Four Seasons Rolls Out Fancy Food Truck

Remember when food trucks were for construction workers and college students?

And then tired yuppies discovered them, and then twee hipsters.

Now, apparently, all hell has broken loose. There's a new word in the food truck universe, and that word is fancy.

The Four Seasons Hotels has just debuted its food truck, and it has hit the road.

Think The Beverly Hillbillies, in reverse. The spanking-new truck has trompe l'oeil wood paneling on the sides, shiny gold bumpers and world-class chefs at the wheel.

Known as the FS Taste Truck, the vehicle will be bringing frou-frou food to the masses, starting in Palo Alto (why not?) this past Monday, continuing to San Francisco all of next week, heading to Santa Barbara the week of Sept. 30, back to its hometown of Beverly Hills the week of Oct. 7, in L.A. the week of Oct. 14, in Westlake Village the week of Oct. 21, venturing to Scottsdale, Ariz., the week of Oct. 28 and on to Santa Fe, N.M., the week of Nov. 4.

The FS Taste Truck will serve homemade brats in Westlake Village; Credit: Stephen Diamond/Four Seasons

Surprisingly, caviar and Champagne didn't make the menus, custom-created for each location. Instead, for the Los Angeles stops (week two), Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills chef Ashley James will prepare kalbi, or short rib, quesadillas with Oaxaca cheese, shrimp tostadas with chipotle remoulade, and traditional tres leches cake with Mexican chocolate ice cream, as well as traditional British fish and chips (with mushy peas) and Argentine empanadas.

Options for week one in L.A., created by Beverly Wilshire, a Four Seasons Hotel BLVD chefs, include anticuchos (grilled meat on skewers — beef hearts, ahi tuna, grilled octopus), beef and carrot cromesqui, steak salad, salmon salad, chocolate Rodeo Cronets (yes, you read that right: In Beverly Hills they are cronets).

For its Westlake Village excursion, Four Seasons Westlake Village executive chef Alex La Motte is whipping up homemade brats with blonde ale, mustard and sauerkraut on a pretzel bun; a burger with bacon, gruyere, arugula, cumin mustard and onion jam on brioche; a Chicago-style “Cup O'Pizza” with smoked kielbasa and grilled onions and peppers; and, most seizure-inducing of all, a tater tot poutine with cheddar cheese curds and bacon gravy.

Other locations will be serving up such fare as gnocchetti and quinoa burgers (Red Quinoa and Yam Lettuce Burger with Avocado, Cranberry and Bell Pepper Relish, to be precise. In Santa Barbara, of course.) Click here for recipes from each location.

Beverly Wilshire, a Four Seasons Hotel will take charge of the truck Oct. 8-13, making stops at Red Bull headquarters in Santa Monica Oct. 8, Downtown L.A. Art Walk on Oct. 10, Abbot Kinney in Venice on Oct. 11, Santa Monica Food Truck Alley on Oct. 12 and the Beverly Hills Farmers Market on Oct. 13.

They will pass the truck back to the Four Seasons Beverly Hills (yes, it is confusing) the following week, and it will visit Sony Studios on Oct. 14, the Pacific Design Center on Oct. 15, Red Bull headquarters in Santa Monica on Oct. 16, Good Day L.A. at Fox Studios and Paramount Studios on Oct. 17, and Gersh Talent Agency in Beverly Hills on Oct. 18.

Following the completion of its road trip, a portion of the total proceeds of the FS Taste Truck tour will be donated to Chefs to End Hunger, a charity that works with hotels, restaurants and food-service operations across the country to redistribute excess prepared food to those in need. So if you see a homeless person munching on a chocolate cronet, that is why.

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