Gourmet Food Carts Come to D.C.

Life is but a carnival for D.C. food-cart pioneers Fojol Bros. They’re loud, they don colorful turbans, they have mustaches that curl up at the corners of their mouth, and they bring their party with them.

Childhood friends and Fojol founders Justin Vitarello and Peter Korbel are part of a larger movement of food trucks bringing quick, affordable, tasty and healthy meals to folks around the city. Restaurants with white table linens are a good start in a city’s food culture, but with mobile access to delicious eats, we’re talking about the birth of a culinary empire, and it’s a little magical.

Washington Flyer: So. Carnivals and food?

Fojol Bros.: My buddy Justin had a fascination with the circus, and I was interested in food trucks. Very quickly it became apparent to us how interesting it would be to join the two. You know, food, carnival and circus. Circus has the ability to bring people together in a whimsical, festive, creative environment, and we thought of a food cart as a vehicle (no pun intended) to accentuate the carnival and circus. Besides, people’s pockets aren’t as deep as they used to be.

WF: I’m guessing operating a food cart wasn’t your career vision in college.

FB: My degree is in political science, and I have no culinary background. I’ve always been a foodie, but Justin has been more of a cooker. So, no, I didn’t know this was how my life would end up. I wanted to be entrepreneurial, and there’s something I like about food trucks—their ability to activate space. We set up shop and have some music playing, and people are hovering around eating food outside. It’s a very nice environment to create.

WF: But why Indian?

FB: Justin has always said it’s the only food that could make him a vegetarian. And it’s just so good. It’s just … curry. There’s something about curry that just fascinates me. Also, it was a no-brainer to do a truck with a theme that’s representative of a diverse city—you have diplomats, people in the Foreign Service, the State Department, the World Bank, IMF.

WF: There has to be a downside.

FB: You never know if you’re going to find a parking space. It’s a huge risk. [laughs] It’s hard work. We have an older truck that we built from scratch, so the learning curve has been pretty steep. Also, maintaining the truck, managing food costs and not wasting food. In the beginning, we were going out there and losing our shirts. Street carts are new in D.C.; people aren’t used to them.

WF: If we look at your number of Twitter followers [5,200+ at last count], it seems like you’ve become relatively successful.

FB: I’m able to pay my rent. We’re turning a profit, and we’ll figure out other ways to be profitable and sustainable. It’s the social aspect of what we’re attempting to do. Justin and I also coach at Boys Club #10, and we do neighborhood cleanups and block parties.

WF: You’re building community?

FB: We’re highlighting that there are other things going on in D.C. besides the big business of government. Interesting galleries, restaurants and bars pop up every week. Because Fojol Bros. is very visible—we’re a cart that travels around playing fun music with guys dressed up—we accentuate the idea that D.C. embraces something quirky.

WF: More cities?

FB: I don’t want to be too presumptuous. We want to perfect our business. I’d love to be thought of as an urban carnival and to grow that, make it more creative, push the envelope and make it more exciting. I’m perfectly comfortable keeping this local and building a strong local brand.

Cart Cuisine

Heart- and wallet-friendly fast food is becoming a force on D.C. streets. Some trucks stay true to one corner; others, like the Fojol Bros., can be followed on Twitter as they roam. Here’s a sampling of what’s out there and where to find it. (The only thing missing is a pie cart.)

Curbside Cupcakes. You guessed it; twitter.com/curbsidecupcake

DC Slices. Fresh, hot, thin-crust pizza; twitter.com/dcslices

Fojol Bros. Indian fare, vegetarian options; twitter.com/fojolbros

El Floridano. Cuban sandwiches and banh mi; twitter.com/flmeetsdc

Pedro and Vinny’s. Burritos. Don’t miss their homemade mango habañero sauce; 15th and K

Rebel Heroes. Revolutionary subs and hoagies in Vietnamese banh mi tradition; twitter.com/rebelheroes

Sauca. International wraps, soups and salad with veggie options. Waffles, too; twitter.com/wheresauca

Sweetflow Mobile. Salads, froyo and the latest, oatmeal brûlée; twitter.com/sweetflowmobile