December 2011

We believe in supporting small business owners. We believe in the underdog. We

believe in supporting people who are fully pursuing what they love. We believe that some of the best food in Philadelphia is

created while you’re standing on the sidewalk. We believe in lunches you can hold in your hand and eat in the park. We believe in getting to know your neighbor. We believe

in Philadelphia Food Truck culture.  

Was it just us or did five thousand bajillion new food trucks seem to pop up on Temple’s Campus this semester? It seemed like every time we walked somewhere on campus, there was some new truck wafting some delicious new smell. And the added bonus? The new trucks seem to remind us about the old trucks. The gleam of a newcomer shines off the aluminum side of an old standby and we start to fall in love again with the convenient little carts sprinkled across campus. We began walking between classes with new eyes, straining our necks to read menus while trying to keep pace with our classmates. Food Trucks have always been an important part of Temple’s landscape, but only recently have they been getting the recognition they deserve. Temple’s population is lucky to have such a wide range of dining opportunities – chances to move beyond whatever the SAC is slinging or J&H is ladling out. Food trucks also provide students and faculty with the opportunity to support local business owners, and in a larger sense, the community. Instead of another taquito at 7/11, food trucks are a delicious way to ensure your money is going back into the hands of fellow Philadelphians. And most of those Philadelphians slinging sammies along the sidewalk have been working hard for that money, with long hours in small trucks. This issue celebrates the vibrant, booming Food Truck scene on Temple’s campus. Featuring interviews with a few new comers to campus, amble food porn, and a directory of all your four-wheeled on-campus lunches, Philly Truck Stalker has got the goods for those in search of good eats at Temple University. Enjoy our premiere issue & keep on truckin- The Truck Stalker

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 Sexy Green Truck

 

 Say Cheese

Sexy Green Truck

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Yumtown USA

Pizza truck on 12th Crepe Truck

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Chris’ Taco Stand

20 Questions with

Say Cheese 1. (Freebie) What’s your name? Alan  Krawitz 2. What’s the meaning behind your truck’s name? It  works  on  so  many  levels  (said  in  stogy  professors  

voice).  It  was  a  creative  way  to  integrate  capturing  a  moment  together,  connecting,  remembering,  and  the  overall  theme  of  our  truck  which  is  gourmet  grilled  cheese  meltiness,  

3. How long have you been in business? We  have  been  in  business  operating  the  truck  since  October  7th  2010,  and  at  Temple  full-­‐time  for  the  last  6  weeks.

4. What was your previous job? I  worked  in  Finance  as  a  Capital  Markets  Analyst  with  a  mortgage  company.

5. What’s the best thing about working on a food truck? The  best  thing  about  owning/operating  Say  Cheese  is  the  people  we  are  able  to  interact  with  on  a  daily  basis.  We  meet  and  speak  with  so  many  new  people  every  day  it's  really  incredible.    We  learn  so  much  on  a  daily  basis.

6. What’s the worst thing? The  worst  thing  about  working  on  the  truck  is  the  labor  it  takes  to  make  it  run  smoothly.  Food  Service  is  without  a  doubt  one  of  the  most  labor-­‐intensive  businesses  I  have  ever  come  in  contact  with.  It  takes  a  tremendous  amount  of  preparation  to  put  out  a  consistent  quality  product  every  hour  of  every  day.  

7. What’s your favorite menu item? My  favorite  menu  item  is  the  Wild  Bill  (our  buffalo  chicken  grilled  cheese).  We  make  the  buffalo  sauce  in  house,  and  marinate  the  chicken  in  a  special  way  that  yields  so  much  flavor.

8. Can you write a haiku about it?  The  Wild  Bill  is  ill,  tastes  like  excellence  on  bread,  you’re  welcome  the  end

9. Where did the inspiration for your menu come from? The  inspiration  for  the  menu  came  from  the  great  team  I  have  around  me.  It's  a  family  business  so  my  father,  mother,  and  brother  all  helped  develop  the  concept.  Which  incidentally  was  born  out  of  a  backhanded  joke  about  what  business  we  would  start  and  how  hilarious  it  would  be  if  we  sold  grilled  cheese  sandwiches.

