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East Meets West

East Meets West
December 2011
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Yukari Yada and John Baker helped pioneer the local food truck movement


Tokyo Crepes

You thought crepes were just a French dish? Au contraire. According to Tokyo Crepes owners Yukari Yada and John Baker, the pancake pastries are huge in Japan. In fact, the duo conceived their own creperie—one of the first specialty food trucks in the area—to see if the same trend could take hold in the Lowcountry. Well, two years after opening on Folly Beach, Baker says, “These things sell themselves.”

The duo paired up when Baker decided to open a burrito business. “I told my friend Yukari, who was living in Portland, Oregon, at the time, and she said she wanted to open a crepe stand next to my burrito stand,” says Baker. But when the burrito idea went bust, the two combined their powers—Baker had the truck, and Yada the menu.

“Our crepes are based on the traditional French kind but with more freestyle ingredients,” says Yada, meaning the menu includes both savory and sweet, such as the Middle East Miracle—with falafel, feta, spinach, and tzaziki—and the Mini Arctic, featuring banana, Nutella, almond whipped cream, and vanilla ice cream. And the great news is that the once stationary truck is now making appearances at rodeos and on Morris Street—what their Roti Roll pals have dubbed “Eat Street.” An international mouthful brought to you, curbside.

Best Bites: Teriyaki chicken with boiled egg, romaine lettuce, and Japanese mayo
Twitter: @tokyocrepes
Facebook: TokyoCrepes

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