Is it possible for a lifeless piece of material to transcend its physical form and evolve to a state of enlightenment?

This evolution was a community project. The Cinnamon Snail stands as the fruit of the love, hard work and dedication by a whole bunch of caring and sweet individuals. The truck has transformed physically, spiritually, and ethically. It has dedicated its existence to the condition of serving all creatures of this world with gratitude and compassion, unconditionally. It has taken its Bodhisattva vows of non-violence, and surrendered to the ultimate joyful work of service. Has a 1991 Grumman / Chevy P30 become a Buddha? We want to reveal the process of transformation that The Cinnamon Snail has gone through, and give credit, with all our thanks to the people who worked so hard to make it happen.

The first people we have to thank are Naime and Al who ran the truck before us. Naime and Al cared for the truck and passed it on to us already adorned with the blessings of God. It took us many years of searching to find the right truck, and when we met the truck its two honest and kind owners it was love at first sight. Thank you so much Al and Naime for being so reasonable and genuine! May you and your families find peace and prosperity!

The week we got the truck we got planning its evolution. This is where Billy got involved. Billy is our friend who works hard all week as a union contractor, and is always working on the weekends too. He is one of the most respectable, honest, hard working men I have ever known. Billy worked tirelessly throughout the entire evolution of the truck, putting in countless hours that he insisted we didn’t pay him for. Within the first week, Billy helped us gut the inside of the truck, removing all the appliances, shelving, and unwanted components. At this point, Bo and Weasel entered the picture. These two guys were completely responsible for all of the metal work done in the truck. Any ideas I had about the truck’s setup got taken to the next level and executed better than I ever hoped for. A lot of the metal work was done on some of the coldest day of winter, and Bo and Weasel worked late nights and weekends to make sure the truck was completed as quickly as possible, while sparing no details. You guys did an unbelievable job! If this is how your work looks after only a couple of years honing your skills, you guys are going to go far! I can’t thank you enough. 
A number of rainy cold weekends went by, but the truck was still being worked on. RJ, a friend of Billy’s stopped by and helped us remove the giant metal cage that used to house the truck’s generator. Just like Billy, he has been impossible to get to accept any kind of payment in return for hours of hard work. RJ helped rework the truck’s plumbing, and helped Billy cutout the new large service window and display case. One afternoon, with the help of Billy and the entire neighborhood, RJ helped move a giant 6 foot wide refrigerator. The refrigerator moved down the block on two hand trucks and a dolly, guided by about seven people. RJ was the brains and the He-Man of the operation. RJ, you are amazing. It’s been awesome to get to know you over the past couple of months. Now that you are working on eating cleaner food and aspiring to run marathons and stuff, we can’t wait to feed you good food from the truck! 


Once the truck was gutted, our good friend Ambra came several times to start on the gruesome job of deep cleaning. We removed a 40 lb. deep fryer and words cannot describe the type of gooey, greasy glop that hung out underneath it, in some spots an inch thick. After soaking the floor and walls with boiling water, vinegar, and concentrated citrus cleaners, Ambra scrubbed, scraped and polished for hours. Ambra darling, you are always our superhero, coming to our rescue whatever weird thing we need. Without your determination and support we would probably ALWAYS be in a jam.

When everything was beginning to look pretty darn clean, we called in the big guns. Matt Becker, Barghetto, The Master Painter spent a full afternoon power-washing every metal surface of the truck. It was like hamam, the Turkish baths where you get scrubbed by someone with an abrasive mitt. You go in thinking you are pretty clean, until you start to see what comes off of you. Unbelievable, like night and day. I look up to Matt in a way that makes me get teary when I think of how awesome he is. Matt is the father I aspire to be. My admiration for you knows no bounds. Thank you for all you show us Matt. When I think of how you are as a person, and as a dad, I am so proud of you! May this world come to the state of freedom and peace you are working so hard for.

