Every time a friend visits Los Angeles lately, I’ve been asking about Kogi, the amazing taco truck that’s almost singlehandedly causing trendspotters to call Korean food the next hot thing. I went so far as to figure I could rustle up enough contributions, along with other curious Seattleites, to lure the Kogi trucks to Seattle for a day, and wrote asking if they’d consider a Northwest road trip. The lovely and polite answer: They’re flattered, but don’t think their trucks would survive the drive. We’re still talking options, but that’s a long introduction to say I was absolutely thrilled to learn of Marination Mobile, a Korean-Hawaiian taco truck opening soon on our own Seattle streets.

I talked today with Kamala Saxton, who is founding the venture with partner Roz Edison. In the truck kitchen will be Catherine Calleja, most recently of Yarrow Bay Grill. The first good sign: When Saxton answered the phone, she was busy cooking up a batch of kimchi fried rice, which will be one of the items sold on the truck, complete with a fried egg on top and a garnish of green onions, furakaki and sesame seeds. Other planned menu items: A kalbi taco, a spicy pork taco, braised tofu, and “Aloha Sliders” of kahlua pig on Hawaiian sweet rolls. And, says Saxton (whose heritage is both Hawaiian and Korean), she will not forget the Spam. Tacos start at $2, and nothing will run more than $5.

The business owners took a big step forward today, Saxton said, with approval of their plans from state L&I. Their truck is being custom-built in L.A. — they wanted one with huge popup windows that would allow everyone working to interact with customers — and it should arrive in about two weeks. They’re hoping to launch at the end of May, and will start out in SODO, Fremont, and Capitol Hill, with possible spots in the works for Beacon Hill and West Seattle. They got advice from Skillet Street Food’s Josh Henderson, who Saxton calls “the LeBron of street food.”

While Kogi was an inspiration, Saxton said the true genesis of the business was their love of food — in all their travels, the foods they have been most excited to taste have been street food — and from her roots in Hawaii. “This was the food I grew up on,” she said, and the “lunch truck” tradition she was familiar with. “We really have been doing this for years,” she said, and one of the hardest parts of the learning curve has been quantifying her recipes rather than just dipping ladles and marinating and grilling. Saxton and Edison both have backgrounds in public education, including charter schools, and Edison will continue her part-time work at UW in addition to the startup, while Saxton does consulting and “full-time-plus” on the truck. 

The truck is almost here, the recipes — including a “very distinct slaw” that they’ve had fun developing — are in place, and now they’re eager to get going. “We’re thrilled about this new venture,” she said, “and being outside in Seattle in the summertime and being close to the people we serve and the people we’re working with.”

Want to stay posted? Besides watching this space, you can find them on Twitter at @curb_cuisine.

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