Q&A With Mariana Tobelem of Tobelem's Table

Question: What inspired the name "Tobelem's Table," and what does it represent about your food truck's mission?

Answer: Tobelem is my father’s family name. My grandmother was a great cook who inspired my passion for culinary arts. Plus, I feel the universal language of love and caring is food. I have always found great joy and conversation around the dinner table with friends and family. The best mission I can think of is to have our customers turn into our friends and family while enjoying our food when they come to our “Table”.

Question: How does Tobelem's Table bring the authentic flavors of Brazil to the local community?

Answer: We bring the authentic flavors of Brazilian working-class people. People who work like crazy have minimum time for crazy prep times, but also take what time they can to enjoy food and family. From the coxinhas on the run to the Sunday staple of feijoada to fill you up all day.

Question: Do you have a personal favorite dish from your menu, and why is it unique to you?

Answer: I love all of the dishes of course but the coxinhas are my personal favorite. They are a quick and delicious Brazilian snack. Potato dough stuffed with creamy chicken and herbs that are probably the most addicting thing on the truck. We serve them in a portion that encourages sharing and we often find our repeat customers sharing them while in line with new customers that are curious about the menu. It is also a dish that takes me back to my childhood from the beaches of Rio de Janeiro.

Question: How do you balance traditional Brazilian recipes with the fast-paced nature of food truck dining?

Answer: Growing up in the fast-pace big city lifestyle of Rio the traditional recipes we bring to the truck tend to be a mix of quick snacks to enjoy with beach time and the hearty family meals. While all of our dishes are made from scratch, just like at home, we also adapt a more social aspect to our customer service. To explain, we do try to keep the ticket times down with our orders but as mentioned earlier we also treat our customers like they are at our table at home and strike up conversations and new connections which help with some of the heartier dishes that may add a few extra minutes of cook time.

Question: What has been the most rewarding part of sharing Brazilian cuisine through Tobelem's Table?

Answer: The best thing is the experience of sharing my culture and food from my childhood with people. Whether it is fellow Brazilians homesick for their favorite foods or adventurous eaters looking to expand their palette and discover new things.

Question: How can people order from the food truck and find out what location it will be at?

Answer: Currently we post all of our schedules on Instagram and Facebook weekly. We are working on integrating a web page shortly that will have more function and utility but at the moment we are a hidden gem that pops up at different places every week! Aother thing that keeps things fun and exciting is our returning customers follow us and always make a point to let us know they have been waiting for us to come back or be able to catch us!

Question: Where do you see Tobelem's Table in the future? Are there plans for expansion or new culinary adventures?

Answer:

With Tobelem’s Table being in its beginning stages still, the sky is the limit. We definitely have big plans for the future and moving forward both short-term and long-term, but for now the plans are to keep working out the little speed bumps that come with the journey and continue to expand our brand and recipes to bring a taste of Rio to more people everyday!

Question: How can we keep up with your restaurant on social media?

Answer: Follow us on our social media (instagram and facebook) for weekly schedules and updates and be sure to email us at tobelemstable@gmail.com with inquiries about private events or local community events that you would like to see us!