About Food Smackdown – Best Food Truck Catering in Orange County, California

Food Smackdown is Southern California’s leading provider of food truck catering, culinary entertainment, and custom catering solutions, serving Orange County, Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, Palm Desert and surrounding regions. With more than a decade of experience producing high-profile events, we deliver professionally curated culinary experiences for corporate clients, enterprise brands, media productions, festivals and large-scale gatherings.

Trusted by the Largest Brands & Events in the Country

Food Smackdown, Inc. is known for arranging gourmet food trucks and developing pop-up restaurant concepts for major national events including VidCon, BlizzCon, NAMM, Expo West and D23. We’ve partnered with elite clients such as Google, Nordstrom, Macy’s, Redfin, HauteLook, JetBlue, Zappos, Groupon and more—providing top-quality catering support for high-volume and high-visibility productions.

Featured Culinary Expertise & National Recognition

Founder Steve Carlson has been featured on the Food Network, Cooking Channel, ABC News and Where Women Cook. Steve collaborates with award-winning food trucks, caterers and celebrity chefs featured on TV shows such as ABC’s The Taste and Food Network’s Chopped. This industry recognition reinforces Food Smackdown’s reputation as a trusted authority in gourmet food truck catering and elevated culinary event production.

The Best Network of Food Trucks, Chefs & Culinary Talent

We work exclusively with the most reliable, professional and experienced gourmet food trucks, pop-ups, chefs and specialty catering partners in Southern California. Each partner is fully vetted for food quality, service consistency, punctuality and scalability—ensuring flawless execution every time. From award-winning trucks to chef-driven activations, we offer unmatched access to the region’s finest culinary talent.

Corporate Catering & Enterprise-Level Expertise

Food Smackdown is the preferred catering partner for corporate planners, meeting professionals, HR teams and enterprise brands seeking high-end culinary experiences. We specialize in corporate catering, employee appreciation events, product launches, brand activations and team-building experiences. Whether serving 50 guests or 5,000+, our logistics, planning and event execution ensure smooth, efficient and exceptional service.

Custom Culinary Productions That Elevate Events

Our capabilities include gourmet food truck catering, live action stations (taco bars, smokers, rotisseries, pizza ovens, wood-fired grills and dessert stations), celebrity chef activations, pop-ups and gourmet food carts. We also produce hybrid setups combining trucks, stations and traditional catering—creating immersive, high-impact culinary experiences for premium events across Orange County and Southern California.

Why Food Smackdown Leads the Industry

• 15+ years of experience with major brands and national events
• The largest curated network of gourmet food trucks in Southern California
• Expertise in high-volume and complex event logistics
• Proven track record with Fortune 500 companies and top event producers
• End-to-end coordination: menus, scheduling, permits & on-site execution
• Consistent, elevated guest experiences backed by vetted partners

Our Mission

Our mission is to deliver the highest level of culinary excellence by connecting clients with the best gourmet food trucks, chefs and event catering partners in Southern California. We believe exceptional food transforms experiences, and we take pride in producing events that are memorable, immersive and stress-free.

Your Event. Our Expertise.

Whether you’re planning a corporate event in Orange County, a brand activation in Los Angeles, a festival in San Diego or a luxury gathering anywhere in Southern California, Food Smackdown delivers unmatched expertise, creativity and culinary excellence. Ready to begin? Contact us to get started.

Steve Carlson

CEO/Founder: Recognized Expert, entrepreneur and consultant in the culinary industry with a successful track record in company branding, business development and technology. Steve has a track record of success of several start-up companies. Steve is a computer engineer, consultant and a serial entrepreneur. Steve loves innovation, technology, food photography, surfing, good food and sharing his dining experiences.

Nikki Carlson

COO/Partner: Recognized in the Industry as a Leader in Public Relations, Media, Sales, Marketing, Product Development and Brand Awareness. Nikki has a successful track record for the growth of two major fashion and retail companies. Nikki co-owns and runs a successful fashion forward electronics brand (“chicBuds“) and PR/Channel Management company (“ChicExecs“). Nikki has an entrepreneurial spirit and loves to eat and share about it.