Devilicious Food Truck Brings Gourmet Cooking to the Streets

If you’ve never eaten food from a food truck, you may not know what you’re missing. San Diego natives Dyann and Mark Manning and Kristina Repp are reinventing the way we eat by crossing –nay, driving –into a newly popular frontier: gourmet food trucks.  Their flagship truck, dubbed “Devilicious,“ has been gracing San Diego hot spots since January, and come this fall, will be featured as one of eight competing finalists on the second season of Food Network’s “The Great Food Truck Race”, hosted by Tyler Florence.

“It all started on a whim,” founder Dyann Manning said.  Armed with a degree from The Culinary Institute of America, she and best friend Repp quit their jobs to open what would soon become the first of 10 gourmet food trucks (including Mexican-Korean fusion, KalbiQ) that serve San Diegans a slew of “twisted comfort food” combinations.  Their most popular dishes include their signature butter poached lobster grilled cheese.

“We are changing the way people think about food truck food by using high quality restaurant-grade food,” Manning said.  Other Devilicious delicacies include the all crab-crab cake, a PB & J with cream cheese & bacon and truffled Parmesan fries.

Hopefully these creative combinations will be enough to win the $100,000 cash prize on “The Great Food Truck Race.”  Eight of the nation’s top food trucks hit the streets of America’s most popular foodie cities in attempts to complete a series of extreme culinary challenges that bring them closer and closer to the grand prize.

Still, it isn’t just the money that keeps Manning so satisfied with what she does.

“Every single day, I wake up and I know that I’m going to work for myself and my family, and every single penny we make is giving my family a better life,” she said.  “At the end of the day, I know I’m doing it for me.”

Since the taping of the show in spring, partner Kristina Repp has decided to pursue other opportunities.  Manning will continue the business with new business partner and husband, Mark Manning.

“The Great Food Truck Race” premieres Sunday Aug. 14 at 10 p.m. on Food Network.

For Devilicious’ service schedule and/or menu, please visit: http://deviliciousfoodtruck.com

Image courtesy of foodnetwork.com