last call for oatmeal :: two more days of bloop

bloop's lease is up at the end of this month. At this time we do not have plans to re-open as a food cart and we will be closing this Friday, February 25th.  We appreciate eveyone's support and business!!!
My gratitude goes out to Sanjay Chandran of Sonny Bowl for letting us share his cart for a year.  But most of all, my heart and love goes out to Matt Hilliard who ran the business of bloop over the last year. Without him, this bloopin' dream would not have been possible. This Friday we say goodbye to bloop.....at least for now. Keep in touch via twitter @bloopoatmeal.

bloop history: Part II

After a nod of culinary approval from the girls I shared an apartment with in Spanish Harlem, I began to dream up a vision for bloop.

The original bloop concept was fully conceived on a hot summer night in between the bars of the L.E.S. in 2007.  bloop was envisioned as a sort of oatmeal revolution- to do for oatmeal what Magnolia did for the cupcake. My master plan was to set up shop next to Magnolia and feed the droves speciality oatmeal concoctions as they waited for their cupcakes.

bloop was to be a healthy alternative to the egg and cheese sandwich and pastry options that dot the city at the mouth of the subway entrances. bloop also sought to reinvent the soggy slop that gives oatmeal a bad name in delis, cafeterias and cafes across America.

The vision: feel yummy, be healthy, eat bloop. With a larger mission, while admittedly trite: to feed the world on oats and raisins.

While never really imagined as solely a food cart/ truck concept, after moving to Portland, and hounding my friend Sanjay of Sonny Bowl to let me rent from him and open  for breakfast, bloop was birthed!

to be continued..........................................................

bloop history: part 1 - the two-year-old genius behind the name "bloop"

My own habit of oatmeal eating began after I found out my cholesterol was slightly elevated a few years ago. When I told my mom, she suggested I start eating oatmeal.

On my next visit home, she made me the most amazing bowl of oatmeal ever; a cinnamon raisin version with nutmeg and cloves. I also learned that her renewed interest in oatmeal making was inspired by the arrival of  my four nieces.

The two-year old genius behind the name "bloop"

Mom's version of oatmeal was a hit among my nieces. So much so, that on a visit to my brother's family in Massachussettes, my niece sklyer asked if mom would make her some of that "bloop" stuff she made on a previous visit.

And, well........ Sklyer is right - oatmeal is bloopy.

bloop's lease is ending!!!!

bloop's lease ends on March 1st! Eeek!

In an ideal world bloop would open a cart of her own and happily serve oatmeal well into the afternoon, along with some other tasty treats! However, scraping together enough cash could be a challenge...

If anyone out there has any connections or suggestions let us know!

bloop hours

bloop will be closed on Friday, October 15 & Monday, October 18. See you on Tuesday!!!

Aboard Sign Making

I've been wanting to make an aboard sign for bloop pretty much ever since we first opened.  With a barrage of visitors over the summer, and limited time, it took awhile, but this project finally made it off of my idea list last weekend.

Originally, I was planning to commission,  Haley Ann Robinson, to make me one, but in order to save money, I decided to make one myself with help, of course, from the blond fox and his power tools.

I'm documenting the Aboard sign making process on this blog and hope you find it helpful. Feel free to pass this post along to anyone you know who wants to make one for their small business. 

1) If you live in Portland, determine whether you will purchase an aboard permit from the city. I did, but honestly I am not sure if this permit is enforced. My guess is probably not. The cost is $60 a year and you can find a link to the aboard permit form in the City of Portland here.

2) Purchase an Aboard sign (or make one). I happened to already have one, but you can get one at  Mr. Plywood if you live in Portland. Mr. Plywood is an inexpensive lumber store perfect for all sorts of projects whether you are interested in making an Aboard sign or not. If you are interested in recreating the cute letters that Matt and I designed, you can pick up a 4 ft by 4 ft sheet of 1/4 inch birch for around $12.00.

3) Decide on your design. This is where you can be as creative or not creative as you like. Most businesses paint their aboards, but chalkboard paint is another fun option. Once again, if you need an artist to help with your design. I know a good one! I was planning on using stencils for my wood letters, however the dude helping us at Mr. Plywood suggested I just use MS Word to create my own stencils. I recommend the following font: Tw Cen MT Condensed Extra Bold (Size 600).

After cutting out and tracing the letters onto the birch board I purchased, Matt cut out the letters with a jigsaw. For tight turn cuts he used a router, however a jigsaw would work for this too, it is just much easier with a router. While I was really good at cutting out the l's, my o's looked more like ovals, so I sanded the letters down and painted the Aboard sign while he finished cutting out the letters. If you ever need a handy man to help with your projects in Portland or beyond, the blond fox (Matt) is always available and his work is reasonably priced.

4) Determine what materials you will need to finish your aboard. I used an outdoor paint in greybeard gray with a matte finish from Miller Paint.  A great place to find inexpensive materials, if you don't mind buying them used, is the ReStore. Operated by Habitat for Humanity, the ReStore collects leftover paint, stains, and other building supplies and resells these items for super cheap. Matt and I have collected different shades of stain, one of which we used on the letters. We attached the letters using Gorilla Glue.

5) Set up your aboard street side, oh yea. I am so happy how this turned out and will be interested to see if business picks up, as the bloop/ Sonny Bowl cart is hidden behind an urban hedge of coniferous bush.

bloop in the news: part II

The September issue of Portland Monthly did a feature on the 40 top food carts in PDX. The feature included video of the carts (yea, bloop!), an interactive map feature, and an overview of some of the food cart pods located in and around Portland.


Food Cart Favorites: Bloop from Portland Monthly on Vimeo.


Also noteworthy: Portland Food Carts are ranked best in the world according to a survey conducted by Budget Travel's website!!