The Food Truck Scholar

Patrick Lanier: Lip Smacking' Creations Food Medic

April 29, 2019 Ariel The Food Truck Scholar Season 1 Episode 7
The Food Truck Scholar
Patrick Lanier: Lip Smacking' Creations Food Medic
Show Notes Transcript

What’s up everybody welcome to The Food Truck Scholar Podcast. I’m your host Ariel D Smith I appreciate you choosing to kick it with me for another episode. Be sure to share your thoughts about today’s episode on social media using the hashtag TFTSPodcast.

Last week, I introduced you to Terry Key, the Founder of the Edgehill Bike Club as well as The Drop It Like It’s Hot Wings Food Truck In Nashville Tennessee. When I came to the 615 to do the interview I was treated to not only meeting Terry but also his longtime friend Patrick Lanier who also owns a food truck. You heard a little bit of Lanier’s story last week, but I was so intrigued by Patrick and his food truck- I mean after all it’s made out of an ambulance- that I had to call him up and do a follow up interview.

So today, you will hear how Patrick is using Lip Smackin Creations Food Medic as a source of healing for himself and a way to mentor and inspire youth at schools all throughout the Nashville metro area. If you know someone who  is an entrepreneur needing a burst of inspiration, share this episode, it’s one you don’t want to miss.

Over the past 5 years, I’ve  learned a lot about what makes a good food truck stand out among the rest. I took 8 of those key concepts and created a book where I could have curbside conversations with each of you about them. This book  is not only digestible and not designed to overwhelm you, but also propels you into action. You can purchase Before You Launch A Food Truck TODAY at TheFoodTruckScholar.com/shop in paperback and ebook format as well as on Amazon. 

Speaker 1:

[inaudible]

Speaker 2:

what's up everybody? Welcome to the food truck scholar podcast. I'm your host Ariel D Smith and I appreciate you for choosing to kick it with me for another episode. Be sure to share your thoughts about today's episode on social media using the hashtag T F T S podcast. Last week I introduced you to Terry keys, the founder of the edge Hill bike club as well as the drop it like his hot wings food truck in Nashville, Tennessee. Now when I came to the six one five to do the interview back in February, I was treated not only to meeting Terry but also his long time frame. Patrick Lanier, who also owns a food truck. You heard a little bit about linear story last week, but I was so intrigued by Patrick and his food trucks. I mean after all it is made out of the ambulance that I had to call him up and do a followup interview to learn more. So today you will hear how Patrick is using lifts, smack and creations, food medic as a source of healing for himself and as a way to mentor and inspire youth at schools all throughout the Nashville Metro area. If you know someone who was an entrepreneur and meeting a burst of inspiration, then you need to share this episode. This is one you don't want to miss. So sit back and relax. The show starts now.

Speaker 3:

All right. So Patrick, thank you so much for taking the time to sit down for me. Why don't you just take a moment, introduce yourself and tell us the name of your food truck.

Speaker 4:

Okay, good evening. My name is Patrick Eugene Lanier. I am uh, the founder and CEO of lip smacking creation food medic. Um, live smacking creation. Fool medic is a unique name and we chose to use who made it because, um, my food truck is made from a 2007 ambulance. It has been converted. OPA,

Speaker 3:

you know, I saw that when I sent you out. Oh, I think it was Vegas February. Oh my God. Time is flying. And I looked at it and I was like, did he ever[inaudible] or did he come to make it just like this? They, the way it was a dope concept when I pulled up.

Speaker 4:

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. It's kind of kitchen for the key. It's also a, because they look and they was like, man, it's Aminah of Noah's a food truck and a, so that's what we can with food medic. But um, so the food, how I came about this ideal is that I had a passion for cooking as a little guy, a little man, you want to call it watching mom. My mother and my father cooked. Uh, it caught my attention and I very curious. I love to eat. I love to see other people eat and smile and enjoy the food that they eat. So, um, I'll put of my education by going to, um, coronary art school and just, you know, just to have it on paper and make it look good. But I started cooking way before then. So 10 most of the things that you enjoy and cooking if a child, well, I enjoy just one thing. When my mama gave me the opportunity to, uh, cook Thanksgiving, Yammer, it was big shoes had to be field before I started. She gave me my warning, whatever I missed up I had to repay for and start over again. So, so I was very, uh, attentive to what I'd done to temperature and the mixtures. Did I you to prepare the food? Listen, she puts you on a big stage that you know, you don't, you don't get Thanksgiving, right? Not only is your medium, don't talk about you with the sole Sam to go, no, you missed up. So that will be safe. Yes. Yes. There was one thing that I could not stand that I had to endure through the court to cook and clean and that was hog mouth and shit. Oh my goodness. I can't either.

