The preparation that goes into a food truck

For those who may not know last year my brother moved down to North Carolina from New York City to begin fulfilling his dream of opening of a gourmet grilled cheese food truck called American Meltdown. Food trucks are beginning to pop up across the United States serving customers where restaurant locations are lacking and people are in need of more diverse food choices. For example, not many people that attend summer concerts eat inside the concert venue myself included. Attendees are either eating the food they tailgated with or making sure to eat before the concert start because who wants to pay 10 dollars for chicken fingers that are probably older than you and I? For the first time this year, Live Nation Entertainment is allowing food trucks inside the Time Warner Music Pavilion in an effort to boost sales by allowing attendees the option to choose genuinely great tasting food. From gourmet melts to freshly made sausages and sandwiches, Time Warner Music Pavilion finally has food options to choose from other than microwavable burgers and hot dogs. 

Since graduating from Penn State and using the summer to job search, I have been helping my brother out as much as possible taking orders on the truck, preparing sandwiches, cleaning, social networking and even preparing the food! Thanks to the Durham cookery, located at 1101 West Chapel Hill Street in Durham, NC, local entrepreneurs launching a culinary business have the opportunity to rent out the kitchen containing top of the line equipment, cooking and cleaning stations, food truck parking and food storage units.  Local food talent like American Meltdown is brought together in the heart of Durham serving the community one gourmet melt at a time!

Today I had the opportunity to help out food truck owner and my awesome brother Paul Inserra in the kitchen for the first time. Although there are many pros to opening up a food truck, the food prep, cleaning, transportation, transporting of foods, generator,  arranging and rearranging of equipment is a lot more work than meets they customers eye. 


What are the pros you ask? It is a lot cheaper than opening up a restaurant due to the start-up costs. The labor costs are also cheaper and you have the opportunity to advertise and market your brand anywhere and anytime you'd like by just showing up! Of course arrangements for events, lunches and dinners must be arranged by property managers, but where there is food lacking and hungry people working food trucks have the advantage of being there.  

 
Here are some pictures from my day at the cookery and what goes into just SOME of this weeks food prep.  

10 pounds of Cheddar Cheese for the Lil Lish Sandwich (A mouthwatering classic grilled cheese)

 

5 pounds of fresh basil ready to be blended for the famous Fordham! (Mozzarella, pesto and a sun dried tomato spread on country white)

 Thyme, Rosemary, Sage and Parsley herbs for the Scarborough Fair! (Imagine those fresh herbs on freshly baked sourdough bread with Gouda cheese! YUM!)