How did we survive before the food truck craze? Who can’t resist an afternoon out under the sunshine (or cool fog, as some temperaments prefer) listening to local music, getting together with neighbors and enjoying a selection of a half a dozen or so of your favorite food trucks?

That’s the scene on the tarmac outside Public Market Emeryville every Saturday, 11 to 3, sun or fog or rain or wind. You can always check out the Public Market Saturday lineup of trucks at Off the Grid’s site here >

Designed to support small businesses by bringing together a collection of truck purveyors, Off the Grid was founded in 2010 by CEO Matt Cohen. Matt was inspired by the night food markets he experienced while teaching English in Japan after college.

The timing of Off the Grid’s founding is significant; in the midst of the great recession, a number of people had lost their jobs and were looking to live their dreams. For many folks, that meant going back to the basics, doing what they loved – serving delicious, unique food for people.

Additionally, before such operations as Off the Grid helped them to organize, food trucks were assisted by social media. Suddenly, a truck could pop up anywhere and simply alert fans where to find them through Twitter.

Some favorite food trucks seen at Off the Grid at Public Market include Go Streatery, Southern Comfort Kitchen and Little Green Cyclo.

If you’re around Public Market during the week, you can still enjoy food trucks. There’s a rotating line-up of single trucks weekdays from 11 to 2. Dubbed Off the Grid’s “pods,” you can view the list each day on Off the Grid’s website, here >

Or, better, sign up for Public Market’s newsletter to stay on top of the latest >