Speaker 5:

Mm Hmm. So tell me, what can people expect on the lip, smacking creations, food medic menu?

Speaker 4:

Um, first of all, I took two different cultures and combined them together. And what I mean by that, two different cultures, you know, uh, uh, my wife is Korean and occasions, so her side of the family, um, her background, whole culture is like a big role. And me being American, you know, African American, I looked at it as something I wanted to look at, something that everybody in America eat and enjoy. And that was hot though. No matter who you are, we got like 95% of the people eat, hotdogs and love hideouts so we took a hotdog and dressed it that we grilled it and we wrapped it in Colby Jack cheese. I knew. And uh, I, I made up a special sauce, like a cheese sauce with jalapenos in it and we placed it inside of a tortilla shell and it, and rode it and we called it deal. Uh, we call it a kitty cat. Pipped off. And when I tell you, well, you know, as far as the listeners, when I tell you when you try this item, I don't care who you are, man, Oh, you're the only one that lit your head down, keep you shoes out, twinkle your toes. And smile. Like taking bites. Yes. So the key to get dipped out, that's the one thing that we are known for. That's what we are pushing. And um, I told my wife that I would like to push it for like two years before I, uh, expand with the recipe to a bigger, um, like Oscar Meyer or somebody their way. Everybody around the world can enjoy these items.

Speaker 3:

So how did the kids of George, cause I'm seeing on your Facebook posts, you're always at different schools talking to career days and the food medic is out there. So how did they like it?

Speaker 4:

The key is if you tried to give them a regular hot dog data, they don't loan it just like a dinosaur is absolutely, you know, it's all a regular hot dog. Once a key don't have to dip. DOE or DOE had a dip. Don't, don't try the hot dog in the bud. Move with them. The kids 11, they crazy about it. Some kids have been calling it the cheese dough because he got so many different types of cheese and assaults and, and you've got the best of both worlds. You get it grilled and then you got it deep fried.

Speaker 3:

I got live is probably the light now. What, what? I tried it so it had, I think I had the beef hot dog. But you have a Turkey one as well, right?

Speaker 4:

It's cause I don't eat beef or pork anymore, but Turkey and I get the best area. I get the best because that's what I liked the best. So I buy the beds for my customers because I want them to be able to enjoy the best.

Speaker 3:

Come on now. I should have tried. I should have tried the target one. I had the beef, I enjoyed it. It um, I liked how crispy it was on the outside. Yes. And then all the different cheeses went well. And then, um, what did I have? I think you gotta be what? Serratia?

Speaker 4:

Yes. That was dressing up. Oh yes. So dress it up to dress it up. The best balm tasting dress out is this Serratia. Okay. Uh, ranch and mustard. You got to have the ranch in the middle of, because he's doing the color coordinated. You got the raid, the white and being the yellow.

Speaker 3:

Oh, you okay. We're color coordinated.

Speaker 4:

Eh, ah, you got a creative, you know what I'm saying? You know when you see something and it kicks his, your eyes, your dollars met, it makes you wonder in your mouth. Water.

Speaker 3:

Yeah. So now I gotta ask, I gotta so we got a little smack and creations food medic. We got the dividend doll, but, and I know that you've been cooking since you were a child and your mama puts you in charge of the biggest meal preparation cleaning. So I did where the cooking comes from, but you have such a passion for not only cooking, but you know, I'm, I met you Megan and saving where and I've been following, you know, your page and you spend a lot of time investing into the youth in Nashville. And so where did that come from? Well,

Speaker 4:

um, I always kinda like gravitated to wanting to see other kids have the best. Um, before I got my life together, I was in the street. And what I would do was always, you know, doing illegal activities, not stealing or killing anybody, uh, but doing wrong to get money. And then I would do a big cookout for the keys. I wanted all of the kids to eat, uh, into a popsicles, sodas in the neighborhood. So I would do this. So I had a pass and always to, to, to help key then. Do you know, just so kids a good time. Um, I was on a journey, uh, area for, um, 14 and a half year as I was in federal prison. And in that time of doing my federal rule bit, um, I received some bad news close to the end of my beard. It was, um, in 2015, um, I had, uh, got called to the, to the chapel office and I received the news that my baby brother has been killed. And that almost killed me. And in the midst of trying to heal from that, I asked God, give me something, give me something that I could, you know, give back to, to save kids from leaving their older brother, older sister, their mother, their father, their family, period from leaving the earth. And so, you know, in that time it was like core yourself. Pour yourself into them, pour yourself, show them that you have a heart to listen to get and teach and show them. You know what I'm saying, that you are always there for them. So that's where my passion, you know, uh, we'd done the career day, um, last month and I was so hurt from the fact that here it is career day at an elementary and the people who, who supposed to have these big entrepreneurial careers didn't show up. It was two officers, two Metro officers that showed up. Myself and mr ke, we showed up. But when we showed that we showed out. Do you understand the, we showed out, the kids were so happy because we, we was raffling out footballs, basketballs, bicycle ham was bicycles. We was giving out candy. We was asking them questions, they was coming to bow up the food truck looking and they was amazed. And I, and I had told the kids, listen, this was my dream. Now I'm living it out in my reality. Do you know what I mean? So I told him, you know, Hey, I'm the one on the sideline, just willing to listen and that Rick, you, so my passion, uh, for the kids, it's always been that, but it was trying to up a hundred times higher when my baby brother was called, um, to the other side,

