The Manila Machine: Off the Streets

Manila Machine

Marvin Gapultos and Nastassia Johnson

The Manila Machine, this city's first Filipino food truck, parked for the last time this past Friday and went on indefinite hiatus. The announcement, which was not, sadly, an April Fool's Joke, was made by Marvin Gapultos and Nastassia Johnson, the two Filipino-American bloggers behind Burnt Lumpia and Let Me Eat Cake who had launched the truck last June. The news did not come as a surprise to anyone who has talked to Gapultos lately, as he had been considering this likelihood for some time. Gapultos, who recently signed a cookbook deal, said that he and Johnson would be focusing on their catering business, and left open the possibility of taking the truck out for a spin in the future.

The announcement that the successful (much acclaim, Gold Standard appearance, etc.) food truck was shutting down was met with some shock and even anger (see Zach Brook's bad lunch day) in the local community. But although we will mourn the loss of Manila Machine's excellent adobo, we also find it somewhat noble that the pair decided to shut down rather than ignore their other projects. (Cookbook, business, small child.)

Last night Gapultos emailed that it had been a long day and confirmed that yes, the truck was off the streets. He and Johnson will be doing catering and private events, but are also focusing on their own work. "There are tentative plans for restarting the truck... but I can't really get into that just yet." As for the orange truck itself, Gapultos and Johnson's lease ended and the vehicle was returned to the commissary last Friday. If anyone knows how to say "cheers" in Tagalog, let us know.