I know some of my readers have been chomping at the bit to hear my latest news. As many of you know, I was unceremoniously laid off from my job recently as a geeky software business analyst of almost 16 years with the company in one fashion or other.
One of my friends asked me, “So now what are you going to do with your life?” My knee-jerk reaction was to say, “Well I guess get another business analyst job.”
But then I woke up that night with an epiphany. Do I REALLY have to go back into the same profession? My future is a blank slate! I have many skills besides being an analyst and writer. I like to cook, I like like to make great food and serve it to others (and I’ve been blogging about it for over 6 freakin’ years). WHY NOT OPEN MY OWN FOOD TRUCK???
And so I did.
Well, technically it’s a Class IV food cart, but to me it’s my own food truck and my future. The permitting process has been tedious at best, but we are getting so close to the final stretch.
I’ll be selling Texas-style street tacos on a busy riverfront plaza downtown where I live, and have the option to work events and festivals (with more permits, of course). I’ll serve breakfast tacos for the morning downtown workers, then regular street tacos for lunch and weekend nights (beef, pork and chicken). And my creamy spicy pinto beans will be served up all day!
The logo and website designs are still in process, as well as the final street vendor permit. I don’t want to say much more about that part lest I jinx any outcomes. Of course I’ll be using the standard social media platforms to also promote my new business.
I’ve been cooking up a storm with my recipe development, and my poor family is about taco-ed out, ha!
I’ve also landed my first gig catering a breakfast taco brunch, which will be a good test for cooking larger quantities. I have a commissary/commercial kitchen at my disposal for my food prep, but all food will be dished up fresh and hot on the cart, complete with cast-iron warmed corn and flour tortillas. I also have three signature salsas for patrons (my Texas Green Sauce has been getting raves) to choose from, as well as the other standard street taco garnishes.
So that’s it! Oh, you want to know the name of my business too? Well I’m sorry you’ll have to wait longer on that one until everything is finalized. I know, I am such a tease. Many of my close friends and family know, but I’d really like to kick off with my new logo. Stay tuned! XOXO
Woo-Hoo-much success KR!!! xoxoxo ccc
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you CCC!!! XOXOXOXO
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is so amazing!! So excited for you. You have always amazed me with your talent and drive. I wish I lived closer dang it!! xo —Lynne
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lynne! OMG so great to see you over here. I sure wish I could see you more often, I haven’t made it to Florida in quite awhile although my husband has been back. And thank you!!
LikeLike
Omg, I am so thrilled for you, Kathryn! Wishing you all the best, I know you’ll rock it for sure! Woot! ♥
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are the best my Wiggly Bunny friend! xoxo
LikeLike
Oh, my gosh, how great for you!!! You will soon be rolling in the money!!! Best wishes for your new endeavor! Luvyagutz
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much Connie, and you know I luvyagutz too!
LikeLike
WOW, Kathryn I’m so jealous. How wonderful CONGRATULATIONS I know you will be a great success. This is intensely cool👍👍👍👍❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow thank you so much Suzanne. When life gives you lemons… 😀 ❤ ❤ ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
👍👍👍👍🎉🎉🎉
LikeLike
Thats great 👍 Wishing you all success in your new venture ☺️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow! Wish you all the very best on your new endeavour.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Anuradha, much appreciated!
LikeLiked by 1 person
One step closer ! You go , girl!!!👏😎
LikeLiked by 1 person
Awww thanks Sam, you are one of my original best followers. XOXO
LikeLike
We can volunteer to be a food taster for you! II am so excited for you. It will bs awesome!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow thanks Joanne, it will be a pleasure to see you and Vern at my cart!
LikeLike
After years in the food scene, I can only admire your spirit and stamina! The food sounds fabulous and just perfect for this type of service.
My one suggestion would be to have some reliable extra help, because no matter what, no one can do this on their own.