Speaker 3:

you know, I'm sorry for your loss. I know that, you know, it happened four years ago, but there's another date and doesn't go by when you don't think about a lot of money that you lose. I love my earth in 2018 last year to breast cancer. And so a lot of things that I've done, I've always been pushing myself to be the best lack of be, but it kind of kicked into overdrive after she passed because I was like, you know what, I can't let everything she put in me, you know? So on their on there says you gotta kind of feel where you're coming from because there is like all the things that you want to do. You kind of kick it up a notch because you're like, I got somebody that has always watched me back. I know that they really are watching me now and I can't walk down.

Speaker 4:

I just, I've just enjoyed this past weekend if someone came down from Milwaukee and, um, I just enjoy the weekend, have fun with them, you know, just pouring into him. I'm standing and not only into my immediate family and, and, and nieces and nephews and cousins or other people, other people in the community, the village, you know, I'm there and that's my passion. And, uh, one thing that I left out there, if I visit a school for career day or whatever, this is what I do to give back to the kids. And I tell the kids, Hey, if anytime you see lip smacking creation food Medi-Cal, if you're riding with your mother, your father, auntie, your big brother or big sister, cousin or whoever, if you get them to stop, I owed you a meal free only that, that, that, uh, comes with a drank of their choice. Um, uh, fry the fries and whatever main course. If it'd be a gift though, if it'd be, uh, my big pet chicken tenders. Um, also if it'd be, I have an item on here, isn't that, and got to my bedroom brother and it's called the Carto grilled smoked chicken rent. Yes. Yes. I'm sorry you didn't get to try that. But next time I would make sure you have the best one. What that comes

Speaker 6:

with is a grill, smoked chicken, mozzarella cheese roll, spinach and Carolina purple. I'm closed up with a sauce that a brain tears you eyes deep fry.

Speaker 3:

I'm already car man, cause I ain't made them a year.

Speaker 4:

Yes. And uh, so when I, when people come to this, uh, food truck and they asked about the Cardo rep and I let them know, that's an honor. My favorite brother is no longer here, but he's here always in my heart. But he has made that transition to the other side. And when people try that man, they fall in love with it. They fall in love with Ricardo and[inaudible]. Ricardo would just because, um, that's an honor and a dedication to him and keeping his name alive. He was a good young man

Speaker 3:

and it's beautiful that you're keeping his memory alive in this way. You know, I got to ask, how would you close the Caribbean? Were there any students that decided that they wanted to be a food truck all new or they wanted to be

Speaker 6:

when they in,

Speaker 4:

ah, have you looked at my page? All the kids, they, I could not leave because they weren't quite, how do you cook this? Well, what type of, what type of fraud do you do? I need to get, uh, what type of, um, freezer do I need

Speaker 6:

to have, you know, so it was, it was, uh, I know over 30 kids asked him and it also turned on the light of the other ones, you know, Hey, I can come up with two different, um, types of food creations

Speaker 4:

and make a living off of,

Speaker 3:

I want to see more and more to a jury come up and as how do they start a food truck? Or how do they become an entrepreneur? Or how do they become a chef? Because what's so powerful is the representation they come with being a black on ships in new Orleans. And so, you know, you're, it's not just for black children, not just for Brown shooting, but shooting from all different races of visiting when they see, Oh, you can be an entrepreneur from all these different backgrounds to see that representation. There's something in their mind that it kind of like sparked something you like,

Speaker 6:

wow.

