Where are you from originally? If not from Vancouver, how did it become your home?
Corvette grew up in Manila, Matt is from Toronto.
And what is one thing that you love about Vancouver?
What we love about the city? You can drive anywhere within an hour and hit a lake, ocean, mountains, city etc…its so diverse and beautiful.
Tell us your story, how was Shameless Buns born?
Shameless Buns started because Matt saw a gap in accessible Filipino food in Vancouver. We went back to the Philippines a few years ago where Corvette was from and fell in love with the food and the culture and wanted to create something that would be exciting for everyone. Typically Filipino people make food for Filipino people and we wanted to do something that we can share with everyone and help highlight the amazing food and culture of the Philippines.
What was a challenge you faced with Shameless when you first entered the Food Truck Industry?
No one knew what Filipino food was… exactly why we went into business. We had to explain to people that we sell sandwiches and fries. We sampled A LOT! Once people tried our fries they were hooked. Also found that Filipino people were confused why we didn’t serve rice. They wondered how is it Filipino if there’s no rice LOL.
What is something that would surprise people about the Food Truck industry?
That it is a grind! In order to be successful you have to work super hard, keep up with the trends and do things that make you stand out. There are a lot of avenues to make money with a food truck but you need to work at it.
Your ‘Jacked Up Coconut’ is out of this world! What are your two top selling menu items and what is your personal favourite?
My personal favourite is the Not your Lola’s Chicken Adobo Sandwich with Sinigang fries combo. It’s a great way to experience Shameless Buns for the first time and you get the best of both worlds, buns and fries! Our top two selling items would be the Adobo Fries and the wacky Filipino Spaghetti Lumpia.
What menu item never made it out of the test kitchen?
Hmmm nothing that we can think of but we are always looking to add new things to the menu especially for the upcoming brick and mortar location.
Who is the most memorable celebrity that you’ve served your food to and what did they order?
Jim Carey- Adobo Fries and we were told he said Alright thennnn and loved it.
Tell us one fun fact about Shameless.
We are in the Official Global SPAM Cookbook for our Sir Spam a Lot Sandwich.
What’s the most interesting thing that’s happened in your career so far?
We started with a food truck, within a few months we organized an awesome Filipino festival called Magkasama with live music, bar, 20+ vendors and artists. We were going to do an even bigger and better one however due to covid we had to due the market virtually and we continue to do it 2x a year. Now we are opening a restaurant and have helped so many small businesses grow which has been so rewarding.
Covid has affected us all in different ways. Can you share with us how this time has affected you and your business? And do you have a message to share with the community?
The start of covid was a rough few months as we learned to navigate the uncharted times we were facing. However, it was great that our business was able to continue operating and since we are a food truck it was a great option for people to dine with us safely. Our loyal customer base really got us though this. Supporting local small business is something we all need to be focused on in order to ensure to keep these businesses afloat who contribute so much to our landscape.
What advice do you have for someone wanting to start their own business? What is something you wish someone had told you?
Do a lot of research! Connect with people in the same industry and learn as much as you can. For us social media has been a key to our success. Partnering with local media such as Daily Hive, Vancouver is Awesome and a ton of Influencers has been incredible with getting our name out and spreading the word.
Where can we find you this Summer?
All over the city! We post our schedule every Monday on Instagram, the Vancouver Street Food App and Facebook @Shamelessbuns.
For more info:
Website: shamelessbuns.com
Instagram: @shamelessbuns
Twitter: @shamelessbuns
Facebook: @shamelessbuns
Magkasama.vancouver our virtual Filipino market