Archive for ‘Mobile Food’

Many Ate Well @ Street Food SF & Will Eat Real This Weekend

By Susie, 23 August, 2010, No Comment

Spread the word to anyone looking for an amazing gift: There’s still time to bid on once in a lifetime San Francisco food experiences (Chef for a day at Chez Panisse anyone?) in the Ebay auctions.

Street Food Festival Recap

“The San Francisco Street Food Festival is an event hosted by La Cocina that advocates for the creation of policies that support the formalization of mobile food vending in San Francisco.”

In its second year, the fest drew thousands more people than last year.

I had a behind the scenes peek at how much went into prepping for this event with relatively few volunteers and employees orchestrating.

Here’s why I loved the event and highly recommend visiting next year:

  1. It supports La Cocina, which in turn supports lots of people needing help starting food businesses.
  2. It’s truly a celebration of the Mission’s diversity in addition to being right there in the neighborhood.
  3. It’s like taking a trip around the world in a several block area.
  4. The food is fabulous and it helped many small businesses reach lots of new customers.
  5. Alice Chau’s graphic design and infographics are a marvel in integrated branding, for anyone who is a fan of design. From the maps to the shirts to the menus. Very cool and very user friendly.
  6. The collaboration of the many food businesses simultaneously crammed into La Cocina’s kitchen operated like a ballet of chopping, grinding, stirring, and baking. Truly a sight worthy of a reality cooking show.
  7. I got to help make cookies! Woohoo.

Did you miss Street Food SF? Never fear…

The Eat Real festival is coming up this weekend in Oakland – Aug. 27-29 – with many of the same food vendors plus a whole lot more. Eat real, eat well!

Roll over a photo to enlarge…

LA Food Fest – A Taste of Street Food Trucks

By Susie, 3 August, 2010, No Comment

The LA Food Fest in July was a glorious celebration of mobile food businesses and old school Mexican food trucks, dishing out generous portions of artisan ice creams, dim sum, sweet potato fries, and ethnic foods from around the world. (Street food is so hot in LA it’s become part of the dating scene. “My truck or yours?”)

Coolhaus ice cream sandwich

Coolhaus made me want to move to LA

Even for those on a budget, the Food Fest was truly a great value for unlimited tastings from tons of trucks, as well as addictive nut butter crunch from my friends at p.o.p. candy. (It was fun handing out samples to foodies, glaze-eyed from this fabulous food orgy yet as they stood in line for ice cream.)

Click a photo to enlarge…

You Ate the Food Now Check Out the Art

At the Renegade Craft Fair I couldn’t get enough of 3 Fish Studios – particularly their linoleum block prints of real food trucks in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Both in black and white and in some versions hand painted with color, they’re an awesome homage to the street food scene.
taco truck art

More LA food events coming…

There’s a bevy of ways to keep up with the many food events in LA:

Where will you be eating next?

Bay Area Food Festivals in August

By Susie, 15 July, 2010, No Comment

A list for myself as much as others – there are SO many cool food events going on! Great for kids and adults, locals and visitors.

“Off the Grid” Every Friday Night – Fort Mason

What: A roaming gourmet mobile food extravaganza that travels to different locations daily to serve delicious food, with a free side of amazing music, craft  and soul.
(The San Francisco Cart Project is where to find the vendors ongoing or find out how you can live your mobile food truck dream!)

“an impressive lineup of street food vendors and numerous trucks serving crazy-delicious food hailing from all over the dang place, from India to Seoul to Malaysia.” -Tablehopper

August 9-15 in Union Square – San Francisco Food, Wine & Spirits Week


SFChefs 2010 is a food and wine event celebrating the unique flavor, diversity and bounty of Northern California. The main tasting tent will be in Union Square, where chefs, wine makers and distillers will offer an exploration of taste featuring local products. Classes and seminars will offer interactive opportunities for the public to participate with local farmers, ranchers, chefs, winemakers, distillers, media, luminaries, authors, vintners, mixologists and culinary experts in an entertaining forum.

August 21st – SF Street Food Fest

(Free!)


What: The San Francisco Street Food Festival is an event hosted by La Cocina that advocates for the creation of policies that support the formalization of mobile food vending in San Francisco. Eat, drink and scavenger hunt.

Who will love this: If experiencing amazing new foods – especially ethnic – checking out the mobile street food scene, and supporting very small food entrepreneurs is your thing, don’t miss it.

Visting San Francisco? It’s easy to get there by BART.

August 22nd & 23rd – Fort Mason, San Francisco

Over 325 winery members of the Family Winemakers of California will be at Fort Mason’s Festival Pavilion for the Association’s 20th Annual “Tasting” in San Francisco. This special 20th Anniversary tasting gives wine enthusiasts an outstanding opportunity to meet the winemakers themselves, taste over 1,000 different wines, and find their new favorite varietals.

August 27, 28, 29 2010 – Eat Real Festival – in Oakland

(Free!)

What: With a focus on food craft, street food, artisan beers and local wines – all featuring sustainable local ingredients – we showcase food in all its different forms. But eating is only part of the fun – we’ll show you how to make it and grow it!

Where: Jack London Square is a beautiful ferry ride away from San Francisco’s Ferry Building. (A great and affordable secret attraction!)

More >>

Especially cool: On Your Mark, Get Set, Can!

Start your canning or get a fermenting project going for a series of contests that pay homage to the tastiest homebrewed beer, best homemade jam, finest pickled preserves and most kickin’ kombucha.

And this is just August!

More Bay Area food event listings:

Follow me to hear about interesting underground and over ground food events. What “can’t miss” did I miss?

Eat Real Festival was founded in 2008 by a group of people who believe that delicious, convenient, affordable and sustainable food should be celebrated through an annual food festival.