Thank you

Please include your name, contact info, a photo of yourself, and a list of any relevant culinary experience.
Thanks so much!!!

THANKS!!

Heather Armstrong
Producer, Cheap Eats
Mobile: 310-938-9402

First of all, hello! We’re writing to you from La Cocina, in San Francisco, a non-profit organization dedicated to working with low-income entrepreneurs who are launching, growing and formalizing food businesses. We’re writing to you because, over the last three years we’ve embarked on a learning curve as we’ve examined ways to assist our clients in launching formal mobile food businesses in San Francisco amidst the growing national trend of successful mobile food vendors. We found you because it looks like you’re into the same kind of thing.

We’re writing to you, specifically, because we’ve noticed that work that you do, and we dearly believe in sharing best practices (not to mention learning from others’ mistakes) is the way to go. Last year we launched San Francisco’s Street Food Festival to great success. Our goal for this festival is not only to bring the best foods in the Bay Area together for one day but also to advocate for policies that encourage the successful growth of low-income entrepreneurs in the formal food sector. We’re hoping you might be interested in that same kind of thing.

This year, to further that goal, we are hosting our first Street Food Conference, on the back of our festival. The festival, which will take place on August 21st, will be followed by two days of conference sessions, working groups and networking, and we’re hoping that you will be able to join us. Details on the specific panels, as well as the kinds of conversations we’d like to see, can be found at the end of this note.

As this is an inaugural event, we are hosting the conference as inexpensively as possible. Costs are minimal, and discounts are available at local hotels. We’d very much like to have you here as we believe that a national trend like this deserves a national conversation, and we can’t do that without you. We understand that it’s short notice, but we’d love to be in touch with you whether you come or not. If you have the time to pass this information on, via your social networks, we would be indebted, and we hope to hear from you. We will be recording the sessions as well, and are happy to share them with you if you’re interested. If you do have time, please link to the following on either facebook or twitter:

National Street Food Conference in San Francisco! Who’s going? Link and tickets are here: http://www.sfstreetfoodfest.com/2010/?page_id=97

Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to be in touch.

Sincerely,

La Cocina

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Sunday, 8/22 – Session #1, 1:45-3:15pm:

Open-Air Markets, Hawker Stalls and The Art of Making One Great Thing

Global street food is an unintended celebration of entrepreneurial spirit, the nature of giving and the drive to make one great thing. Across the world, chefs and informal cooks use open-air markets and mobile vending opportunities to bring their culinary creations to the masses. In every place, this means something different, and the ways in which the world sells and eats food can tell you a lot about a place. In this panel, join some of our favorite chefs as they tell you, and show you, the ways food makes it from the chef to the consumer.

Moderator: Jessica Battilana, Food Editor, 7×7 Magazine

Panelists: Charles Phan, Chef, The Slanted Door

Mourad Lahlou, Chef, Aziza

Iliana de la Vega, El Naranjo (Austin)

Session Contact: Caleb Zigas (caleb@lacocinasf.org) and Jessica Battilana (jess@hartlemedia.com)

Sunday, 8/22 – Session #2, 3:30-5:00pm:

Truck-Food Nation; The Streets of America

American street food is nothing new, but over the last couple of years there has been an undeniable explosion in the presence, attention and differentiation in the foods that are made and consumed on the streets of America. Some of this is lamentable, as we’ve seen the past get erased, but there is also immense creativity and opportunity in the ingenuity of these vendors. In this panel, John T. Edge will drive us across the country with the insights of some of the leading innovators across the country.

Moderator: John T. Edge

Panelists: Kamala Saxton, Marination Mobile (Seattle)

Doug Quint, Big Gay Ice Cream Truck (New York)

Veronica Salazar, Chef, El Huarache Loco

Jon Ward, Kung Fu Tacos

Session Contact: Caleb Zigas (caleb@lacocinasf.org)

Monday, 8/23 – Session #1, 9:00-10:30am:

Meet and Eat – The Culture and Face of Street Food

There is an undeniable connection between the people who create street food and those of us who enjoy consuming it. Perhaps its allure lies in the faces behind the food, and the human connection that results from a street food transaction. In America, and across the world, the people who take to the streets to make food are defining the locale and its culture. In this panel, we will examine the faces behind the food, how they are perceived, and the ways in which our expectations are often contradicted by our experiences. We will discuss the race, culture and gendered issues of street food and how we as consumers, and all of us as cities, approach these identities.

Moderator: Sanjit Sethi, Assistant Professor, California College of the Arts

Panelists: Erin Glenn, Los Loncheros – Los Angeles, CA

Molly O’Neill, Food Writer

Sean Basinski, Director, The Vendor Project and The Vendy Awards

Session Contact: Sarah Rich (sarahrich@gmail.com)

Monday, 8/23 – Session #2, 11:00am-12:30pm:

A Cart on Every Corner? Urban Public Space, City Policy and the Informal/Formal Business Model

Our cities are emblems and innovators. Across the country, cities are trying to deal with the history, present and future of street food. In doing so, there have been successes and failures. This panel brings those experiences together to create an understanding of the best practices and realistic outcomes for an urban public planner to create a healthy infrastructure to support a successful street food venue.

Moderator: Margaret Crawford, Professor, UC Berkeley

Panelists: Alma C. Flores, Economic Development Planner, Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, Portland, Oregon

Marianne Moroney, Executive Director, Toronto Street Food Vendors Association

Warren Hansen, Madison, Wisconsin

Greg Smith, Atlanta Street Food Coalition

Session Contact: Evan Bloom (elbloom@gmail.com)

Monday, 8/23 – Session #3, 1:30-3:00pm:

Mobile Vendor Economic Policy

Using the Bay Area as a case study, we will discuss the economic viability of the street food venture and its ability to produce a sustainable individual income. The panel will look at a few existing models, from the illegal food vendor to the ultra-formalized truck. We will explore how specific cities support these individual vendors and how this affects each local economy. The panel will examine urban policy that works and doesn’t work while discussing steps that cities can take to encourage and support mobile food business.

Moderator: Kate Sofis, SFMade

Panelists: Larry Bain, Let’s Be Frank – Los Angeles

TBD from Parks & Rec

Matt Cohen, SF Cart Project

Shelley Garza, Rising Sun Entrepreneurs

Session Contact: Evan Bloom (elbloom@gmail.com)