Like other frequent visitors to Los Angeles, Prince Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia has long enjoyed the city’s food truck culture, yet he noticed that – like a tortellini with nothing inside – there was something missing.  Emanuele Filiberto, grandson of the last reigning king of Italy, has teamed with acclaimed Milan-born L.A. chef Mirko Paderno to fill this long-empty niche with the debut of Prince of Venice Food Truck. Local foodies can follow Prince of Venice via the website: www.princeofvenicefoodtruck.com or Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. 

While the L.A. food truck scene is rife with pizza, panini and standard pasta dishes, as well as cross-culture fusion concepts, Emanuele Filiberto aims to kick it up a few notches with Prince of Venice.  “I wanted to create a gourmet, fresh-pasta Italian food truck with authentic recipes matched by equally high-quality ingredients,” explains Filiberto, whose vestigial royal title is Prince of Piedmont and Venice.  “The concept is to make a variety of fresh pasta in front of the clients and to serve it with incredible handmade sauces.”

Importing some of its ingredients from Italy, such as flour, olive oil or truffles, Prince of Venice will source most from local Southern California farms, focusing on organic produce, cage-free eggs and free-range meat.  The menu will regularly rotate based on the availability of fresh and seasonal items, from produce such as zucchini to luxury ingredients like black or white truffles.  Another point of distinction from other Italian food trucks… no pizza!

With its pasta shapes to be informed by those on the truck’s deluxe fresh-pasta machine, Prince of Venice will launch with such dishes as:

-Maccheroni Tartufo – Parma prosciutto, house-made truffle butter, fresh truffle, Parmigiano cheese ($14)

-Creste Di Gallo – Slow-braised lamb shoulder, taggiasca olives, lodigrana cheese ($11)

-Casereccie Alla Riviera – Shrimps, cherry tomatoes, calamari, clams, crustacean broth , fresh parsley ($14)

-Spaghetti Melanzane – Eggplant, tomatoes, basil, dried ricotta cheese ($9)

-Conchiglie Amatriciana – Guanciale, tomatoes, crushed red pepper, pecorino gran cru ($10)

-Cappellacci Di Vitello – Veal shank-stuffed pasta, Parmigiana Reggiano sauce, natural jus($11)

Along with delicious handmade Italian desserts such as tiramisù, panna cotta and cannoli, Prince of Venice will offer an assortment of beverages including a leading brand of Italian water, Solé, in a sleek, multi-faceted clear glass bottle made for Prince of Venice.  The partners envision the possible expansion of the menu into salads, as well as the sale of packaged fresh pastas and sauces for customers to make their own meals at home.

“I’ve known Emanuele a long time, and I was intrigued when he suggested we partner on a food truck,” said Mirko Paderno, who currently serves as chef de cuisine for Officine BRERA in L.A.’s downtown Arts District and will personally spend time on the Prince of Venice truck as his schedule allows.  “This is not a truck that will simply cruise around the city every day, but will participate in select local events, invite other chefs aboard to collaborate, and host specials like a Truffle Celebration or a Midnight Risotto.  From the food to the container to every other detail, we want this to be an extraordinary experience for customers.”

With its proof of concept in Los Angeles, and a dollop of bella fortuna, Prince of Venice will be rolled out in other markets across the U.S.