Guerrilla Street Food announced the expansion of the modern Filipino-American concept’s leadership team. As the food truck and catering operations as well as number of locations continue to grow, co-owners Brian Hardesty and Joel Crespo welcome restaurant industry veteran, Mike Emerson, to the Guerrilla Street Food family as a consultant for the brand.

Emerson, one of the most-recognizable personalities in the St. Louis food scene, co-founded the famed Pappy Smokehouse–catapulting St. Louis as a top destination for BBQ in the country. Emerson has stepped away from day-to-day operations of the BBQ institution but continues as a consultant and spokesperson for the Pappy’s family of restaurants.

The new relationship with Guerrilla Street Food started as a simple call for advice to Emerson from co-owner Brian Hardesty. He says, “Brian reached out about on expanding their business, and the conversations spurred on from there. Through my years in this industry, I’ve learned so much from others like Danny Meyer by simply listening and asking questions. We support one another in this food business, and I’m always willing to help where I can. The Guerrilla Street Food guys offer something truly unique to the St. Louis dining scene and beyond so I’m here to help them navigate their future growth.”

Brian Hardesty and Joel Crespo are ecstatic to have Emerson’s wealth of knowledge. He will work with the Guerrilla Street Food team to offer his advice on everything from employee retention to scalable operations.

“We started Guerrilla Street Food as a dream. We were old friends who had a vision to bring something new to the St. Louis dining scene and celebrate Filipino food. The response has been overwhelmingly supportive so that vision continues to grow and change. It will be invaluable to have Mike as a guide for the future of Guerrilla Street Food.”

Guerrilla Street Food continues to expand with plans to open two locations this winter: one in the Delmar Loop area (6120 Delmar) as well as a location inside of frozen cocktail bar, Tropical Liqueurs, in The Grove. In addition to the flagship food truck and restaurant off Grand Avenue, the concept now operates inside of 2nd Shift Brewing. Guerrilla Street Food has been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Cooking Channel’s Late Night Eats, and more. For more information on Guerrilla Street Food, visit their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and website.