Sodexo Opens Star Ginger Food Truck on College Campus

Sodexo and celebrity chef Mai Pham have opened the first Star Ginger Asian Grill & Noodle Bar branded food truck on the campus of University of California-Davis. The concept is the first stand-alone Southeast Asian retail platform for Sodexo and one of the first of its kind in the U.S. noncommercial foodservice sector, the company says.

It menus authentic dishes inspired by Asian street foods such as Vietnamese toasted banh mi sandwiches. The Food Truck, stationed outside UC Davis’ Silo Union, is open Monday through Friday and offers a selection of items from Pham’s Star Ginger restaurant in addition to banh mi. The menu includes salad rolls, wok-fried rice noodles such as pad Thai and aromatic curries.

Pham had created Star Ginger based on the flavors and culinary insights she gathered and crafted while operating restaurants, writing cookbooks, teaching, consulting, and conducting research in Asia over the last 20 years.

“The concept represents how we want to eat today—more healthfully, with a bigger focus on quality ingredients and a good measure of culinary adventure,” she explains. “I am so excited that we have started on this journey with Sodexo and to see that food truck out and about on campus.”

Sodexo and Pham had entered a license agreement earlier this year that grants Sodexo the right to open and operate the Star Ginger concept at its various managed locations for the next 10 years. Recent studies have emphasized the effectiveness of mobile food trucks and the advantages of delivering goods and services to high-density areas at the convenience of the consumers.

“Trend data show that our guests are looking for adventuresome and exotic flavors,” says Ray Torres, director of business development for Sodexo’s Retail Brand Group. “Bringing the fresh, bright authentic flavors of Star Ginger and Southeast Asia and combining it with the convenience of a Food Truck is a win-win,”

“I love the high energy of campus life and am so thrilled to be part of UC Davis,” adds Pham. “This food truck is like our Star Ginger restaurant but on wheels. We take great ingredients and cook everything fresh. For students, they can now grab a banh mi or Green Curry rice bowl right between classes! How cool is that?”