10. Describe your worst kitchen mishap: My  worst  kitchen  mishap  has  probably  been  making  sandwiches  I  consider  works  of  art,  and  having  them  slip  off  of  the  spatula  and  land  right  on  the  floor.    It's  a  soul  crushing  experience.

11. What’s your favorite truck on Temple’s Campus (besides your own)? This  is  a  tough  question.  It  is  probably  a  tie  between  You  Got  Munchies  and  Yumtown  USA.

12. What sets you apart from other campus trucks? The  connection  we  have  with  our  growing  customer  base  is  unlike  anyone  else  on  campus.    Our  food  is  really  high  quality,  super  creative,  and  all  made  in  house  rather  than  coming  from  some  kind  of  can.    But  the  experience  our  customers  have  when  they  come  to  the  window  is  second  to  none.  

13. Which fictional character would be most likely to eat at your truck? Pop-­‐eye,  because  we  serve  so  much  spinach.

14. If you had to be an Edward Scissorhands-type, what would you want your hands replaced with? Sandwich  spreaders  so  I  could  butter  our  bread  1000  times  faster.

15. If your truck was in high school, what would their superlative be? Most  Likely  to  Succeed

 

16. Describe your truck in 5 words or less: Choice  Ingredients,  Happy  Stomachs 17. Finish this pairing: Peanut Butter and Chocolate  since  I  don't  like  jelly 18. If your truck had a hairstyle, what would it be?  Disheveled  Chic.  We  are  pretty  sophisticated  but  playful  

simultaneously. 19. What’s the strangest/funniest thing that has happened since you’ve been in business? Two  weeks  ago  at  Love  Park  

a  guy  pretended  to  pass  out  in  front  of  our  truck.    We  were  all  super  alarmed  at  first,  but  as  we  examined  him  more  closely  from  inside  the  truck  he  was  looking  up  to  see  if  we  had  taken  notice.    After  5  minutes  he  got  up  and  walked  away.

20. Any parting words?

Say  Cheese  Philadelphia  is  not  just  a  food  truck,  it's  the  beginning  of  something  special.    It's  my  vehicle  for  changing  the  way  people  think  about  quick  service  restaurants/food  in  general.  And  we  wouldn't  be  able  to  do  all  this  without  your  support.    So  from  the  bottom  of  my  (and  the  whole  Say  Cheese  Team's)  heart  we  want  to  thank  you.

 

Name: Josh Major: fibers Food: Chicken finger hoagie from tommy’s lunch truck outside tomlinson

 

Name: James Major: printmaking Food: broccoli and chicken sesame pizza roll from the Japanese & Korean truck on 12th

 

Name: Olivia Major: painting Food: Butternut Squash Soup from Say Cheese

Name: Brielle Major: painting Food: Butternut Squash Soup from Say Cheese

 

20 Questions

with

Vernalicious 1. (Freebie)  What’s  your  name?  Verna  Swerdlow  &  David  Jurkofsky  2. What’s  the  meaning  behind  your  truck’s  name?  We  struggled  to  name  the  business.  

There  were  many  brainstorming  sessions  on  Facebook,  of  which  I  wish  I  had  saved  the  dialog,  cause  it  was  hysterical.  Many  people  have  called  me  Vernalicious  over  the  years,  and  my  girlfriend  brought  it  back  to  the  forum,  and  we  just  rolled  with  it.  

3. How  long  have  you  been  in  business?  A  little  over  2  months  4. What  was  your  previous  job?  I  have  been  an  optician  for  20  years  &  owned  my  own  

high-­‐end  fashion  forward  practice  on  the  Main  Line  for  10  years,  and  before  that  I  was  a  glass  artist.  Dave  is  an  electrician,  general  contractor,  and  has  a  snow  removal  business.  

