Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Angulo.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Rachel. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
A couple years after finishing my master’s degree in social work, I moved down to New Orleans, with the intention of publishing an article based on the research project on family decision-making in the ICU that I’d recently completed in Chicago. When I arrived in NOLA, I decided to get a part-time job at a fine dining restaurant in order to get to know the culinary scene down there. I figured it would also be a refreshing change of pace from the heavy subject matter I’d be writing about during the day. I quickly became very absorbed in the restaurant culture and met my future husband (then co-worker) while working at Commander’s Palace, a New Orleans institution that has been around since 1880. One night after a long shift at the restaurant, we were having a drink together at the neighborhood bar and he pitched the idea of starting a food truck together. Though it was not the career trajectory I’d envisioned for myself, the idea excited me and I eagerly agreed to partner with him. Many tacos and areas later, we now have 2 food trucks (1 in NOLA, 1 in Chicago), 1 restaurant, and 2 sons together.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The biggest struggle starting off was the fact that the food truck laws in New Orleans were so outdated. There were no permits available for new food trucks, and those that were licensed to operate had to abide by overly strict ordinances requiring that food trucks only operate during certain hours, for no more than 45 minutes in any single location, not within 600 ft of any restaurant or gas station serving hot food, and not in the downtown area. I made it my goal to change these laws, which had been in place since 1956, decades before the first modern food truck existed. I founded the New Orleans Food Truck Coalition to get other food truck operators on board with my mission and to spread the word among the community of our legislative efforts to elicit further support. After a year and a half of working closely with the city council and the mayor’s office, we successfully changed the mobile food truck laws in New Orleans. There are now an additional 100 permits available for food trucks. Food trucks can operate for 4 hours in one location, up from 45 minutes previously. The banned area of the downtown district was decreased such that the medical district became available to food trucks. And the proximity restriction from restaurants was eliminated completely. Success!
Please tell us about La Cocinita Restaurant & Food Truck.
La Cocinita served Venezuelan-style street food. We have a restaurant in Evanston, a food truck in Chicago, a food truck in New Orleans, and we are in the process of opening a stall in a food hall in New Orleans (ETA: Spring 2018). Our specialty is Arepas, which are Venezuelan cornmeal patties stuffed with roasted veggies, meats braised in-house, and house made sauces. We serve delicious tacos as well, and many other Latin American specialties (empanadas, tamales, Cuban sliders, plantain sandwiches). But it is the areas that truly set us apart. We also take great pride in our customer service. Having been trained at Commander’s Palace by Ella Brennan, a pioneer of Southern hospitality, we understand the importance of going above and beyond for each customer. It doesn’t matter if it’s a food truck or a fine dining restaurant; every customer is important and deserves our special attention.
Pricing:
- Entrees at the Restaurant: $9-11 (pre-tax)
Contact Info:
- Address: 1625 Chicago Ave
Evanston IL 60201 - Website: www.lacocinitarestaurant.com
- Phone: 847-332-1625
- Email: info@lacocinitarestaurant.com
- Instagram: @eatatlacocinita
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/LaCocinitaRestaurant/
- Twitter: @eatatlacocinita
- Yelp: https://yelp.to/pZqtwjPgFK
Image Credit:
The last one (lots of dishes on the red background) was taken by Patrick Niebres
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