The Old Adobe Group

Provo Food Trucks

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Gregory) — Tue, 13 Aug 2013 19:10:00 +0000

Source: http://www.sohotaco.com/

Food Trucks in Provo

With much recent discussion regarding food trucks in downtown Provo, I have been asked frequently for my opinion of food trucks and whether I support the idea of making a place for them in the downtown. I have mixed feelings on the subject. On the one hand, I love food trucks for their entrepreneurial spirit, their ability to fill odd niches, and the somewhat anarchist, take-back-the-streets sort of vibe they bring to a place.

However, as a brick & mortar restaurant owner, I'm also concerned about their impact. Food trucks are somewhat like an "online store" in the sense that they can roll in and out of areas, take what they need and leave to the next hotspot. I think we can all agree that brick & mortar businesses are essential in certain settings and the absence of them carries a heavy cost. No matter how great a deal that book is on Amazon, we still have to face the fact that in our search for great deals we've put local retailers out of business all over the world.

Brick & mortar businesses are directly invested in their communities. They pay more tax, they improve and provide value to the district they are located in and in general their overhead far exceeds that of a food truck. All of which makes trucks seem more attractive. That would be true, IF you didn't care about the health and vitality of the commercial districts in your community. A food truck parked in front of a restaurant is a recipe for disaster. However, food trucks can reach areas that are remote, inaccessible to brick & mortar, and blighted areas that cannot support a physical location, but exhibit a demand nonetheless.

The answer then is a hybrid approach. Food trucks must be zoned appropriately to accent & compliment the existing services provided. There's a relatively new concept in community development and planning called "Placemaking", that would be useful in planning exactly where and how food trucks might be integrated in to a community.

"Placemaking is a multi-faceted approach to the planning, design and management of public spaces. Placemaking capitalizes on a local community’s assets, inspiration, and potential, ultimately creating good public spaces that promote people’s health, happiness, and well being." http://www.pps.org/reference/what_is_placemaking/

In a nutshell, the basic idea is that the ideal environment for a retail truck is not the same as the ideal environment for a brick & mortar retailer. They both have bring value, but they are different kinds of value and shouldn't be confused simply because they both serve food. (Or other retail goods) In the case of brick & mortar, the value is permanent, sometimes historic, and contributes to the built environment of a community, such as this image of Pearl Street in downtown Boulder, CO. While it might appear to be an ideal environment for a food truck, it likely isn't simply because if the finances of the property owners and business owners are stressed, the quality and appearance of the area is likely to show signs of stress also.

Downtown Boulder, CO. Source: Unknown

However, check out the photo below, of the Soma Streatfood Park in San Francisco. I had the pleasure of visiting there a couple times this year and it was totally awesome in every conceivable way. Best of all, it took over an empty parking lot in a relatively dead and underperforming part of the city and turned it into a vibrant hotspot that gets used every day by the many employees in the area, as well as attracting visitors from elsewhere. Arguably, it competes on a very minimal scale with restaurants in the area and it exists where no restaurant owner would have been crazy enough to located. WIN-WIN.

If Provo were to zone food trucks with all this in mind, it is likely that the two business models could coexist peacefully and both contribute to building a vitality in the food scene that would enhance the value of every business, regardless of their location. So, whattaya think? How's a Provo Food Truck Park sound?

Please let us know your thoughts in the comments on our Old Adobe blog. If you're in the mood for some real American food, please visit our restaurant, Station 22 Cafe, located at 22 W Center Street in Historic Downtown Provo. We offer sit-down, catering & delivery.

For more information, please visit:

Old Adobe Catering Co. <http://www.oldadobe.com>

Station 22 Cafe <http://www.station22cafe.com>

Delicious Music

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Gregory) — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 03:22:00 +0000

Now, I don't want to overstate my case, but I pretty much owe all that is Station 22 to one man and a sweet, sweet voice: Justin Townes Earle.

I know. It's probably not lost on you that he's kind of a goofy-looking dude. But, that's kind of the point. Justin Townes Earle sings about the sweetest and most beautiful music you're ever likely to hear and I was lucky enough to hear him perform at the State Room in SLC.

