By Bridget SamburgQ. You and your business partner, Ron Sarni, former president of Sarni Cleaners, started Food Truck Nation. Why this business?
A. We both have a passion for food and love bringing people together. No outlet does it better than a food truck. Ron is a professional chef and I make a mean grilled cheese.
Q. You’ve traveled around the country to other cities to get a sense of what’s out there. How is that influencing what you do?
A. We have an opportunity to take advantage of the good and bad around the country. We’re going to lead the movement here.
Q. Food Truck Nation will be leasing trucks otherwise too expensive for chefs. What is the reaction so far?
A. The top-name chefs want trucks. It’s another location for them. It’s like a rolling billboard.
Q. You’ve started with your own Grilled Cheese Nation truck, which has been at the SoWa Open Market on Sundays and at other festivals. A more permanent location is in the works. What’s your most popular sandwich?
A. A lot of people go with the Boston Common (Iggy’s organic pain de mie bread, Vermont aged cheddar, and a bit of butter). But In Gouda We Trust (smoked gouda, mushrooms, caramelized onions, on Iggy’s organic dark rye) and Brie Me Up (brie, local Asian pear, Iggy’s organic wheat pain de mie) are a close second and third. When people bite into these they are blown away.
Q. Sounds heavy on the local ingredients.
A. It’s going to be fresh, flavorful, with as many local components as possible. All the breads are local, almost all of the cheeses are. The vast majority of what we’re using is local and we’d like to keep it that way.
Q. You said you have a second truck rolling into town in a few weeks. Can you say who will be leasing that one?
A. Will Gilson of Garden at the Cellar. He’s a rising star. There will be others too. The biggest challenge will be to get the trucks made fast enough.
