Waffles, tacos and dumplings -- oh yes! If you have a hunger for
gourmet food trucks, embrace it wholeheartedly by requesting
makeshift sidewalk carts during the cocktail hour or food
trucks for the wedding after-party.
-TheKnot.com
-TheKnot.com
The Groom Says actually called this trend in July of last year when we did our profile of LA's most mobile sensation, the Komodo food truck. Komodo's been named the hottest food truck in Los Angeles by nearly everybody, and rightfully so. Their gourmet fusion street food pleases both low- and high-brow clientele, giving food truck fans a range of burritos and tacos and a basket of Truffles Fries that make all those little voices disappear.
photo by MK3 Photography
And on top of it all, Komodo does weddings (as well as private parties, fine dine catering and craft services), offering a full wedding menu including appetizers, three-course dinners and "after-hour munchies." Their selection of entrees, hors d'oeuvres, soups, salads, sandwiches, sides, pastas and platters is as diverse as it is delicious.
I had an opportunity to sit down with Eric Tjahyadi, Director of Marketing and Events for Komodo, pick his brain about the Food Truck Wedding trend and bribe him for a free burrito.
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ERIC -- SO YOU AND YOUR BROTHER ERWIN (EXECUTIVE CHEF) ARE TWO OF THE CO-FOUNDERS OF KOMODO. EVER THINK YOU'D BE AN L.A. SENSATION?
Never in our wildest dreams. Erwin has always been super talented, and he knows his palette, so I knew people were going to love the food. However, we never thought it would be such a hit. We actually entered the food truck industry fairly early in the game when there weren't as many trucks out there -- with the intention of eventually opening up a restaurant -- so this was a delightful surprise.
AND NOW WE'RE WATCHING TRUCKS COMPETE ON TV.
I think food truckers are creative, resourceful and passionate hustlers, so if you mix them together, there's bound to be exciting moments. We definitely enjoyed watching The Great Food Truck Race. We were originally scheduled to be on it, but due to scheduling conflicts we had to withdraw our involvement. Looking back ... we would have had so much fun competing.
WHEN DID YOU GUYS BEGIN TO CATER AT WEDDINGS?
One of our first big events was a wedding actually. It was at a beautiful home in the Hollywood Hills with tons of stars and celebrities. It definitely catapulted our popularity within the Hollywood community.
MOVIE STARS ARE WHORES FOR BURRITOS. HOW MANY WEDDINGS ARE YOU DOING THESE DAYS?
Weddings are seasonal events. We've been noticing that we do more from late spring to early winter. During our busiest season, we do 1-2 weddings per week. Not all of our weddings are the same, either. We've been to some interesting and non-traditional events in the past, so it's been a learning experience. One wedding we did was in a beautiful home overlooking the Malibu beach. There were a ton of Indonesians in the wedding party, so it was fun serving Indonesian-inspired cuisine to real Indonesians.
photo by Bantigue Photos
YOU MUST HAVE PEOPLE MAKING TWO, THREE - EVEN FIVE TRIPS OUT TO THE TRUCK DURING THE RECEPTION.
Sometimes we use the venue kitchen to cook, depending on the facility and the wedding party's preference.
WHAT BOOZE GOES BEST WITH KOMODO FOOD?
Great pale ale beers and chilled white wine.
Grilled Thai-spiced duck with cucumber salad. And Peruvian ceviche.
THE PERFECT KOMODO GROOM CAKE?
White vanilla frosting with dark chocolate sponge cake and layers of wild berries.
OKAY, SITUATION TIME: A GROOM RUNS UP TO THE TRUCK MINUTES BEFORE THE WEDDING, PANICKED, LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO HIDE. CLEARLY HE NEEDS A PEP TALK. ANY WORDS OF WISDOM? OR DO YOU GIVE HIM A DOGGIE BAG AND SEND HIM RUNNING INTO THE WOODS?
We would tell him to man up and personally escort him to the altar. Life is full of twists and turns -- you can't be afraid to take risks. That's been our philosophy since we started our business, and we never regretted it.
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You can check out Komodo online at komodofood.com and follow them on twitter (@komodofood) to find out when the truck will be in the neighborhood. For booking and catering inquiries, call (310) 498-7606.
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