Best of luck! 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you Ronit! For now I have my hubby and will have my daughter at least for the summer. One step at a time at this point for sure. I’ve got that in mind. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s great! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Super fun!! I am so excited for you! What city are you in? I feel like this is one of those life moments where you truly find something that makes you happy!! Best of luck! ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Abbey! I’m in Bend, Oregon. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
WE LOVE BEND!!! Next time we make it down there we will be sure to stop on by 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks Abbey, I see you are in Seattle and your blog looks fun. Followed! I hope to see you some day at my cart. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
OMG I am so so so envious! I have thought about doing this for years, but the startup costs, and the permits and the paperwork. So scary. I wish you all the success in the world! And if I’m EVER in Bend, Oregon, I will be sure to stop by! Actually, since my knowledge of Oregon geography is terrible, how far are you from Portland? I have a friend there….
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Kathleen! The permit process is horrible, that is for sure. Bend is about 2 1/2 hours southeast of Portland in Central Oregon. You have to go over Mt. Hood and the Cascade Mountains to get here. I hope you can visit!
LikeLike
That sounds like a reasonable day trip! 😀 I’m hoping to visit my friend this summer….and I’ll try to convince her we need a trip to a taco truck!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think you’d love Bend no matter what, it’s a pretty neat little town. 🙂
LikeLike
I’m sure! I love discovering new places 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Holy smokes!! This is an awesome development! Was thinking sorry for the job and that my co might have BA positions… but this is so much better. Best of luck!
(Been out of blogging commission lately, but glad I caught this)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow thanks so much! I’ll still be around to post and read your stuff, for sure!
LikeLike
This is fantastic news Kathryn. Sending lots of positive energy your way in the final stretch! Can’t wait to hear more!!!! ❤️🌯🌮🥙
LikeLiked by 1 person
THANK YOU FRIEND!! I sure need all that positive energy, I’m counting on it! 😀 ❤ ❤ ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
congrats! Sooo exciting!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much!!
LikeLike
This is so great…congratulations! So happy for you:) good luck with the catering too:)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Lina! Fingers crossed!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow, wow, wow KR – congratulations! What a great new step in your life – I am full of admiration, because making this decision could not have been easy. And it is lovely to have the support of your family – good luck especially dealing with bureaucracy (I assure you this is the same all over the world 😉). Can’t wait to see your new logo😆😆😆, Carina
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow thank you so much Carina! Yes, the red tape seems to be the same all over. 🙂 Stay tuned!
LikeLike
Congratulations, that’s really great news. I wish you all the best and I am sure your food will be well loved.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much Gerlinde, you are so sweet!
LikeLike
Absolutely wonderful!! Huge congratulations and lots of luck for your exciting new venture 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Elaine! 🙂 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’ll be a star!!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
xoxoxo
LikeLiked by 1 person
Rock on sister! And sporting your Longhorn cap to boot! This is great news! I am super excited for you. I look forward to the day I show up to have a Texas street taco from you! Way to go! Hook ‘Em!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Woo hoo, thank you Michelle! I figured you would notice my Bevo cap, hee hee. I sure hope you do show up one day!
LikeLike
Sounds amazing! So happy for your and wish you all the luck 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Chef, that is very kind of you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Congrats!! I am so thrilled for you. I may be out of a job soon and guess I could do cashiering at a local store here. Nothing aa exciting as yours 🤗🤗
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh no, I am sorry to hear that! Well if I have good success you can come and cashier for me! (and thank you!)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good luck! I wanted a food truck myself, after seeing “The Chef” 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, and you should have at it Mad Dog!
LikeLike
WOW! No way! How absolutely fabulous!! 🙂 Wishing you much success.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much Josette! I’ll still be saving lots of your recipes, we can’t eat tacos ALL the time… 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
I would wish you luck my friend but you don’t need it. You are enormously talented and have such courage that you cannot help but thrive and be a success. I just wish I lived in Texas so that I could stop by the food truck and help myself to some of those tacos.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow thank you so much Bernadette for your extremely kind words. It would be a pleasure to serve you up some tacos!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Congratulations and good luck!!!
PS a friend of mine has a food truck here in Amsterdam and he makes most at festivals.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Stefan! It is good to hear the festivals do well, we have many around here.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Kathryn, I am so very excited for you – what a great job change! I wish the very best in your new endeavor and look forward to reading more about it in future posts. Have a happy Sunday! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much Terry! If you and Gary ever make it out to Oregon I would love to give you some of my tacos. I’ll be sure to keep everyone posted. xoxo
LikeLiked by 1 person
I will certainly put you on our stop when we make it up there someday! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
xoxo
LikeLiked by 1 person
How exciting! And I’m so glad you’re not back in an office. This is definitely where you belong. A most wonderful life-changing decision!
