My name is Julia Pukhalskaia, founder of Mermaid Way. While I haven't operated a food truck, the brand was born during years of traveling across the U.S., often eating my way through food truck parks in cities like Austin, San Diego, and Portland. I paid close attention to how people connect with small spaces, bold flavors, and visual storytelling--lessons I carried into fashion via intimate, mobile-style pop-ups and trunk shows. I'm not a culinary operator, but I understand the power of experience in compact formats and how emotional design translates whether it's plated or stitched. You can reach me at mermaid-way.com or on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/julia-pukhalskaia-9b0b98337.
Damien Zouaoui, Co-Founder, Oakwell Beer Spa (Denver). https://linkedin.com/in/damienzouaoui Before launching Oakwell, I spent years traveling through Europe and the U.S., studying wellness concepts and mobile food businesses. Denver's push for mobile vendors--whether it's beer spas or food trucks--taught me a lot about permitting, foot traffic, and seasonality. Many of our Denver guests are food truck owners themselves, and I've heard firsthand how cities like Austin, Portland, and Miami stack up in terms of support, regulations, and weather. Happy to share insights from the ground level.
Thanks for the opportunity--happy to contribute. I'm Hans Graubard, Co-Founder & COO of Happy V. While our primary work is in women's health, I come from a background in operations and vertical manufacturing, and I've worked closely with mobile food vendors through supply chain consulting and regulatory advisory projects in past roles. My experience includes streamlining logistics for mobile-based services and navigating compliance in city-specific industries--two core challenges in the food truck world. I've collaborated with food truck operators on permitting and scaling strategies, especially in cities with complex health and fire department intersections. That led to a deep appreciation for how urban zoning, commissary access, and seasonal variance affect success. You can reach me via LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/hansgraubard/ or learn more about our team at https://happyv.com/cdn/shop/files/happyv_team_Hans.jpg. Looking forward to hearing your questions.