Drive-by fooding! 

Food on the Central Coast is going where it has rarely gone before: right to your business parking lot. Porter’s “Gourmet on the Go” food truck is ready to serve whenever and wherever hungry people are gathered.

Owner Duncan Palmer founded this business in October 2010. He and a friend had been talking about running a hot dog cart, and Palmer took the idea and turned it into something more visionary. Palmer was always cooking as he grew up and worked in the restaurant business, having obtained his chef training at Le Cordon Bleu. He considers his food to be “gourmet good” rather than “gourmet fancy” because it’s served on paper plates and in paper boats rather than glass plates and bowls.

The food is prepared fresh every day, and no food ever carries over from the day before. Palmer buys al his dairy, meats, and produce from local farms, ranches, and  farmers markets.

“All the food is homemade,” he said. “I give a side of ranch, but that’s about the only thing I don’t make myself.”

Palmer says his Char Siu sauce is probably one of his favorite recipes, but he loves all his food. Porter’s truck offers a variety of food, from sandwiches to a Char Siu Asian taco. You can expect to pay somewhere between $8 or $9 for your meal, and most meals come with one side.

Check out the delicious sandwich choices available from Porter’s food truck. The grilled cheese sandwich—cheddar, mozzarella, and triple crème brie—is a triple decker, with See Canyon apples and thick-cut bacon. The barbecued pulled pork sandwich is piled with pepper jack cheese and chipotle vegetable slaw. Curried chicken comes on a warm pita, with fresh hummus, arugula, red onion, tomato, and yogurt. Not a meat eater? Chef Palmer dishes up an herbivore pita, with hummus, avocado, arugula, roasted beets, carrot, red onion, and pesto aioli.

Local beef is used for Porter’s classic American-style burger, served with all the trimmings and fries. And don’t overlook the chicken Caesar wrap served on a warm tortilla, or various local salads—garden, Caesar, or pasta.  

Porter’s truck runs Monday through Friday, going to businesses in SLO, but it can be booked on weekends for special event catering. You can find out where the truck is—and check out what’s on the menu—by viewing its schedule online at its website, porterstruck.com, or you can follow it on Facebook and Twitter. Porter’s currently has one truck with three employees who join him on his everyday routes. Palmer says he plans to get at least one more truck in the future. He also says he’d like to have a small restaurant in addition to his trucks.

Intern Alex Matherly compiled this week’s Bites. Send food news to [email protected].