5. What’s  the  best  thing  about  working  on  a  food  truck?  Watching  people’s  reactions  to  the  food.  Most  of  our  foods  evoke  childhood  memories,  or  some  kind  of  comfort.  We  also  meet  so  many  cool  and  interesting  people.  We  love  our  repeat  offenders.  

6. What’s  the  worst  thing  about  working  on  a  food  truck?  The  hours.  We  work  18  hours  a  day.  Between  the  prep,  loading,  and  unloading  the  truck,  dishes,  clean  up.  This  is  a  ball  buster  of  a  way  to  make  a  living!  

7. What’s  your  favorite  menu  item?  The  grilled  cheese  w/  bacon  and  tomato.  Just  a  simple  childhood  pleasure  

8. Can  you  write  a  haiku  about  it?  Green  and  white  lunch  truck  -­‐  Dave  and  Verna  make  you  smile-­‐  simply  delicious  

9. Where  did  the  inspiration  for  your  menu  come  from?  We  bring  to  you  our  favorites.  Things  we  have  eaten  here  in  the  USA,  abroad,  or  just  feel  like  making.  Since  we  don’t  have  a  culinary  background,  we  try  to  keep  it  simple,  keep  it  fresh,  and  shake  it  up  so  you  don’t  get  bored  of  the  same  items,  and  so  we  don’t  get  bored  making  the  same  foods.  

10. Describe  your  worst  kitchen  mishap:  Way  too  many  to  list....  11. What’s  your  favorite  truck  on  Temple’s  Campus  (besides  your  own)?  U  got  

munchies  12. What  sets  you  apart  from  other  campus  trucks?  We  keep  the  menu  small,  selective,  

and  offer  other  items  other  than  cheesesteaks  and  pizza.  13. Which  fictional  character  would  be  most  likely  to  eat  at  your  truck?  Homer  Simpson  14. If  you  had  to  be  an  Edward  Scissorhands-­‐type,  what  would  you  want  your  hands  

replaced  with?  Spatulas    

 15. If  your  truck  was  in  high  school,  what  would  their  superlative  be?  Most  Likely  to  Make  You  

Happy  16. Describe  your  truck  in  5  words  or  less:  As  cute  as  a  button!  17. Finish  this  pairing:  Peanut  Butter  and-­‐  Nutella  and  bacon!  18.  If  your  truck  had  a  hairstyle,  what  would  it  be?  Our  truck  does  have  a  hairstyle!  It’s  my  crazy  

unruly-­‐  curly  do!  And  it’s  even  a  part  of  the  logo.  19. What’s  the  strangest/funniest  thing  that  has  happened  since  you’ve  been  in  business?  We  

took  a  few  days  to  deep  clean  the  truck.  Every  nook  and  cranny...  The  day  after,  we  were  on  the  highway,  and  hit  a  bump,  and  the  refrigerator  opened  up,  and  sent  4  liters  of  meatballs  and  sauce  all  over  the  floor.  It  was  a  mess.  We  couldn’t  help  but  laugh  our  asses  off!  Par  for  the  course.  

20. Any  parting  words?    

This is not a job or career for the faint at heart. This is extremely demanding. Far more demanding than anything we have ever done. We are “bust your hump” kind of people, with a work ethic that is to be reckoned with. This never slows down, or stops to give you a break. You need extreme organizational skills, dedication, devotion – it’s a volume-based biz. We give the lunch truck and restaurant people a tremendous amount of credit! THERE IS NOTHING EASY OR GLAMOROUS ABOUT THIS BUSINESS!

 

One way ticket to

yumtown

Temple’s Newest Truck delivers gourmet sandwiches. Truck Stalker sat down with Yumtown’s founder, Lanie Belmont, to talk about recipe creation, winter woes, and her life on four wheels.

The Edgar Allen Poe features roasted sweet potatoes, black

bean hummus, crispy tempeh, cheddar cheese, baby spinach,

and sriracha hot sauce on a baguette.

