Close to 30 trailers are joining together (separately) to show their support for one of their colleagues: Jason Umlas of Lucky J’s Chicken and Waffles this March 18th (Friday) during South by Southwest. You may recognize Lucky J’s from being in the news recently when one of his trailers was stolen on Christmas day, but that was just one of a series of unlucky events in 2010 that led to the current fund raising quest. After losing his youngest son Lev to cancer, his marriage, and then his trailer in 2010 no one would blame Jason if he gave up. But Jason has been given a new opportunity with the GIFT of a brick and mortar restaurant. When I have spoken with Jason, his spirits are humble and he is optimistic. In his words, “I don’t want help cleaning up my past; I want help with my future.” So in efforts to support a fellow trailer food vendor, these business owners (listed below) have agreed to give up to 10% of their sales to friend Jason for help starting his future.
I have been heavily involved in the trailer food scene in Austin since February of 2010, and can tell you whole-heartedly this community is one of the things that makes me proud to be an Austinite. Not only are the business-owners giving with open arms a percentage of sales on one of their busiest days of the year (arguably their biggest opportunity for income in 2011) to help a friend in need with a huge opportunity on the table, Jason is grateful that something that was meant to benefit his future was also going to help create traffic flow to his cohorts.
Whether you live in town or are visiting our great city, please mark Friday, March 18th on your calendar and eat at one or more of the following trailer food venues with a ‘choose your own adventure’ trailer-style. Below I have listed each of the participating trailers with links to their stories. Please check with each of them for location and hours as things may change during the fun chaos that is SXSW.
East
Lucky j’s
The local yolk
Iggi’s Texitarian
Old School BBQ & Grill
Trailer Perk
Downtown
One Taco
Colibri Cuisine
South Lamar
LaBoite
Texas Cuban
Soco
The frigid frog
Crepes Mille
Flying Carpet
Sofi
Man Bites Dog
Holy Cacao
Barton Springs
Kate’s Southern Comfort
Sushi A Go Go
Roving/Unsure of location
The peached tortilla
86 This
Short Bus Subs
Ice Queens
Mmmpanadas
Ugly Banjos
The coffee trailer / hallowed grounds
Bananarchy
North-ish
Counter culture
Zubikhouse
Elixer Coffee
Serving up the American Dream one plate at a time. Join Tiffany Harelik as she navigates food truck recipes and entrepreneurial stories in her blog, cookbook, TV series, and Gypsy Picnic trailer food festival. (Tom Kirsch Design)
