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Taco Cart Catering and the Film Industry

Kon-Tiki Taco Written by 

A fast way to ruin a production set is to run out of food. But with the convenience of taco carts, now with quality of cuisine, that shouldn’t happen.

What do film production managers, line producers, assistant producers, actors, directors, grips and costume coordinators all fear equally?

The “hangrys” – i.e., the testy moods of anyone who is hungry and thus inclined to anger. It’s bad enough in any workplace. But on a film production set, when take after take after take on a scene shows something is amiss, it may also mean postponing a meal a bit longer than the body wants. It’s a dangerous feedback loop of hangry and underperformance leading to yet more of the hangries.

Hangries are not merely the stuff of cinematic imagination. Researchers at Ohio State University conducted a study, published by the National Academy of Sciences, which found that when blood sugar drops so too do moods. At some points during Amy Schumer’s “Trainwreck” that might have worked, and the same could be said for many scenes of “The Hunger Games.” We can even imagine Amy Adams channeling her hangry frustrations when on the “Julie & Julia” set, but with so much food present it’s hard to imagine she couldn’t sneak in a bite here and there. Had Dev Patel and Judi Dench not been fed at the right times when making “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” its winsome sweetness might never have emerged.

Film production needs food. Good food, and food that everyone can enjoy. Goodness knows there are many stars and starlets who have special requests. Perhaps the best way to satisfy everyone is through taco caterers.

Why taco catering? The variety of what’s possible inside a wrap or a shell makes it possible to satisfy just about everyone. Vegetarians can fill them with grilled vegetables and tofu. Carnivores have carnitas and Jamaican chicken and Caribbean carne asada to choose from. Seafood (tilapia and shrimp) tacos are de rigueur. Tofu tacos are all the rage. And because taco cart catering carts are basically self-contained kitchens, all of those things and lots of sides and toppings are available for individual orders. The mobility too helps on particularly difficult locations: if light and sound trucks can get there, so too can the taco team.

What’s more, taco caterers are accustomed to a continuous stream of diners, as is often the case with production sets. And if anyone has a Zack Galifinakis appetite (before he lost weight), the tacos just keep coming.

At the close of a production one additional item might be called for: the margarita bar. This beverage naturally goes with the food. And if there’s a happy director and executive producer, it could well be worth a celebration for everyone involved.

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