Speaker 7:

[inaudible]

Speaker 6:

yes. That's so true. Um, and the thing that really, um, I have a passion for and that I'm moving in that, that ration to try to do and I'm telling him about when I say try, try is really out the win, I'm going to do it. Um, it's just a lot of paperwork that I have to do. I'm seeking that when the summertime come that I can rotate children for one week, I have one child, another week I have another child on the truck learning how to operate the truck, cook and serve the individuals, the customs. So now I'm painting them my career. You see what I'm saying? My piece and that's my livelihood. And if they are very interesting, you know, gravitate towards it more and more and they would start thinking in their mind of idea how to create a food truck or a food trailer. Yeah.

Speaker 4:

Something in this format.

Speaker 3:

It wasn't until maybe a few weeks ago when I started getting messages from different people saying, Hey, you know, we're doing a food truck themed event at our school. Or I even saw, uh, someone on my page who mentors principals. He actually had the students do an exercise where they built their own food trucks out of boxes and cardboard and they were designed in like how they look and the main use and things that there's starting to be a push for a bigger variety of what careers can look like. And that's what I'm excited about.

Speaker 4:

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Because listen, doctors are great, lawyers are great, psychologists are great, you know, judges are great. All these other people are house builders, electrician, um, H bag, people, mechanics, all of those are great. Oh, one about the greatest of a mall that has to be these individuals. Can you feel me? What about the individual that, that fuse these other individuals with the career, like the food trunk, this shelf, the one who's creating these dishes for them to eat, to keep their minds going, you know, to do the job that there are doing in their career. And if, if it's, um, counter ironic that you said about the school. Um, I had, um, mr, um, Campbell, the president, uh, the principal for Republic high school, uh, it's a private school reached out to me. He reached out to me and I will be there this coming Friday to surprise the seniors with lip smacking, creation, food medic, and in honor of just being able to be invited out, um, I have dropped my prices and also I'm willing to give, um, the French fries. And it may sound small, but when you're, uh, trying to make a living off of what you're doing, every little bit counts. So I, I'm donating 200 stuff, fries each one that each one is students with 200 students. Each student comes and get an order of fries for you on you if you did the$3 off of automatic, whatever I make. So I'm, I'm, I'm forfeiting that. I'm paying that forward, you know, and I'm just, it's just in my heart to give. So how can you enjoy a blessing unless you give it away? You know what I'm saying? Yeah. Give it away.

Speaker 3:

And you know, a lot of, I think they underestimate or maybe they just don't realize what goes into being a business and not only just running the business, but when that business is your only source of income.

Speaker 4:

Yeah.

Speaker 3:

Not as every dollar count, every city, but every you get to it as a big thing. Like whatever you give, whatever you are investing, that's a big thing because that's, you know, another doubt isn't that coming. This struck me as I, how can you enjoy your blessing? Listen, be able to wait. And that's what really struck me about, um, particularly the black food truck industry is their admin. So many different people. I'm sure there's many other are like races and groups. They do this as well. But what really struck me is there's so many of the black boots are gone is that I encountered it was more to them then this is something that I like to cook and I'm going to make money off of it. Here's those passionate about cooking. Yes, of course they want to, you know, make a living to support themselves and their families. But there was also this thing of, I'm doing this for this group of people. I'm doing this because, you know, I had a son that passed away tragically, or I lost my brother, or I want the key is to see something different in my neighborhood. Or I'm doing this for my children, or you know, I'm doing this for, uh, teens are experiencing homelessness. I'm doing this where I'm feeding those who are experiencing homelessness on the weekends. There's a, uh, a church in Atlanta, um, as, uh, Elizabeth Baptist church. I believe they got food to a call, a taste of grace in every session, every Saturday. I, I've been to the food truck before and I actually followed them one Saturday morning when I was in Atlanta, uh, to, uh, the Donna center for women and children. They pulled up early in the morning and they just hear cars just go on out into, uh, the shelter feeding the women and the children. And then they said, uh, the men at another location that same morning, they do it every Saturday is hearing stories like that and being on site to experience those moments. That really got me invested in saying, Hey, somebody needs to hear these stories. Like it's not, when you say these food trucks rolling around, isn't that just the food is so much that the food allows these foods or homes do, it's so much change they get to do just by, you know, selling these plates that we often don't think about when we just see a food truck rolling down the street or parked on a corner somewhere or at the park or what have you.

Speaker 4:

It's another thing with, with the food truck. Uh, it's like here in Nashville, if you are not like I'm in the food truck association you, I live down up on, but I refuse to be part of a coat or a clique. No, no, no, no, not, not, not. I refuse. Um, I was told that my prices or too low that they needed to be high, but everybody, we are dealing with affordable living right now. Everybody don't have a place to live. So why not help affordable food prices and delicious food? You feel me? I can't be apart or I'm looked down upon and left second creation food made. It is looked down upon by so called the food truck association because my prices are too low. I am at peace in my price.

