Owner David Cohn is teaming with executive chef and partner Deborah Scott to debut Chop Soo-ey, which will not only showcase Scott’s Asian fusion cuisine and her passion for barbecue, but also serve as a mobile billboard for promoting several of the more than a dozen Cohn restaurants.

While many of the startup food trucks that are emerging in San Diego were born of an adventurous spirit by chefs aching to have their own restaurants, Cohn says he sees no reason why a corporate enterprise can’t reproduce the funky feel of the gourmet food truck revolution.

“We used to be the little startup guy doing small innovative things, and now we’re considered the big guys,” said Cohn who runs the restaurant group with his wife Lesley. “It’s like saying chains can’t build great restaurants.

“Let the people on the street determine which trucks they like. We think there’s room for anyone who wants to go out and try it. If you create the right buzz, it will work.”

And there’s certainly no lack of whimsy in the truck’s design, hatched by Cohn and Scott. They’ve hired a Los Angeles artist to wrap their truck with a colorful graphic featuring the San Diego skyline dominated by a menacing samurai pig wielding a cleaver. There will also be room on the truck to promote three of the Cohn restaurants: Kemo Sabe, Indigo Grill and Island Prime C Level.

Although the 15-year-old Kemo Sabe, located in Hillcrest, is slated to close this fall when its lease expires, Cohn said he’s hoping to eventually move it to a North County coastal location.

Meanwhile, his new mobile enterprise will evolve gradually, first appearing at charity events, street festivals and farmers markets. The truck will be also used for catering private parties, and by October, Cohn said he plans to park the truck near bars and nightclubs, hoping to capitalize on hungry night owls looking to grab a bite during the early morning hours.

“We don’t want to compete with other restaurants by parking near them,” Cohn stressed, “but one market we think is not being served is the 2 o’clock-in-the-morning bar market.”

Cohn and Scott will use social media and a special website to communicate where the truck is parked on a daily basis.

Scott said she plans a frequently changing menu of small plates featuring favorite dishes from her restaurants, like Kemo Sabe’s “skirts on fire,” which features a charbroiled skirt steak, and stuffed Mexican white prawns wrapped in bacon. She’s also toying with the idea of Carolina-style ribs, brisket on a biscuit and curly fries with blue cheese, caramelized onions and cubed fried pork belly.

Menu items will probably range from $3 to $8, she said. The trucks themselves, she noted, are fairly pricey, costing $110,000, plus several thousand dollars more to embellish and outfit with kitchen equipment.

The trucks, in fact, are in such demand as their popularity has spread across the country and especially in Southern California, that Cohn says he’s already ordered a second one.

“We might use it to promote the Corvette Diner or the more casual side of what we do’” he said. “We’re trying to make it fun. We’re not looking at this from strictly a business standpoint. We looked at it from a marketing and PR standpoint to market our other restaurants.”

By Lori Weisberg | Union Tribune | September 3, 2010

Spanning more than 50 years of music, this exhibition captures the spirit and essences of rock ‘n roll through powerful and iconic photographs of legends such as Elvis Presley, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Debbie Harry, Elvis Costello and others.

This outstanding Thursday evening event is offered at $79.95 per couple, tax and gratuity not included. Please call The Prado today for reservations 619-557-9441 ext. 1. To view the menu click here. To learn more about the Taking Aim Exhibit click here.