As the truck’s insides started to take form, Frank showed up, bringing a brand new commercial grill which had never touched animal flesh. Every step of the way, Frank helped us coordinate lots of details and we got to drive him crazy with hundreds of emails and calls to put all the pieces together. Frank is our source for so many things we need to function. He runs Shore Restaurant Supply in Brick NJ with his father Sonny. All of our biodegradable packaging is a result of his dedication to finding sustainable solutions for the food service industry in NJ. Your motivation to create harmony in this world is inspiring Frank. You are always here for us, and for everyone else you come in contact with. You are always caring and always motivated to make good things happen in this world. Your family business has my loyalty and I wish you and your family all the goodness that you deserve in this world. You are hot on the trail to complete self-realization and eternal peace and bliss. Thanks for showing us the way!

The one person who poured the most soul and creativity into the project has undoubtedly been Greggy. Greggy (Trip / Daniel / Dr. Griggy), created the unbelievable new skin that the Cinnamon Snail is adorned in. It took at least a dozen drafts and countless hours of work on his behalf. The truck looks like some kind of heaven, better than I ever imagined. This is a piece of artwork for you to be truly proud of Greggy. Everyone who sees the truck will be touched by your love and creativity, your shining light of a heart flowing freely into their senses. Greggy also has been working full tilt on setting up a proper website for the Snail to reach its antennae out into the digital world. Greggy is constantly working to create a version of world peace, that’s just like "regular" world peace, except more fun. Watching you blossom over the years has been amazing Greggy. We are so proud of you and of the work you do in this world, through all of your talents. As you grow, you ability to bring peace and bliss through your creativity is expanding exponentially. Thank you for putting your blessing on the truck through your amazing imagery.

The Cinnamon Snail started eight years ago as a seed in my mind, and the person who planted that seed was Joey. Joey showed me the way to non-violence and compassion. She is my guru and I get to live with her. Like my Nana always said when she was alive, "Joey isn’t just good to you, she’s good FOR you". Joey has had the patience to nurture me every step of the way. Without her hard work and patience, the truck, and indeed my life, could never have taken shape. She has helped me deal with all of the paperwork, and to navigate the extremely complicated system which surrounds food vending in and around NYC. Her hard work has paid for a lot of the expense of setting a truck like this up, which as we found, was a lot more than we were planning. Joey, I could write volumes about how much I love you, and maybe one day I will. For now, know how proud I am of you as a person and as a mother. I am forever indebted to you and I hope to one day serve humanity the way you have served me.

As awesome as Joey is, I can’t blame her single handedly for the taking shape of the truck and my very life. My parents, Nat and Judith are the creators of all that I see, without them, there would be no eyes for me to look upon this beautiful world with. Nat and Judith helped us to pay for the truck and have been a great set of minds to bounce ideas off of the whole time. Judith helped me get my first culinary job in the kitchen of Chef Tom Valenti, and has been the cook I trailed throughout my childhood. Nat has always been my friend, and makes some mean pancakes in the shape of A’s. You guys have been my teachers from day one, and I owe everything to you. I never listened to your good advice, and I was always a pain in the ass. Having two kids of my own now makes me finally understand how hard you worked all of these years. You showed me how to be an honest hard working parent and friend. Well, these are the hands that worked to construct The Cinnamon Snail. The truck is now on the streets and is continuing to evolve. Every day, new tweaks and additions are being made, making the kitchen more organized and capable. The Cinnamon Snail has been a labor of love for our whole community. We are hopeful that everyone who experiences it will be pushed closer on their journey towards peace and oneness with all things eternally. This world which is so very full of suffering, hunger, sadness and violence, is going to be changed for ever, and we are optimistic that harmony will prevail. Our hardworking community united, and The Cinnamon Snail will ride out onto the frontier to light up the world with everyone's love and light. May peace, bliss and harmony resonate in the hearts of all living creatures everywhere, and may suffering and pain be a forgotten mistake of the past.