Sept. 12, 2012

Dallas - Fort Worth is starting to catch up with the rest of the country with the advent of specialty food trucks, even in the Central Business District of Dallas.  Green House Food truck offers gourmet foods while The Good Karma Kitchen specializes in delicious, gluten free food.

When Green House Food Truck owner Michael Siegel, 32, a non-practicing attorney-turned-foodie, and Ben Hutchison, 47, gourmet food chef, decided to open their Dallas food vending truck in 2009, they had to jump through a few hoops.  Siegel got his idea when he lived in food-truck-abundant California and was enticed to move to Dallas because his in-laws live here.  He realized that he would need a completely fully refurbished catering truck, but he also learned that they had to be inspected and approved by the fire department, health department, and a host of other requirements of code compliance.  Most regrettably, he learned that they couldn’t serve their healthy gourmet food in the Dallas Central Business District (CBD).  Not to be deterred, they found a welcoming spot in the Park Cities area.  (Michael Siegel -  Photo: D Magazine)

Former Dallas City Council Member, Veletta Forsythe Lill, now executive director of Dallas Arts District, says that she was instrumental in changing laws so that food truck vendors can now operate in the CBD.  She relates that city zoning laws prohibited trucks from parking no more than 59 minutes and wouldn’t allow them to serve chicken, shellfish and other foods unless they were breaded and fried.  Those laws have now been changed, and food trucks have been operating for a year in the Dallas Arts District, which covers the northeast corner of downtown Dallas. (Veletta Forsythe Lill -  Photo Dallas Voice)

“We have different trucks Monday through Friday that serve lunch, as well as for selected dinners, special events and Saturday lunches,” Lill comments.  “The great thing about having food trucks is that they offer flexibility of menu, and we can offer our patrons diversity.  “It creates a new restaurant concept in a very dynamic way.”

Sigel says that Green House uses 100 percent biodegradable and compostable containers, plates and utensils, and their made-from-scratch food is as organic as possible, utilizing fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables that they purchase regularly from a number of wholesale vendors.  They hope someday to use fresh local farm-to-table produce and fruit.

“Our truck uses propane as the main power source, and the refrigerator runs on a combination of rechargeable batteries and a propane generator, which can also be plugged into a standard power outlet,” he says.  “We’re protecting the environment, as well as our customers.   “Nothing is fried, there’s no butter or lard, and olive oil is a staple.”  Chef Ben Hutchison, formerly with Food Company Catering, Routh Street Café and Little Nell in Aspen, has created a constantly changing menu where you can choose from a wide variety of salads, soups (firehouse chili and gluten-free vegetarian are regulars), sides, sandwiches, rice bowls, desserts and beverages.  If you wish, you can choose your own healthy mix-and-match ingredients for Hutchison to prepare your favorite meal. 

Many days the Greenhouse Truck can be found at deBoulle - 6821 Preston Rd. / Grassmere in the Park Cities.  For up to date information  go to  http://greenhousetruck.com

A healthy gluten-free-vegetarian-gourmet food truck is owned by Megan Topham and Christina MacMicken.  In 2010, Topham discovered that she was gluten intolerant and had difficulty finding tasty gluten-free products and recipes.  In 2009, she teamed up with Executive Chef Christina MacMicken, who also had some health concerns, to create healthy gluten-free-vegetarian-gourmet recipes, and The Good Karma Kitchen was born.  

MacMicken states that as a healthful minded business, The Good Karma Kitchen incorporates sustainability by recycling, limiting food waste and using compostable, recyclable or made from renewable resources disposable items.  “One way that we accomplish this is by using plant based spoons and forks, sugar cane, potato starch, and post consumer recycled material,” she says. (Karmasushi - Photo by Stephanie Hawkes -dfw-food-truck-foodie in Pegasus News)

For more information about Good Karma Kitchen go to their website www.thegoodkarmakitchen.com


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