Before I wax too poetically about JTE, I must briefly deviate to tell you that I love the State Room with a deep and abiding passion. If you love quality music in a quality venue, go here for any show and you'll love it. My other favorite venue in the world is Red Butte Gardens and I just found out that there's a connection between them. Huge kudos to these guys for doing all this!

I discovered Justin Townes Earle at a time when I hated country music. I hated country music pretty much all my life and I hated it because it sucked. At least, what I was hearing sucked. It was all that poppy young country stuff that all sounded like slide guitar & reverb. I'm not going to name names, because that would probably piss somebody off, but you know who I'm talking about.

Come to find out, as my mind expanded and I grew up, there was a whole undercurrent of amazing roots country with a dizzying array of young and old country stars. Waiting, just out of reach of my Bay Area radio stations. How could I have known? There was no streaming radio, no Spotify! It wasn't my fault! Such shame I feel now for making fun of country music. Well, a little anyway.

I was investigating some of the more subtle sub-genres of indie rock one day and searching for a band to book for an event, when I stumbled across this guy through a booking agency website. (It's a great way to find new artists, actually. Just find out who their agent is and check out the other bands they rep. ) One good listen to this guy and my brain exploded with the possibilities of what roots music could sound like.

Justin Townes Earle kickstarted my journey of discovery into Americana and its various forms. He beautifully borrows from early blues, boogie woogie, Nashville country, and more. He has the look and feel of somebody who was born to make music and, boy, does he ever!

Give him a solid listen and I promise you'll thank me for it. Better yet, grab a loved one or a grandparent and play it for them too!

For more information, please visit:

Old Adobe Catering Co. <http://www.oldadobe.com>

Station 22 Cafe <http://www.station22cafe.com>

Worth Reading...And Listening To!

noreply@blogger.com (Jason Talcott) — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 04:50:00 +0000

   Our last post was about music and what we are listening to, this time around I thought we'd have a little "food for thought" and talk about what we are reading in the book isle, on the blogs and listening to on podcast.

   I drive 100 miles a day round trip, so I have the great pleasure of being able to spend an hour and a half each day listening to some great podcast. My new favorite is Food is the New Rock. Basically a couple of LA media guys who interview bands about food and chefs about music. Some notable guest to date have included Henry Rollins, Minus the Bear, Susan Feniger and David Chang. And speaking of David Chang, if you have not read Lucky Peach, his quarterly food magazine, get a copy NOW! It is irreverent, funny, edgy and all about food and restaurant culture in America today. A must read for any foodie.

    At Station 22 we love Americana and Americana Music. Imagine my surprise when I found a cookbook by an musician, author, cook and restauranteur! Ruby's Juke Joint Americana Cookbook is all things love to me! Rockin' Americana music (a CD of Ruby's Band, Ruby Dee and The Snakehandlers, is included), Great Classic American Recipes and a dose of American food history. Don't be too surprised if you don't find some of this inspiration in our restaurant soon.

    Part of the great fun of being a chef is digging into a cookbook, not just for recipes but for inspiration, nostalgia or just to kill some time when your feet are aching from hours on end cooking. Given that Station 22 Cafe is all about digging deep into our culinary roots, I tend to favor old cookbooks and my partner Richard just turned me on to a great vegetarian cookbook: "An Apple a Day"-Vegetarian Cookery Doctors' Wives. The recipes in this book tend to be simple, hearty, healthy and deep rooted in American Culinary History. If you happen to dig into this book, you will notice a lot of "add a can of this, a box of that..." my suggestion is to use this book for some inspiration and then make the recipes from scratch. Also beware, this book is not for the gluten intolerant. You will find recipes for veggie burgers and gluten steaks that call for A LOT of high gluten wheat flour. The desert and salad recipes are definitely safe bets and there are many vegan recipes as well.

     Being a huge fan of Top Chef and a lover of southern food, I had to check out a little of Mr. Unibrow himself, Hugh Acheson. Hugh has taken southern food to new levels and put a light touch on southern classics. His latest cookbook, A New Turn of the South gives some new perspectives on southern food and will change and misconceptions you have about Chefs in the Deep South!

   Hope you have fun reading, listening and eating. Read our blog, get in the kitchen and go out to eat. Live, love and be happy!