 

If something is especially delicious, it’s Yumtown. At least, that’s how the phrase started among Lanie Belmont and her friends. Now that the word has morphed from just an exclamation to a truck, Temple students are discovering that perhaps Lanie’s original definition was correct – especially delicious. Yumtown arrived at Temple in early November carrying daily menu of drool worthy gourmet sandwiches served up on fresh baguettes. The appropriately named ‘Joy’ delivers a combo of beer-braised pulled pork, pickled jalapenos, red cabbage slaw, cilantro-lime mayo, and spicy Carolina bbq sauce that will make you renounce your mother’s cooking to worship at the alter of Yum. Yumtown prides itself on featuring local, fresh ingredients and a small sign on the front of the truck allows you to see exactly where each ingredient used is coming from while you wait for your order. The truck’s colorful exterior is hard to miss – the artwork was all done by Lanie, a BFA graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. Lanie works daily in the truck alongside her partner Andrew Tantisunthorn. The day starts early for the pair, as they pick up fresh bread from the Artisan Boulanger in South Philly. The truck typically opens around 10 and closes around 4, or whenever the bread runs out. Lanie draws inspiration from her Alabama roots and the simple menu is catered to whatever happens to be in season. Planning for Yumtown began in January of 2011. By April, Lanie and Andrew found their truck and they set to work preparing to turn Yumtown into a reality. The pair are still adjusting to operating a small business, but Lanie enthusiastically believes it’s all worth it for the simple reasons of “being able to work for ourselves and connecting with our customers.” Lanie chose to station Yumtown at Temple’s campus based on some advice of friends who go to the school and was amazed by how quickly Yumtown found a customer base. When asked how she’ll battle the upcoming winter and inclement weather, Lanie replies, “Intrepidly...with tarps.” Having established a loyal following and a good relationship with the neighboring trucks (“Everyone has been incredibly congenial.”), it seems like Yumtown is destined to stay. If you’re in the mood to nosh on some seriously good sandwiches, Lanie’s beautiful truck can be found near the intersection of 13th and Norris. Look for the colorful bunting and friendly faces, and you’ll know you’ve come to the right place.

     

YUMTOWN Corner of 13th and Norris Huge Sandwiches Made with Love - $7 Updates @YumtownUSA

DIRECTORY It’s noon, you’re starving, and like hell you’re waiting in line to pay seven bucks for

another SAC wrap. Get your butt outside and order from one of Temple’s insane selection of trucks. We’ve made it easy for you by providing the nitty gritty details.

You’re welcome. FOR ANNENBERG SNACK CRAVINGS: Tommy’s Lunch Truck Norris St., Near Tomlinson M-F 7am to 6pm FOR LATE NIGHT CRAVINGS U Got Munchies Norris St., Near Tomlinson M-F, 11am to 10 pm Delivery from 5pm until close ugotmunchies.com Tip: Look for Deep Fried Girl Scout Cookies in the Spring Insomnia Cookies Montgomery, near the SAC Daily, 11am-2am Delivery from 7pm-2am Insomniacookies.com Tip: special deals when you buy a lot of cookies. You have friends, right? TUTTI FRUTTI Fruit Truck 13th and Pollett Walk M-F 7:30am to 3:30pm GET YO’ SMOOTHIE ON! Fruit Salad Montgomery, near Broad Breakfast and Lunch EAT FRUIT. FOR YOUR MOM’S SAKE. TACOSTACOSTACOSTACOS<3 Chris’ Taco Stand 13th, across from Paley Library M-F, 11am to 3pm @ChrisTacoStand

TYLER LINE-UP Burger Busz Corner of 13th and Norris M-F 10am to 9pm; Sat. 11am to 7pm Thebusz.com Tip: Strawberry Balsamic Jam. Do it. College is a time for experimentation amigo. The Crepe Truck Norris, outside Tyler M-F, 10am to 8pm CLASSIC TEMPLE SWEET AND SAVORY WITH A SIDE OF CLASSIC ROCK Cheese Busz Norris, outside of Tyler M-F 10am to 9pm; Sat. 11am to 7pm Thebusz.com Say Cheese Philadelphia Norris, outside of Tyler M-Th 11am to 7pm @SayCheesePhilly Tip: They aim to “make stomachs happy & put smiles on faces”. The sandwiches aren’t the only melty, gooey cheeses things on this truck . . . Buttercream Philadelphia Norris, outside of Tyler **Check out buttercreamphiladelphia.com for a schedule of weekly stops!

