Raising Cane

It appears that my recent post regarding South Florida Food Trucks, Inc. http://www.sflafoodtrucks.com  has been misconstrued by my peers, When in fact the sole intent and purpose of South Florida Food Trucks Inc. is to create unity and non-discrimination amongst our industry. There are a hand full of pioneers, primarily from Dade County, that have forged ahead and paved the way for all of us and should be commended for their efforts. There are also those that have ridden the coat tails of these pioneers and now have risen in prominence to attain a “Holier than Thou” status . They tout such statements as “You Don’t Meet the Requirements to participate in this event” Even though the requirements are never communicated, even when they are requested!

It is this writer’s opinion that what is inferred by Requirements really means your social networking skills. If you don’t meet the quota of followers on Facebook, or Twitter than "you are not welcome at my event." This has never been quantified only inferred! This type of cavalier attitude only breeds animosity and doesn’t take into account any type of culinary skill or quality into account! I have recently heard some very discouraging tales from attendees at one of our local food truck gatherings, in Fort Lauderdale, with respect to the long lines, wait times & pricing. Being a owner/operator, I understand that for some reason people expect fresh made ingredients to magically appear faster from a truck than from a land based restaurant. 

Food Truck promoters and event coordinators must conduct their businesses in accordance with the laws of the State of Florida, as the owner/operators must do. They bring a great value to the individual vendors as they research, contact, negotiate & promote these events. However, they should treat the owner/operators equally and without prejudice. We all have spent long arduous hours conceptualizing, designing, building, permitting, prepping, cooking, and serving our product to the public and my hats off to the qualified promoters that help us in our daily quest for success!

Stay Hungry My Friends!

What is South Florida Food Trucks, Inc.?

 South Florida Food Trucks, Inc. is a non-profit organization that is a true coalition of local vendors working together towards a common goal. Our goal is to promote community spirit through great food, at fair market value using products from local sources and to enhance the professionalism of the “Street Food “ Phenomenon.
Being a non-profit corporation means that we will NOT charge food truck owner/operators for their right to attend our functions. Most all of our functions will be chariable events with a portion of the proceeds going to a charity of the coalitions choice. We live in a Democracy and members fo the South Florida Food Trucks will be given a right to vote and to share their own thoughts and ideas in a open forum. The requirements to join this new movement are 1.) A Truly Unique and flavorful menu. 2.) Exceptional business acumin. 3.) A desire to be involved in a community spirited Coalition.
Stay Hungry My Friends. Contact me at info@sflafoodtrucks.com

Why can't we just all get along?

The south Florida food truck industry is becoming such a clique that unless you meet a certain social networking criteria you are treated like you have the plague. How many followers, how many likes you have, or how many tweets you send out daily is becoming, or already a determining factor in whether or not you are allowed to participate in the latest rallies. I could have a million followers on face book and serve Alpo sliders ( Alpo is dog food in case you weren’t aware)  and I would be welcomed with open arms to every event hosted to date. However I choose to spend my time preparing great food with locally produced products and the care, love and passion necessary to provide my customer with the best product at a reasonable price, in a timely fashion. My vehicles are bought and paid for by me not a local food truck builder and I hold no allegiance to the latest Cosa Nostra Style, Wanna Be promotors out there trying to run their racket on all of the food truck owners that had the wherewithal to finance and put their best foot forward to make a run at this now overcrowded industry!

Good Luck and as always, Stay Hungry My Friends

We need to lobby Tallahassee like the hot dog trucks!

The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation is making a mockery of the Food and Beverage Industry. Why is it that a hotdog can be served in the open air? The plan review department of the DBPR strictly forbids the preparation of foods in the open air. I understand their intent contained in the verbiage but I don't see how it protects the general public from airborne germs or cross contamination. The restrictions imposed on food truck with respect to windows and screens are simply ridiculous. Anyone that has ever been to food truck rally knows that the windows are constantly open, including the back doors and side doors. Let’s face it we live in South Florida……..IT”S HOT HERE!

But it is perfectly legal and DBPR sanctioned for a hot dog cart, in the open air to remove a hotdog from boiling water, place it in a bun add your condiments and Voilà there you have it!  But if you want to make anything else (with the of exception Bbq smokers, yes they are exempt too! But with equally stupid regulations) it must be made inside a truck or trailer that is entirely enclosed. I don’t know about you but I have been to many a Publix Deli and seen hoards of flies flying around and I lived to tell about it.

How many hamburgers, sliders, steaks, tacos, or pizzas have you grilled outside in the open air? Will we soon be required to build a food truck for our own personal use? Please don’t mistake my purpose of this blog, I love street hotdogs and have eaten as many as the Burger Beast has had burgers. My argument is why must a brick wood fired oven be enclosed in a truck? These ovens generate over 1000º degrees, inside a truck….Really? I think not. The pizza making process is in reverse order from a hotdog cart. The pizza dough is formed, sauced, requested toppings are added and then it is baked in the oven at almost the same temperature that bodies are cremated at. In other words the final product is sterilized!

The real issue is that the Food & Beverage Commission is armed with high profile lobbyists that make rules & regulations that are biased on the side of Land based brick and mortar establishments. And aim to level the playing field!



Stay Hungry My Friends