Aunt Robbie’s Revolution Cart Brings Soul and Spice to San Pedro’s Sidewalks

LA street food culture is dominated by Mexican cuisine, from tamales to burritos, followed by hot dogs and sandwiches, despite the landscape featuring ethnic cuisines from the Pacific Rim, the Mediterranean Crescent, the Caribbean, and the Americas, with all of its variations and iterations. It’s diversity that makes LA’s food culture fun.

Now there’s a new food cart on the scene — RB Burrito Twist — where you can get a flavorful, satisfying meal and a soda for just $7. Robinett Gant’s Revolution Cart offers fusion fare that combines Cajun and Latin American cuisine. Gant, known as Aunt Robbie by friends and clients alike, offers burritos, tamales, and her special Twist fried rice bowls, which are filled with mild beef sausage and teriyaki chicken.

The shredded beef burrito, which is comparable to barbacoa but wrapped in flour tortillas and cheddar cheese, is seared on all sides. The shredded beef is so highly seasoned and flavorful that the only thing you may think is missing is a side order of barbacoa sauce. 

RB Burrito Twist’s menu also includes bite-sized fried Cajun corn on the cob, 8-ounce cups of Brother’s Chilli with crackers, beef hot dogs, baked potato, and the Brother’s Potato Salad. All of the food is prepared in a professional kitchen and wrapped and kept warm in the state-of-the- art Revolution Cart.

“Once the health department sees that you have a Revolution Cart, they automatically okay them,” Gant said. Gant has had her permit for a little more than two years, having received it in December 2023.

A Revolution Cart is a Health Department-compliant, mobile street-food vending cart developed to legalize hot food vending in LA. A Revolution Cart is a new type of street-food vending cart designed specifically to meet Los Angeles County Department of Public Health rules for selling hot, freshly prepared food on sidewalks.This permit means that she doesn’t have to worry about her food being seized for lack of a license. 

In the past year, the price of getting the permits has decreased significantly from when it first started back in 2020. Unfortunately, the price decrease came just after she had paid for all her permits. Gant noted the price decrease came as a bid to get more vendors operating without permits to buy in.

“Even though we’re selling burritos, we try to put a little soul into it. So we added a little bit of teriyaki. My specialty for the burritos is the teriyaki chicken burritos with jasmine rice and cilantro sauce,” Gant said.

A 35-year resident of San Pedro and child care provider for three decades, Gant chose to pivot to a small business focused on her creative pursuits as she transitions into retired life.

Gant’s RB Burrito Twist cart can be found at every First Thursday ArtWalk between Pacific and Mesa on 6th Street. Gant aims for her cart to be visible when West Harbor officially opens, as well as the community events at the town square at the Water Cut near the LA Maritime Museum.

To keep up with RB Burrito Twist, follow on Instagram: @RBBurritoTwist