LikeLike
Thank you Mimi, I am quite glad I have left the corporate office life behind me. Your support means a lot to me!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Whoa! Congratulations! Wish I could be the person who adds your business on Yelp — then gives it 5 stars. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well Adam, I guess a trip up to good ol’ Bend, Oregon is in order, huh? Perhaps your family needs a vacation to Crater Lake, no? It’s only 1.5 hours away. 😉 (And THANK YOU!!!)
LikeLike
Oh Kathryn!! !!! This is soooooo exciting!!! Wishing you so much happiness and success! Hope you’ll have time to stay in touch and share all the adventures. Wooooohooo!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much Jodi, I certainly plan on sharing my adventures on WordPress! And still find time to cook something besides tacos, ha! 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sooooooooo exciting!!!!!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Kudos, Kathryn! This is marvelous. I’m fond of saying “The pen is in your hand” (about writing a new chapter in life), but you not only took up the pen, you took up the spoon! Way to go my friend. Wishing you a smooth road with the rest of the setup details. Mega hugs.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much my sweet friend Teagan! You always have the most lovely words to say to me, and I appreciate you for that. Mega mega hugs back! xoxo
LikeLiked by 1 person
OMG. So fun! I love it, Kathryn. Who says we can’t be inspired, keep reinventing ourselves, trying new things, and following dreams? I’m so excited for you and can’t wait to hear more. I know that you’re going to do wonderfully. Great food, enthusiasm, inventiveness, and personality – the perfect mix. Congratulations!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much Diana! You most certainly know about reinventing yourself in more ways than one. I admire you just as much my friend. Now you MUST make a trip to Bend and I’ll serve you up some tacos, GRATIS of course!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I was thinking the same thing – Road Trip!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hook ‘me ‘Horns! Love your cap and admire you’re spunk. I wish you great success, and you will have a brick-and-mortar before you know it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Darryl! UT is my alma mater. 🙂
LikeLike
This sounds awesome!!!! Best of luck to you! Looks like some very tasty things will be in your future.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much Sean!! 🙂
LikeLike
Congrats! We wish you the best in the future, and hope to try some of your tacos.
LikeLike
I cannot congratulate you enough!! Kudos! You kept saying you were busy, lol!! I wish I could be at the front of the line!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you Mollie! Yes, busy times indeed, and I wish you could too! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh my goodness!! This is so amazing. What an accomplishment!! Your food will be a hit and what a joy to be able to cook and share your food with folks all day! Excited for the updates!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much, that is so appreciated! I’ll be sure to regularly post updates in between everything, and of course a new recipe when I can. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Congrats on your new adventure! I was a software business analyst and QA tester before I was laid off too. I’ve thought of doing a food truck too. Good luck to you and hope you find great success.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow, small world, huh?? It’s not too late to start one up! Thank you!
LikeLike
WOW! How exciting Kathryn….I am sure you will rock it!! Makes me wish I lived in Texas so I could be in front of the line. All the best to you😊💕
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much Marisa! The support of my blogging friends like you has meant so much to me! xoxo
LikeLike
If your food cart is anywhere as near successful as the one we enjoy on Rockport Harbor, you will do well. I look forward to what you share about your new endeavor.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much Lulu, I look forward to sharing with everyone!
LikeLike
Awesome, and those photos look mouth watering. Best of luck in your new venture! (Wish I lived close enough to visit and try!)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your support is so appreciated, thank you!
