![]() The space at 2105 Sherman Ave., which housed the Las Palmas Deli for about four years in the early 2000s, has since hosted a succession of short-lived eateries. Two more employees help Collins in the cart, while Sheinman concentrates on turning the prep kitchen location into a cafe. This is way more work than people think it is." Carts are a lower-cost entrance into the marketplace, where first-time businesspeople can get experience and create a fan base before opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant.Ĭollins and Sheinman are now employers: They hired Schmitz, a veteran of Madison restaurants including Chautara and Dobhan, about a month after they started. ![]() Yet even with the ups and downs, Banzo illustrates how food carts are supposed to work. "The garbanzo beans have to be soaked at least two hours before you cook them," Schmitz shrugs philosophically. "The line," Collins recalls, "was so long, I couldn't see the end of it." He phoned the prep kitchen to get as much food as possible hauled down to Library Mall, but at a certain point, there was nothing more to do. Rain means few customers an unseasonably warm Friday in March meant Banzo ran out of food. It's just one of the many variables that cart owners contend with. If they sit too long, he says, "I'll end up eating them." Collins tries to have enough ready for speedy order fulfillment but not so many that they stop being hot and crispy. Once at the Mall, Collins and a helper form the falafel balls with a cookie scoop and fry them just before the time of order. The tub of the mix goes into the cart, as do tubs of freshly sliced potatoes, for fries and chips. Schmitz blends the parsley, cilantro, onions, celery and freshly cooked garbanzo beans that will form the falafel in a large grinder. (This necessitated an emergency call to Chicago to have more pita sent here.) The trio figure they have enough of a supply of the white pita bread to make it, but may run out of the whole wheat, the more popular choice. The pita is shipped frozen from Israel to a supplier in Chicago, and over the weekend Collins and Sheinman realized that the supply would dry up temporarily - as the bakery, in Jerusalem, would close for a week for Passover. Sheinman is warming pita rounds in the oven, misting them with a spray bottle midway, so they're extra soft and fluffy. "Maybe bring more celery, if people want that instead of pita," suggests Sheinman. It's also Passover, which means that observant Jews won't be eating pita. ![]() For all those reasons, Collins isn't sure what kind of a crowd to expect at the Banzo cart: "The weather has a lot to do with it." It will be the first Monday back from spring break, and while it's sunny out, it's also chilly and really windy. in the Banzo kitchen on Sherman Avenue, '70s funk pumps out of speakers high over a spotless stainless-steel prep area as Aaron Collins, Netalee Sheinman and chef Dan Schmitz get ready for lunch service on Library Mall.
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