truck in LA a few weeks ago, they said via Facebook and Twitter they would be there till 2:00 but at 1:30 when I got there they were gone. I spoke out on both Facebook and Twitter and that night they apologized and offered a free item if I would try them again. I did try them and it was worth it. 


Gourmet Food Trucks are here to stay, as long as we support them by not only buying there great food but also speaking out when cities and politicians try and stop them. 


More on that with our next blog.
Thank you for reading my rants.
Dan @GourmetFoodTrk

Pinks Hot Dogs in my backyard (The OC)

We have grown up in the greater LA area and have many times talked of eating at Pinks Hot Dogs in Hollywood. Like most things it was talk and we never took any action. Jane and I have recently been to the Pinks Hot Dogs at the Planet Hollywood Las Vegas and we were not all that impressed, but we chalked it up to it being late at night and after all it was LV. We had gotten the chili dog, and the chili was so so, dried out and not much flavor.

This morning, Jane asked me what my plans were for breakfast and I hadn't given it a thought. She said "Lets run over to Knotts Berry Farm and have a Pinks Hot Dog". Since we had just finished our french pressed coffee, nothing was standing in our way, so off we went.  We were able to get a parking spot on the street in front of the many restaurants at the entrance to Knotts Berry Farm. We walked over to Pinks and there was a short line outside since it was 5 minuets till 11AM and they hadn't opened. When the manager unlocked the door everyone in line cheered. Were we ever ready to order.

So we ordered one hot dog with sauerkraut and one "Hollywood Walk of Fame" (cole slaw and tomatoes). Man were they GOOD, we both commented on how good & fresh every bite was. We know now that the experience in Las Vegas was not normal.

We had to try one more dog so we decided to split the "The OC Dog" (fajita mix, american and swiss cheese, guacamole, onions, jalapenos peppers and tortilla chips).
DUDE AWESOME!

Well since there was a Cinnabon next to Pinks, we made one more fast stop. One cinnamon roll for Jane. Mondays breakfast.

Sometimes the best things are right in your own backyard. We will be back and soon.

Dan & Jane

On the Outside Looking In - LA Street Food Fest

Ok its been 3 weeks since the LA Street Food Fest and I have had time to get over the disappointment of not getting in to the event. This may sound a little like a rant on all the things that went wrong but that's not the intention. After weeks of anticipation my wife and I left the OC for the trip to Los Angeles (DTLA), not bad only a 45 min drive. When we got close to the site of the food fest we were instantly in full on grid lock. An hour later we found a place to park about a mile away and started walking getting more and more hungry with every step.

While walking through the LA streets we ran across the Biltmore Hotel, WOW it is beautiful inside. We used the hotel as a short cut as we trekked over to the food fest.

Now that we have walked the mile to the food fest location, where is the end of the line? It turns out the end of the line goes up one city block, then back and forth through a parking lot (3 more blocks) and 2 more blocks around the corner. Disneyland has some real competition when it comes to long lines.

Along the way there are some cute signs that are trying to encourage you that its worth the wait. "Don't view this as a line...it's an opportunity to build up an appetite!" and" Now would be a good time to peek through the gates and plan your first delicious stop..." The smells coming from inside the event are amazing and at this point we are starving. We can see people inside also waiting in long long lines at each truck.

After 2 hours in line the spokesman for the event came out and

announced that they were not going to let anymore people in. He was very nice and explained that they were as disappointed as we were but also wanted to be fair. He said the lines inside for each truck were running 90+ minutes and now that it was after 3PM and the event ended at 5PM they didn't want to take our money and for us not to have time to taste all the great gourmet food. Looking back, I appreciate his honesty and he seemed to really feel for us.

Still starving and wanting to sit down, have a beer and some good food, we decided to go to Casey's Irish Pub at 613 South Grand Ave LA. We have stopped there a number of times for a Smithwicks, and the place is a true Irish Pub. When in DTLA don't miss an opportunity for a cold one and a good time.

In closing we are VERY happy for the wonderful Gourmet Food Trucks that participated and great publicity they received. We are also happy for the promoters, they not only put on a SUPER successful event, they did a lot to promote the Gourmet Food Truck phenomenon in DTLA. Now someone should do the same for Orange County. I have read other blogs, news reports and tweets from people, and they all had one thing in common, the event was a big success. We can't wait for the next event (this time we will buy the VIP tickets) I'm sure it will be even better.

Check out all the pictures.

Please follow me on Twitter.

Dan

My First Blog Post

Well here I go. I don't think of myself as a writer and I'm no way in hell a journalist. I have great admiration for the real "Bloggers" out there and I follow a number of them on Twitter and Facebook.

I plan to write about things that interest me in ways that hopefully will interest you. I'm open to any suggestions, constructive criticism and of course praise. But what I really want to do is share some of my passions for "social Networking" and good food. Good food can be food made at home, from a street vendor, fancy restaurant or bar. I'm not partial to any zone type of food or establishment. I do like to have a good time and be able to relax.

What has really struck me over the last few months, since my wife and I started to spend some afternoons and evenings in Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) is the variety of places to eat and drink along with the resurgence of DTLA. But the one things that really got me going was the Gourmet Food Truck phenomenon (@GourmetFoodTrk).

I immediately started searching, researching, following, becoming "Fans" of anything Gourmet Food Truck related. I just cant believe how many trucks there are in Los Angeles (DTLA). I'm not going to try and list them all here but pop over to my twitter account and I have a list of trucks and what I feel is a good start to a list of "Food Experts" in the DTLA area.

I plan write about a few different things:

• The use of "Social Networking" as a sole means of advertising and promotion. It is truly Gorilla Marketing at is's best.
• Interviews and reviews of the food and experience from as many trucks and restaurants as possible.
• I will also post some of my favorite recipes.

Ok, I think that's more than you will ever read so here's the legal disclaimer before I sign off.

I do not have any financial or ownership interest in any Food Truck, Restaurant, or anything else that would make me partial. So all opinions and comments are mine and mine alone (maybe some influence from my wife). I'm sure I will have favorite trucks, restaurants, web sites and blogs that I will share and promote, but they also are just one man's opinion.

All that out of the way lets have FUN. Please comment, write me and follow my blog, Facebook Fan Page and my Twitter account.