Jordan Feilders

Jordan Feilders is expanding the culinary tastes of Parisians with his unique brand of fast casual dining, Cantine California, a food truck offering American favourites such as gourmet burgers and tacos.

Jordan Feilders completed an Honours BA in International Relations and Environmental Studies at U of T's Trinity College. He worked internationally as a Legislative Analyst and later as an Environmental and Public Relations Advisor and Business Consultant before setting out an a different path. Since 2012, Feilders, born in Toronto and raised in San Francisco and Paris, has been operating Cantine California, a food truck in Paris serving American fare such as gourmet burgers, tacos and cupcakes using organic and local ingredients. In July 2013, Cantine California opened a kitchen residency in a new trendy Parisian bar and is opening their own bricks and mortar location early 2014.

For Feilders, Cantine California is a way of bringing healthy, organic and local food — like the kind he was raised on — to the streets of Paris. The truck is chocolate brown and decorated with bright phrases like "Fresh Cut Fries" and "Real Cheese," a deliberate attempt to evoke a sense of North American food trucks. Feilders says that prior to Cantine California's arrival on the streets of Paris, many Parisians had never eaten a soft taco, much less one stuffed with succulent local meats and other ingredients. By offering truck-variety convenience with healthy choices, Cantine California is gathering popularity and fans, particularly with younger Parisians who, according to Feilders, "are really into the New York food scene and the California lifestyle; and feel like they are travelling across the Atlantic when they put down their baguettes and stop by our truck for a juicy burger."

Published Nov. 28, 2013