I overheard Max saying the other day that he was still pinching himself, that he was actually making Middle-Eastern food and I couldn't help but smile. It must be incredibly, unspeakably stressful for a Chef to endeavor to prepare his own culture's food for (gulp) the general public. I mean, what if you fail? I smiled because I was never worried that his skills would be up to par. He was, after all, quite versed in a little thing we like to call Cal-Med cuisine. But still, this was his first try at selling falafel, which can make you or break you as I understand it. So when I tell you the Gourmet Genie was a leap of faith, it was... it really took off though - the falafel did - so light and airy one could say it almost had wings!
We're still in the very beginning stages of this business and although gratifying (I love to see his food so well-received) I don't know how much longer we can keep up this pace of working seven days apeice. If it's not slinging grape leaves on the truck, then on my Memorial Day, instead of barbecueing, I'm catching up with everything else that didn't get done during the week.
Oftentimes I'll sit on our moonlit Koreatown terrace answering the Genie's many emails. I can't help but fantasize about our business becoming wildly successful, and then again, thinking that I will probably always feel a twinge of guilt for not supporting the Gourmet Genie concept wholeheartedly from the get-go. This is probably more of an internal struggle between my feminist leanings and the role traditional women play: that of life-partner with a where-you-go-I-will-follow outlook. Call it Catholic, er, gourmet guilt. Whatever the reason, now that I've confessed this in a public forum, I think we can move forward and become wildly successful. Now if I could just find time to actually promote our business...
Luckily for the Gourmet Genie in a lot of senses, pioneers like Kogi paved the way for us, but there is still a lot of work to be done. I get a little over-anxious at times because while I'm up to my eyebrows in inboxes and iPhones, I feel that there are still big picture "fights" to be fought. For instance, all of 3 months ago, I told myself that if we were going to do this then it was my dharma to elevate the popular perception of trucks like ours from that of "roach coach" to Restaurant on Wheels status. I was fortunate to have a fabulous co-missionary bringing the tweeps the good word (and the good food!). Lately though, I'm thinking the "fight" is elsewhere because just last night I heard someone on line say, "Any truck with a website is not a roach coach." So the word is out, I can rest easy, right? Well... the fight, I'm now certain, is how do we draw more business?? Love for his art aside, the reason we got into this to begin with was obviously to make money.
Twitter still perplexes me and I'm not sure I should even keep thinking of quirkly little things to say on there. Perhaps it's best to tweet exact coordinates and call it a day. I find that a funny li'l ditty is better received on Facebook anyway. The way I see it, Twitter is an "add-on" albeit a necessity in this industry: a nice little gauge of how many souls you've touched, whether it be heartstrings or stomach tissue. I hope the Twittergods will forgive my saying so. It's more manageable in my pretty little head this way. Max says he feels like Twitter is like that door in that cartoon; you open it and it's the door to the cosmos. You can say anything out into the blackness from the safety of your haven, inside, but when you do it's just out there. Couldn'ta put it better myself.
I will say there are some really nice, interesting people out there - and a lot of them own food trucks! We are fortunate to be rolling with the likes of these characters. I think this is the aspect I like most - the camraderie between truck owners, bartering for food, tweets back and forth about said food, it's just good fun. The foodbloggers we meet really want to help and the tweeps I actually get to make a connection with are very, very cool. They are at the forefront of this foodtruck craze and excited to try us.
So yeah, it would have been nice to go off galavanting into the tropics with my friends but there's still just too much to be done here. Things I won't accept as a given are parking issues and just plain ignorance. For now I think I will leave it to the association to work on issues with the city. I will try to chip away at the ignorant - one falafel at a time.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
In the Beginning
Hello, and Welcome. This blog will be a work in progress about the trials and travails of starting and operating a Gourmet Food Mobile (a term of my own coining now catching on) and random rants that may or may not be associated with the Gourmet Genie.
By way of introduction, I am the "Genie" half of the Gourmet Genie. Mine is a thankless job. I do it all, the marketing, PR, bookings, tweeting, web updates, you name it. Now I do the blogging too. I also keep the Gourmet in stitches, which is why I decided to write down some of my observations in this format. Hopefully you will find it at least somewhat amusing.
Max is the Gourmet in the family, no quotes necessary there. Ever since I met him, it has always been true that anyone who tried his food loved it, and anyone who met him loved him or his way of thinking.
So here we were, the two of us, thinking. We knew we wanted to do something with his culinary skills but weren't so keen on a bricks-and-mortar restaurant. Hmmm, but what? After some time, his homework yeilded this idea and initially, some of our friends and family balked. He was unwavering in his vision however. He knew what he was doing from the start and the idea has taken flight and grown to something greater than him or I.
The Gourmet Genie concept, the followers, the response, it's all truly the product of synergy: the very best of two individuals. We are both amazed and exhausted. There is so much to do everywhere we turn. While neither of us is a perfectionist, I must admit I am a little type A, and like to have a hand in controlling things, even when they're out of my control. And complicated is the very least of what I am, so go figure.
It seems to be going well but we aren't counting our chickens just yet. Although outwardly it would seem that we are a hit with the public (can I type that without jinxing it?), it's only been three weeks. All in all, our only regret is not having gotten into this business sooner. It has completely changed our lives... he is LOVING what he's doing and that's the most important thing. Me? I'm busier than ever... but in a good way.
Cue the soap opera music. What will happen? Will they live happily ever after? Will the Magic Carpet blow a gasket? Will the Wild Thyme Pita Chips be delicious? I can only say about the pita chips for sure (yes). Stay tuned until next time...
By way of introduction, I am the "Genie" half of the Gourmet Genie. Mine is a thankless job. I do it all, the marketing, PR, bookings, tweeting, web updates, you name it. Now I do the blogging too. I also keep the Gourmet in stitches, which is why I decided to write down some of my observations in this format. Hopefully you will find it at least somewhat amusing.
Max is the Gourmet in the family, no quotes necessary there. Ever since I met him, it has always been true that anyone who tried his food loved it, and anyone who met him loved him or his way of thinking.
So here we were, the two of us, thinking. We knew we wanted to do something with his culinary skills but weren't so keen on a bricks-and-mortar restaurant. Hmmm, but what? After some time, his homework yeilded this idea and initially, some of our friends and family balked. He was unwavering in his vision however. He knew what he was doing from the start and the idea has taken flight and grown to something greater than him or I.
The Gourmet Genie concept, the followers, the response, it's all truly the product of synergy: the very best of two individuals. We are both amazed and exhausted. There is so much to do everywhere we turn. While neither of us is a perfectionist, I must admit I am a little type A, and like to have a hand in controlling things, even when they're out of my control. And complicated is the very least of what I am, so go figure.
It seems to be going well but we aren't counting our chickens just yet. Although outwardly it would seem that we are a hit with the public (can I type that without jinxing it?), it's only been three weeks. All in all, our only regret is not having gotten into this business sooner. It has completely changed our lives... he is LOVING what he's doing and that's the most important thing. Me? I'm busier than ever... but in a good way.
Cue the soap opera music. What will happen? Will they live happily ever after? Will the Magic Carpet blow a gasket? Will the Wild Thyme Pita Chips be delicious? I can only say about the pita chips for sure (yes). Stay tuned until next time...
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