and the local newspaper, the San Diego Union Tribune, just ran a story on this van and it's owner
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/mar/12/tp-running-food-truck-no-easy-ride/?page=2#article-copy
In 2002, Marko Pavlinovic came to San Diego from Italy on vacation. He ended up getting a work permit and a job as a waiter.
Two years ago, he started Mangia Mangia Mobile because he wanted to translate his love of food into a business. His mother and grandmother provided the recipes, and the initial capital was $16,000 in savings. He tried and failed to get a bank loan, so he rented a truck for $2,000 a month. By the time that he had paid the truck owner three months of rent in advance, made some interior modifications, painted the truck, purchased pots and pans, insurance and food, he had $350 left on the day that he opened.
In his second week of business, the Cooking Channel asked a well-known food blogger to identify the best food truck in San Diego. She recommended Mangia Mangia.
“When they called, they said this is the Cooking Channel, do you want to be on TV? I hung up the phone because I thought that a friend was fooling me,” he said.
The segment aired eight months later, and his business has grown steadily since then.