LikeLike
That is fantastic Kathryn !!!!! congratulations I am really happy for you !!! All the best with your business, and I know you are going to do so well. 🙂 x
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are so sweet Lynne, thank you so much!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are very fortunate to be able to combine work with something you enjoy so much. A most enjoyable post.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much! I am looking forward to the adventure. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
OMG you have no idea how HAPPY I am for you! This is literally one of my dreams to have my own food truck. You have no idea how I am dancing with joy for you. 🙂 🙂
Wow, I am speechless. I am so proud of you and you know I think being laid off was a blessing in disguise for you? ( I hate to say that, but do what you love my friend.) CONGRATULATIONS! You ever want to do a Greek inspired food truck, you keep me posted, because I will move to the next state and come see you. 🙂
WELL DONE!!! May this adventure be amazing, beautiful, and such a great experience for you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOL thank you SO MUCH Krystina! I really had to go back to my “roots” for this one. I’m a Texas gal at heart and I have this kind of food in my soul. xoxo ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
YAY! I think this is so amazing, and what a great adventure. 🙂 You have a #1 fan here!!! Yeah Texan food is amazing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Btw, I can send my friends over to see you. I really want to get in my car and visit you now. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Please, send them on over my friend! But I’m not open yet, stay tuned!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Of course I will 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am so envious… I have been thinking about cgange in my life already too long time, but I have not courage… I whish you luck!!! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much KR! It takes courage and a lot of work, but it is possible!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I thought I ought to add my vote of confidence here too. I am DELIGHTED!
Go Girl!
LikeLiked by 1 person
😀
LikeLike
Terrific new profession cooking and sharing with your local town. Everyone loves tacos too and I am sure you will be a big hit. I have a few “road truck” cookbooks and what a variety of food people make. One in particular “Food Truck Road Trip” is a favorite. Can’t wait to see future posts of your truck, your name and of course your food! Best of luck to you Kathryn 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much Judi! Those sound like fun cookbooks to own!
LikeLike
That’s wonderful Kathryn!! I’m thrilled for you!! And wish you all the best success in the world!! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much Linda, I do appreciate your support!
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is so exciting! I want to come visit you KR! Best of luck I know you will be a huge success!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh you DO have to pay me a surprise visit some day, wouldn’t that be fun?? Thank you so much Lynn! xoxo
LikeLike
This is so wonderful and exciting, Kathryn!!! I’m thrilled for you! And, I know you’ll be a fantastic success. Your future patrons are very lucky. All the best! 😊🎉xo
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much Tonya, I’m super excited! xoxoxo
LikeLiked by 1 person
😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Opening your own food truck!!! You go girl!! Congrats and I know you will be an instant success because EVERYONE ❤️ TACOS (and pinto beans!!) I wish you all the best!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much Mel!!! I think I’ll have much better success up here in Oregon than trying to compete with the Texas taco trucks, lol! XOXOXO
LikeLiked by 1 person
Isn’t there an old saying that goes something like, “When life gives you a lemon, make lemonade”? You’re definitely making lemonade. Congrats and best wishes. Based on the wonderful foods I’ve seen on this blog over the years, I feel certain that your food truck will be the most popular in the city.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much Sheryl! Somehow I missed this comment when you posted it. I really appreciate your support!
LikeLike
Truly a blessing in disguise! Congratulations for going for something different. Of course once you’ve established yourself, you’ll have to apply to one of those Food Network cooking contests, such as Chopped, for starters, or Cooks vs. Cons, or Guy’s Grocery Games Contest.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much Karina! The time to make a change in my life just dropped in my lap like that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The beauty of it is you knew what you wanted to do, which is key.
LikeLiked by 1 person
All the best 👍
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Kathryn, I am so proud of you! That’s a big step and definitely something new 🙂 I wish you all the luck in the world and await the day when you start shipping the food you make overseas 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha, thanks Kate! I can only wish I would be that successful to ship overseas! 😀
LikeLike
Haha,of course you will! I believe in you! 🙂 I only hope the people from the customs would also agree and the shipment costs wouldn’t leave me broke 😛
LikeLiked by 1 person
Cool and congratulations
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sorry I’ve been out of the loop and just now being able to wish you all the best with your new adventure. I know it will mean extremely long hours and lots of hard work but I hope you will enjoy each and every moment of it. Good luck!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Karen! This is the first time I’ve had a chance to even glance at my blog in over a week! I hope to give an update this weekend. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
They say every cloud has a silver lining. Well, look at you! I’m so happy for your new venture 🙂 Wish you all the very best and success!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wishing you all the best!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yay, thanks!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Awesome! Congratulations!!🎉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person