Speaker 7:

Hmm.

Speaker 4:

And the people who come to my truck satisfied with the food, the quality and quantity of food that they get at the price that I said they walk away happy. Ain't gotta be struggling to pay a bill because they don't spend all this money for the kids at my trial. You see? So guess what, again, I'm enjoying my blessing and I'm giving him way. God made it possible for me to get this truck. You know what I mean? It's part of my ministry. It's part of my healing, you know, as far as my way of giving back, trying to mean, uh, a lot of my wrongs, even though I have prayed and asked for forgiveness, do the creative guy, you know what I mean? So Hey and again I'm at peace with it all.

Speaker 3:

The big thing is whatever you do at the end of the day, can you look at your license? Like I'm at peace with it.

Speaker 4:

Yes. Watch out. Get me up in here.

Speaker 3:

Sorry. Of course that I have for you. Passionate. Okay. If that was somebody they may have been where you being bigger and they're thinking about how to turn their life around and thinking about you. Oh, I can't

Speaker 4:

go here. I can't go there and they have an idea for starting their own beans and they want to be their own bouts. They can do it. What would you tell them?

Speaker 7:

[inaudible]

Speaker 4:

why would I tell her?

Speaker 7:

Huh?

Speaker 4:

First of all

Speaker 7:

[inaudible]

Speaker 4:

I oppose their question on Facebook and this is boring right along with you and this, this is unique. It's awesome. High work. I'll pose the question. If you could extend your life time longer by doing one thing, what would it be that you are willing to do to extend your life? And I asked myself that question when I was only in the Valley experience and the answer that I got for sales, and it may be a lot of other people's to my answer was if I could change my way of thinking, then I know my life would be extended. Bobby are a no longer. If I stopped thinking selfish and start thinking about others in the grace, well carry me on through. I will be stress-free. I will be more happy. You know what I'm saying? And be willing to show others love. So for an individual who wants to change their life, then ask yourself, what are you willing to give up? You know what I'm saying? For the ultimate change, if that's the way that you have been thinking of doing things only for yourself and being selfish, give it up all for that up to God as a sacrifice. Give it up and ask him to elevate you, give you the strength to go forward. I had to do that. I had to do that. And once you do that, then guess what? The individuals that you need to help you in pursuing that dream, starting that food truck or that food trailer or the grill, smoke grill that you want to pour will come to you.

Speaker 7:

[inaudible]

Speaker 4:

they will see the growth in you, in your eyes and be willing to help you and directed this truck that I have. When I got released from federal prison and uh, 2016, July the 26, 2016, I had to go to the federal halfway house. I went to federal prison. They didn't have phones. So I ended up giving him a smart phone and I heard about, um, so a weekend pass and I say, man, Craigslist, Craigslist. I didn't never know what it was. So I went to sleep and I woke up and there was like God was telling me going on Craigslist, I went on Craigslist, I seen a re M&Ms just, just read nothing else, just read and the price, Hey, it was 45,000 for this vehicle. I'll call. I met the woman, I didn't have that money. So you hit me. I didn't have 45,000. I met the woman and she was like, she was supposed to meet somebody else, but God led her to meet me. So I was like, man, Lord, you know I want that truck. Let me tell you the too much pays. I call it a woman. She had the trucks, they had the truck and you know what this woman told me and she said, you know you supposed to have the truck. She said, and I'm asking for 45 she said, but because it's you, something is telling me to sell this truck. She you put 25,000 what? I got him, I have the truck and I put and I was able to get the truck by the truck and put everything I need inside the truck. Lip, smacking, creation, boom. Eddie was parked. If I asked you a question, all of this that the prayer petition be made known, believe Ethereum supply all that you need strength our business and leads you to the right individuals.

Speaker 2:

Well look, I'm out of time but I'm definitely not out of material. If you want to connect with Patrick, linear and lip smacking creations, food medic for school events, food truck festivals, special events, donations or any other form of support. You can email Patrick at Catholic linear, that's L a N I E r29@gmail.com you can also follow the food truck on his Facebook and Instagram pages. Once again, thank you for kicking it with me for another episode of the FINTRAC scholar podcast. If you are a food truck owner, there would like to be a guest or a listener that has suggestions for a food truck. I should try email me@aerialsaysarielatthefoodtrucksscholar.com and make sure you follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter as the food truck scholar to stay up to date on the latest in the food truck world. I'm your host, Ariel D Smith signing off and reminding you to eat local, buy local and support your local food truck owner. I'll see you next week.