Recently we received an email from Anne, the Corporate Chef at Sur La Table HQ. Anne told us about a new cooking class being developed. She creates class themes and menus for their 23 cooking class programs around the country. She had the opportunity to try KOi Fusion a few months back when she was in town and wanted to feature us as one of four food carts/trucks in this specific class theme called “America’s Food Truck Cuisine”. We worked with her to develop an at-home friendly version of our Spicy Pork Tacos.

Looks like April 2nd is one of the dates this cooking class is available at the Portland location. You can view it here.

Let us know if you plan on attending the class and where you’re from!

Hello friends!!

Bo Kwon here and I wanted to first thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being a part of KOi Fusion’s movement. None of this traction could have been accomplished without “amazing” fans and “loyal” clients like the ones we have here in Portland!

You have all made my journey life changing and I will always remember the support and love that this town has shown KOi…. with that said… Where are all the trucks from the NW in the Great Food Truck Race on FOOD NETWORK?

Well … we are in the running for next years Food Truck Race challenge with Food Network… Yeeeee! Voting has STARTED for next year’s truck nominations and we have made the list! Last year we made the final 10 trucks but the producers got scared we would dominate … and only 8 were chosen ….( I bet they told that to everyone….and I bet it had to do with budget since all trucks on the show are from Los Angeles …)

Let’s start passing the word around that the KOi boyz are ready to rumble…. and soon we can show the entire nation what K’tacos are all about!!

You get up to 10 votes per day and I hope you choose KOi! We need 2 show America how too #getsome of America’s Fav Food Truck. Click here!!!

Yesterday, we received some nice media coverage, courtesy of John T. Edge over at the New York Times. You can read the article here. It follows a trend of past coverage that both KOi and Korean fusion as a genre have received over the last year, and it now appears that the concept of “fusion” has become a full-on epidemic in the US. Following the original Kogi model, trucks have started popping up over the past year, spanning the country– from Midwestern locales like Indianapolis and Oklahoma, all the way to Atlanta, New York, and of course California. Our very own city, Portland, has even received some increased competition over the past year, as no fewer than four Korean barbecue competitors have rolled into town.

What does it all mean? It’s something we as a team have talked about more recently. When we started, the concept of the Korean taco was strictly the domain of Kogi and LA. We were one of the first to take Roy Choi’s pioneering vision and mold it into our own concept; using his blueprint, we ran with the idea and re-invented the recipes so that they tasted uniquely KOi. One of the reasons we’ve been successful in this new sea of competition has been a consistent adherence to our original vision.

By sticking with the homemade marinades that only Mama Kwon knows the recipe to, using locally-sourced tortillas and tacos, only buying fresh, local vegetables, and only selecting the highest quality meats to buy, we’ve been able to consistently deliver the best Korean BBQ in Portland, even as we’ve expanded over the past year.

Everything we serve is cooked to order, and when you come to KOi, you know everything you eat has been grilled, chopped, diced, and prepared that day. It’s not a marketing gimmick–it’s the only way we know how to do business, and we refuse to change our commitment to those ideals.

As the genre continues to grow and expand, we’ve prepared ourselves for the inevitable increase in competition by making sure we continue to do the best everyday. As Bo said to the New York Times, we’ve built our business not on trying to be just another Kogi, but by taking the idea of the Korean taco and “Portlandizing” it. Our marinades, tortillas, meat, and recipes are unique to KOi. We have much love for the growing legion of Korean taco trucks across the country; but for us, it’ll always be a KOi and Portland way of doing things–and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Love, Peace, and Taco Grease,

Scott, Team KOi

That’s why this recent LA Times article rubs us the wrong way.  It appears that Los Angeles is cracking down on mobile food cart vendors (AKA our food cart homies) in some dubious ways.  According to the article:

“Some drivers said they were cited for minimal violations such as parking too close to the curb, or parking too far away. Others said they were ordered to pack up and leave.

Police officials said the crackdown Wednesday was part of a one-day operation to clear the area of illegal vendors.”

So now you’re thinking, “KOi peeps, have you inhaled too many grill fumes?  Of course we don’t want illegal vendors serving us food!”  But the real problem came from one of the officers quoted in the article:

“Restaurants complain because the lunch trucks are taking their business, and they don’t have [proper] permits.”

KOi’s view?  Food carts don’t “take” business from non-mobile eating locals any more than the stationary folk “take” from us.  We know you’re making choices based on the food factors that are most important to you – whether it’s local, convenience of location, price,  or degree of deliciousness.  All we (and our food cart brethren) are out to do is meet your wants the best we know how.

Picture courtesy of a Miracle Mile customer's blog post on the issue - click on the pic to read it!

This also means we know you can’t eat KOi 24/7/365 (oh that it could be so…but we digress).  You’re going to support other food vendors, and we think that’s great!  A strong dining scene, from high end fancy places to food carts, makes a stronger economy overall.  Portland has one of the most diverse food scenes you’ll ever come across, and we want to keep the community hopping as much as anybody.  The cool thing is that YOU – not the cops and certainly not us or other vendors – get to decide what to support and what to eat.  It’s all about consumer choice.

So, for the record, we want you all to know that KOi Fusion supports our mobile vendor peeps in LA. They create jobs, start independently owned businesses, and bring positive and active uses to somewhat stale and empty parts of the city. Food cart vendors also provide good food that is affordable to just about everyone. The City of Los Angeles should take note.

What do you think about the role of food carts in the PDX economy?  Leave a comment and let us know!

Eduardo, the owner of Stadium Flowers, is kind enough to let us park our mobile kitchen in his front yard before every game.  His family sold flowers in Mexico, and he’s been in the business ever since.

What are your favorite kind of flowers?

Lilies and roses

What do people come to you most often for?

Weddings, especially in the summer season

What are your hours?

Mondays-Saturdays 8:30 AM – 6:00 PM and

Sundays 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

How can people order flowers?

Give us a call at 503-944-5757, or visit online at StadiumFlowersPDX.com

What’s your favorite K-treat?

Short rib taco (definitely)