Local chefs launch experimental food trailer

Two local chefs recently left the restaurant world to open their own experimental food trailer.

Nick Glenn and Ruebin Sandberg, who cooked together at Jefferson Street Pub and Jolie's Louisiana Bistro, launched Live Action Deli in late October.

"The concept has always somewhat been in my head," says Glenn. "This is finally it — live, in action."

The funky food truck — which has the hip hop duo Outkast and mythical creature Bigfoot painted on it — got its name from random things said while Glenn, Sandberg and their friends converted the box trailer into a portable restaurant.

Live Action Deli's ever-changing menu currently consists of tacos, sandwiches and the sushi beaurito, a sushi-burrito hybrid.

Homemade, Creole-spiced chips come with entrees, and dessert options, such as homemade fig cake, are rotated regularly.

"I love the creativity I'm allowed on the truck," Glenn says. "We don't want to ever get stale on creativity."

One sandwich on the menu is filled with chicken and sausage gumbo and potato salad. Another is filled with pulled pork chili, Colorado sauce, pepper jack cheese, cilantro mayonnaise and fresh red onions.

Taco options include pulled pork with cabbage slaw and jerk mayo and shredded chicken in chipotle sauce with pickled red onion and chopped cilantro.

Then there's the burrito-sized sushi roll with sweet and spicy krab, fruit and vegetables.

"When in California, also in New York, they had sushi burrito food trucks, and now they seem to be all over social media," Sandberg says. "So I decided to put it on our menu to see how it will do here. We can’t ignore our Louisiana culture so we put a gumbo sandwich (on the menu.)"

Glenn's favorite menu item is the jerk taco. He's especially proud of the jerk seasoning blend he's spent two years perfecting.

But even that might go away to make room for new creations.

"Our current menu is not in stone, and we don't plan on keeping it long," Glenn says. "We want to experiment a lot with products and get feedback from the public to see what they enjoy. That was our main reason for starting the trailer: for the creative freedom."

Live Action Deli will be serving lunch a few times a week at different locations in Acadiana, and Glenn and Sandberg plan on serving late-night weekend meals, too.

The two chefs have more in common than shared kitchen space.

"We both love the culinary world," Sandberg says. "We both went to culinary school, and we dig a lot of the same stuff as in extreme sports, traveling, photography, art and whatnot."

Sandberg's childhood was split between Louisiana and Mexico, where he learned how to cook traditional Cajun, Creole and Mexican dishes. His Chinese stepmother also taught him the basics of Asian cooking techniques.

Glenn, who recently graduated from the Louisiana Culinary Institute in Baton Rouge, recently raised enough money through a crowdfunding website to pay for a trip to the Cannes International Film Festival, where he cooked thousands of meals per day for film industry professionals as a student chef.

"It really was a life-changing experience and changed my perspective about food and the business as a whole," Glenn says. "And in a huge way, it helped me make the decision about starting this business."

When he learned that a relative was selling an old box trailer, Glenn knew the time was right and asked Sandberg to join him in his venture.

"I plan to give my all to the food that I put out," Glenn says, "And I know people will be able to tell when they taste it."

Learn more about Live Action Deli and where it will be located on any given day by visiting "Live Action Deli" on Facebook.