July 8, 2010
It’s a seven-day work week for staffer with delicious side business
It’s a good thing Roz Edison loves her work, because she does it seven days a week. Or to be more accurate, she does two jobs in the course of seven days. Edison works two 10-hour days at the University, where she recruits students for the Construction Management Program in the College of Built Environments. The rest of the time she is the co-owner of a food truck called Marination.
Of the first job, Edison says, “I love building, I love construction, I love design, I love being in this college. I love working with students who are excited about a major that they initially don’t know much about. I introduce them to something that’s really great.”
And of the second, “It’s a little fatiguing but it’s quite enthralling to start your own business. We have such incredible customers. They’re pretty energizing. It’s an exciting business to be in.”
Edison’s dual life began by chance, when she and a group of friends were talking about a famous taco truck in Los Angeles called Kogi. That business sold Korean tacos, and the group noted that no such thing was to be had in Seattle. Soon they were asking each other if a similar business could succeed here. Edison and her business partner, Kamala Saxton, decided to give it a try.
Saxton’s heritage is Korean and Hawaiian, so those are the flavors offered at Marination. Edison, whose background is Chinese and Filipino, was happy to go with the less common cuisine. Items on the menu include:
- A kalbi beef taco ( kalbi is a Korean marinade).
- A spicy pork taco, similar to the Korean dish of bulgogi.
- A miso ginger taco.
- An “aloha slider,” which is kalua pork, slow cooked in banana leaves, served on a sweet roll bun.
- A SPAM slider (Edison says SPAM is one of the “national foods of Hawaii”).
- Kimchi fried rice with a fried egg.
All tacos and sliders (small sandwiches) are served with a crunchy, tangy cabbage-based slaw with ginger vinaigrette dressing.
Edison has a master’s in business, but otherwise had no relevant background for running a restaurant. (She also has a master’s in education and a bachelor’s in French.) Nonetheless, Marination, which recently celebrated its first anniversary, has been a success. It won best food cart in America on Good Morning America, was voted best food cart in Seattle for 2010 and was on the cover of Seattle Magazine’s April restaurant issue. Best of all, it’s in the black.
When not at the UW, Edison says she is a Jill-of-all-trades at Marination. “I serve tacos off the truck, I do prep work, I go shopping for the food, I deal with billing and payroll and marketing, I cook on the grill. I do all the roles on the truck.”
She and Saxton have a staff of seven, but their role remains hands-on. Beyond the day-to-day operation of the truck, Edison says she often spends evenings doing paper work.
According to Edison, owning and operating a food truck is more complicated than it might seem. Such trucks have to abide by all the same health regulations as brick-and-mortar restaurants. And although food is cooked on the truck, each truck also has to have a home base, called a commissary, where initial food preparation is done and where the truck is cleaned.
“You can’t just park your truck anywhere either,” Edison says. “In Seattle, all food trucks have to be parked on private property, so you have to seek out a property owner and negotiate rent for parking your truck there.”
Marination is at a different location every day of the week. The only site near a UW building is South Lake Union, where the truck parks on Mondays. Other locations include Fremont, Belltown, Columbia City, West Seattle, Beacon Hill and Safeco Field. Food is served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and in the evening the business is available for catering. Marination provided food for Intercollegiate Athletics’ end-of-year celebration, the Henry Art Gallery open house, and not surprisingly, a party for the student organization in Construction Management.
“We also participate in quarterly events called Mobile Chowdowns that bring together 15 to 20 food carts,” Edison says. “The next one is going to be at Seattle Center on July 10.”
She may be a little tired these days, But Edison is still stimulated by the thrill of starting something new. And there’s something else, too. “In this economy I find it incredibly satisfying to be able to sell a $2 taco and a $5 rice bowl,” she says. “People don’t have $15 for lunch right now. They just want something that’s good and healthy and kind of tasty and kind of fun. We really like that; it keeps us going.”
For more information go to the Marination website.