-Jason

For more information, please visit:

Old Adobe Catering Co. <http://www.oldadobe.com>

Station 22 Cafe <http://www.station22cafe.com>

What we're listening to: Birdmonster

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Gregory) — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 03:52:00 +0000

One of my all-time favorite bands--and a Station 22 favorite-- is Birdmonster, a rock band out of foggy San Francisco. Birdmonster is true American rock'n'roll. With influences from Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and other classic American rockers, you could talk all day about who they sound like. But it's not who they remind me of, it's the places from where they draw inspiration and where they take you to that matters most. From the heaving crowds of the indie rock stages of San Francisco, Seattle, & Portland to darkened dives in the Midwest, to the hills of Appalachia, Birdmonster manages to evoke the many feelings of being young in America with startling clarity. Moments of exuberance have you stomping your designer kicks like a bootlegger with a banjo, while the more tender moments will see you writing a handwritten letter to your faraway love, with a fountain pen and just one tear in the corner of your eye.

With Birdmonster, as with much great music, we recall the moments of our lives as highs and lows. As waves. Sonic waves of rock'n'roll that fling you to soaring heights tempered with ballads to cradle you gently when you're down. This band was present during one of the highest peaks of my life, the day I married my beautiful DesNeiges, and so their sounds are intertwined with my own memories. In the intervening years, they have been frequent contributors to the soundtrack of my life.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Listen to their latest singles: http://www.birdmonstermusic.com/
Like them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/birdmonster
Listen to all their work: http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/birdmonster/id53844588
On Spotify: http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/birdmonster/id53844588

Also check out these great videos below:

On Americana

noreply@blogger.com (Richard Gregory) — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 02:11:00 +0000

I love the time we're living in.

Culturally, we're experiencing a return to our roots and a widely resurging interest in all things "Americana". Wikipedia describes "Americana" as referring to: "artifacts, or a collection of artifacts, related to the history, geography, folklore and cultural heritage of the United States..." Call it Americana, call it fashion, call it nostalgia, call it patriotism, call it whatever you want. It's not what you call it, but how it makes you feel that matters. For me, it makes me feel my roots. Not short little Norcal roots, but long, deep & connected roots. Right now, it seems we Americans are stretching our roots, wiggling them around and seeing how far they go and where they end up.

Our cultural identity is always with us, throughout many different periods of fashion, but now the traditional symbols of our cultural identity are considered high fashion and are celebrated in design, clothing, music & art. The mason jar, the lumberjack, barn wood, and Edison bulbs are just a tiny few examples of the vast array of American icons that now dominates nearly every facet of American design.

Musically, our collective consciousness has shifted to a musical landscape that is predominately influenced by American rock & folk music spanning the many decades of our history. Artists such as Bon Iver, Iron & Wine, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes & Modest Mouse dominate the many festivals that have sprung up all over the country. Old-timers like Johnny Cash and really old-timers like Woody Guthrie have been brought back into the spotlight and are getting play in some of the hippest restaurants and bars in America. (Including our own, Station 22)

And, of course, the term "hipster" has again risen from the grave to describe those inspired by the movement to sport full beards, ironic moustaches, pompadours, suspenders and all manner of fashion inspired by pretty much any period in American history. The term "hipster" has been thrown around a lot lately to describe a wide range of unique looks and often in a derogatory manner, but the truth is that hipsters in general are simply fashion-forward individuals that are reflecting the dominant culture of our time. I happen to love American fashion right now. Cities all over America are beginning to explore all sorts of crazy vernacular forms of hipsterism--Salt Lake being, in my mind a notable example. (Expect more from me on the subject of hipsterism.)

So that's why I love what's going on right now in this country. We've always felt free to beg, borrow & steal whatever style we wish from wherever we want, but this time we're reinventing ourselves by drawing primarily from our own collective American history. Perhaps we've just gotten old enough now as a country that we feel like we have enough material to draw upon. Maybe we have crossed that threshold into having enough of a tangible cultural "legacy", something that we have been busy building since the beginning, but have not yet had the opportunity to enjoy. I don't know the answer, but I do know that despite our faltering economy and uncertain future, Americans never run out of good ideas.

What do you think? Have you felt the shift? Is it positive? Do you feel more connected?

For more information, please visit:

Old Adobe Catering Co. <http://www.oldadobe.com>

Station 22 Cafe <http://www.station22cafe.com>