North Bay Woman

38 NORTH BAY WOMAN | S P R I N G 2 0 1 6 By Refugio Garcia alking among the mobile kitchens that gather at different markets hosted by Off The Grid, foodies and casual diners alike will fi nd themselves following aromas both exotic and familiar. Inside brightly decorated cube- shaped trucks, fast-working chefs ex- ecute a labor of love with precision before delicately handing down a small delicacy to an eagerly awaiting customer. Gourmet food trucks have become quite the culinary trend all around the San Francisco Bay Area, offering a delicious array of fl avors street-side from creative and pas- sionate chefs who market themselves and where they'll be next largely through social media. Started by Matt Cohen in 2010, the Off The Grid network of food trucks was inspired by the Asian Night Markets he experienced while living in Japan. Cohen sought a way to fi ll the void in the San Francisco restaurant scene by creating a venue that would involve the community on a larger scale as well as having the potential to expand around the Bay Area. Launching in the Fort Mason Center was a great indicator of how much of a success the Off The Grid business model could be. "We immediately saw how excited people were to come to the event each week, how it really involved the community and gave them a great space to hang out on a Friday night," said Off The Grid founder Matt Cohen. "There was only one other food truck in Marin when we started The Taco Guys in 2010," said Jason Hoffman, who owns and operates The Taco Guys with his partner Justin Close. As natives of Marin and Oakland, Hoffman and Close consider tacos as a staple, referring to the dish as "fuel." The mobile chefs took a concept that was familiar to them and elevat- ed the concept to an all-new level. Gathering infl uence from places such as Hawaii, some of the tantalizing taco creations that the two chefs have created include a fi sh taco with panko breaded rock cod, pico de gallo sal- sa, sriracha mayo and pickled onions. "We needed something to go along with it so we came up with the Kalua pork taco to capture a bit more of the Hawaiian infl uence," said Hoffman. Off The Grid hosts a mobile food feast at Vintage Oaks shopping center in Novato. – Photo provided by Off The Grid Mobile Chefs Satisfy Hunger for Niche Dining Off The Grid Left: Drums and Crumbs owners Arthur Chang and Rachel Hundley. – Photo provided by Drums and Crumbs. Right: Jason Hoffman (left) and Justin Close, The Taco Guys owners. – Photo by Stuart Lirette W

• Cover