The Tabura brothers (Adam and Lanai) — along with their compatriot Shawn Felipe — are back on the competition trail with their Aloha Plate food truck.
“It’s wheels up!” Adam Tabura said in a phone call Sunday night. He can’t say much else, though.
This much we know: The team is in the Bay Area competing in a national food truck contest to be televised.
Tabura said he can’t talk about the name of the show, the network, the host, where else they might go, when it might air or any other details.
The team’s backstory might offer clues, but there’s no saying if they’re competing under the same circumstances: Aloha Plate won the Food Network’s “Great Food Truck Race” in 2013, beating out seven other teams. The team won $50,000 and a new truck that’s been serving up local-style plates around Oahu in the years since.
That vehicle didn’t have to make the sea voyage to the West Coast; they have a new truck for this run, Tabura said.
Judging from the team’s social media posts, they’ve been competing for nearly three weeks around the Bay Area. They are allowed to spread the word to draw customers — in their case that would mean tapping into the robust “coconut wireless” among mainland ex-pats.
The challenges this time around are multiplied by the coronavirus, Tabura said. They are tested every two days and it’s full mask protocol throughout.
“Plus we’re dealing with weather and travel and challenges that come from left field and right field,” he said. “But we’re healthy and we’re happy and we’re spreading aloha one plate at a time.”
Track the team’s journey (as much as they can say, anyway) on Facebook (Aloha Plate Truck Page) or follow them on Instagram @chefadamtabura, @lanai or @shawnfelipe.
