After 18 years of working in the food industry, where she had held a wide variety of positions, including stints as a pastry chef and as the owner of “The Lilly Pad” café on the CCA Campus in Oakland, Gail Lillian acquired the skills and experiences she needed to strike out on her own and pursue a new venture. In the spring of 2008 Gail enrolled in Renaissances 14-week Business Planning Class to learn how to achieve her goal of opening a café featuring her own breads and pastries. A standout student, Gail received the Best Business Plan Award and left the class ready to start baking.
Unfortunately, the economic crash in late 2008 forced Gail to reconsider her plans. Searching for inspiration, Gail remembered a trip to Amsterdam where she had visited falafel shops with full condiment bars that she thought would be a hit with Bay Area foodies. When a friend suggested Gail look into running a food truck business, she coupled this concept with her falafel idea and reworked her business plan using the lessons she learned at Renaissance. Within two weeks, Gail purchased a truck on Craigslist and prepared to get her falafel business on the road.
On August 27th, 2009 Gail debuted LIBA, an unconventional falafel bar delivered to the masses by a food truck beautifully painted with a brightly colored mural, at the Oakland’s Eat Real Festival. It was an instant hit, serving thousands of people upon its first day of launch. LIBA’s delicious falafel bar stocked with fifteen made-from-scratch toppings like Tomato Cucumber Salad with Mint, Red Beets with Lemon and Thyme, and Tomato Ginger Chutney quickly built up a sizeable following. Patrons often braved lines that would stretch down the block in order to wrap their hands around warm pitas stuffed to full capacity with a dizzying number of fresh ingredients. To handle the incredible demand for her falafels, Gail hired a full-time employee and began parking her truck at five distinct Bay Area locations each week in addition to setting up shop at the Alameda Antique Fair every first Sunday. Gail soon became one of the Bay Area’s most sought-after event caterers, serving at events for A15, SPQR and SFMOMA.
Of course, Gail has no plans to slow down LIBA’s growth any time soon. Fueled by rave reviews from the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, SF Weekly, East Bay Express and even Northern Brides California, Gail intends to expand and build upon her current success. She will soon be serving falafels throughout the Bay Area seven days a week. Furthermore, Gail is looking into adding a second truck or perhaps opening a storefront in the coming year. Before long, you may even see LIBA falafels and sauces in local markets! Gail is happy to share her success with Renaissance, saying, “I really do feel indebted for life to Renaissance. In addition to helping with my business Renaissance helped me realize I was part of a community of likeminded people.” With the community that Gail is creating around her delicious food, we can expect LIBA to inspire even more falafel affairs in the future.
LIBA
(415) 806-LIBA | www.libasf.com