12TH STREET ROUND UP The Footlong Truck 12th, across from Gladfelter M-F 10am to 7pm Tip: Word of the street says go for the Eggplant Parm! Japanese & Koreon 12th, across from Gladfelter M-F 9am to 6:30pm Tip: They have seaweed! Some Mean Pizza Truck 12th, across from Gladfelter Tip: Pizza served by mean dudes too busy to tell me their hours. Womp womp. Susan’s Lunch Truck 12th, across from Gladfelter Sun-Fri 6:30am to 7pm Tip: Breakfast sandwiches make excellent breakfasts. It’s true. MONTGOMERY PALS TJ’s Corner Montgomery and Broad M-F 6am to 5pm Standard truck fare and fruit juices! Fancy! Simply Yummy Montgomery M-F 6am to 5pm Tip: call ahead to order some banh mi on your way to class! 215-666-8899 That Kiosk Across from the Bagel Hut Montgomery, outside Ritter Daily, Lunch Times Tip: Talk baklava with the nice man who runs this joint. Gourmet Chinese Food Montgomery, outside of Ritter M-F, Breakfast and Lunch ALL THE CLASSICS! The Big White Truck with Star Stickets Montgomery, outside Ritter Monday thru Friday! Tip: Get full on falafel.

E&E Gourmet Montgomery, towards 13th, outside Ritter M-F, 7am to 6:30pm Tip: Call ahead! Get an omlette! 267-241-9092 Ernie’s Lunch Truck Montgomery, towards 13th, outside Ritter M-F, Breakfast and Lunch Tip: This is possibly the most adorable little red and white truck ever. Call ahead to order! 215-765-6925 Kiosk By Tuttleman Montgomery, outside of Tuttleman Monday thru Friday! GET YOUR MID DAY TUT-SNACK ON! Eppy’s Special Corner of Montgomery and 13th Monday thru Friday! Tip: All your classic sandwich pals. Cha Cha Montgomery, outside of the SAC M-F, 9:30am to 5:30pm Tip: The women will never get your order right, but that will never be an issue. Everything is delicious. Sexy Green Truck Montgomery, outside of the SAC M-F 10am to 5pm Tip: Sweet potato fries and free range eggs! This place gets packed, so call ahead to avoid lines. 267-269-7173 Eddie’s Lunch Truck Montgomery, outside of the SAC Monday thru Friday! When the moon hits your eye . . . they have pizza here. Vernalicious Montgomery, outside the SAC, towards 12th **Check the weekly schedule on twitter! @Vernalicious Tip: Griddled mac and cheese for the win

BELL TOWER BUDDIES Island Style Roadside Café 13th, near the Bell Tower M-F 7am to 4pm Tip: Vegan! Word of Caution: the hot pot is hot in every way imaginable. Proceed with caution. Ray’s 13th near the Bell Tower Busy homies too busy to tell tell me their hours. Classic diner food on the menu That Other Truck Near Ray’s 13th near the Bell Tower Trucks of a feather, stick together. (These guys were too busy too.) Ebi’s Lunch Cart 13th across from Paley Library M-F, 9:30am to ? Tip: Sweet halal food! Yumtown USA 13th near Norris M-F 10am to 4pm @YumtownUSA Tip: Everything can be made vegan! DON’T SEE YOUR FAVORITE TRUCK LISTED? WELL TELL US ABOUT IT DUMMY! PHILLYTRUCKSTALKER. WORDPRESS.COM

Interested in furthering your truck stalking pursuits? Check out our blog at phillytruckstalker.wordpress.com for more updates. Looking for an advertising opportunity for your small local business? Check out our media kit while you’re snooping around our blog!

Questions, comments, free tacos? Send ‘em to truckstalker@gmail.com!

Wishing you one billion wonderful sidewalk lunches, The Truck Stalker