Mark Vallianatos will speak on “Tanks, Tacos and Twitter: How Food Trucks Feed and Shape Southern California.”

The modern food truck originated in the L.A. region as catering trucks that sold snacks and meals to factory workers, and evolved into taco trucks and gourmet trucks that have influenced the food scene locally, nationally and worldwide. This lecture shares the history of mobile food in Southern California with a focus on the way that food trucks have shaped eating, working and living in the Los Angeles region.

About the speaker:
Mark Vallianatos works and teaches at Occidental College. He has researched, advocated on and written about a variety of food issues, including mobile vending, school food, and urban agriculture. In addition to food trucks, Mark is interested in the history of other ‘building blocks’ of Southern California, like streets and single family houses.

Free and open to the public.