These Chefs Are Building Community with Pop-Ups, Side Hustles, and Hybrid Careers

When I started a food truck in Philly in 2013, I unknowingly entered myself into a life dictated by events—pop-ups with and without the truck, catering, and collaborations with other chefs who were intrigued by my uncommon-to-Philadelphia, Hawaii-inflected cuisine.  

During events season, late March to November, I cooked in a different place every day, bringing mochi nori fried chicken, fish poke, and of course, Spam musubi to well-heeled diners, ravenous beer festival revelers, and...