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Chef backpacks & food business kits from a working food truck

Gear and guides from a working kitchen.

The chef backpack we designed for people who work the line, and the spreadsheets and guides we built running Tacos El Gringo since 2017 — packaged for anyone starting a food truck, a catering side, a menu or a market stall.

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Chef backpack with built-in leather knife roll

One bag, two sizes, with a leather knife roll built in. Ships free from Santa Ana within two business days.

Waxed nylon chef knife backpack with built-in leather knife roll and laptop sleeve
Ships from Santa Ana

Chef Backpack with 10-Slot Leather Knife Roll

A 10-slot leather knife roll sewn into the pack, so knives, a laptop and the rest of your kit ride in one bag.

  • 10-slot leather knife roll, blades to 14″
  • Weather-resistant waxed nylon
  • 22 × 13 × 5 in packed
  • 15″ laptop sleeve · USB pass-through
$85Buy on Etsy
Big and tall chef knife backpack worn on the shoulders, showing the extended straps
Ships from Santa Ana

Big & Tall Chef Knife Backpack

Same bag and knife roll, with a longer, further-adjusting strap for a bigger frame.

  • Same 10-slot leather knife roll
  • Extended strap for taller builds
  • 22 × 13 × 5 in packed
  • 15″ laptop sleeve · USB pass-through
$95Buy on Etsy

Food truck, catering & home bakery templates

The working files behind a food truck that has run since 2017: Excel workbooks (they also open in Google Sheets and Numbers), PowerPoint menus and short PDF guides. Instant download.

On sale now on Etsy. See each listing for today’s price. Over 80 sales and counting.

For food trucks & market vendors

Startup costs, permits, menus and break-even math for trucks, pop-ups and markets.

Food truck startup cost spreadsheet and guide in Excel and PDF
Digital · instant download

Food Truck Start-Up Kit: Startup Costs, Plate Costing & Permits

12-page guide + 4-tab Excel toolkit: startup costs, plate costing, catering pricing, and a permit & license tracker (California appendix).

$19.98Get it on Etsy
Editable food truck menu board templates in PowerPoint
Digital · instant download

The Menu That Sells: Editable Menu Board Templates

Five editable menu layouts (three 11×17 boards, two 8.5×11 sheets) as PowerPoint + print PDF, a 5-tab menu price builder and an 11-page guide.

$19.98Get it on Etsy
Farmers market vendor checklist and break-even workbook
Digital · instant download

Farmers Market Vendor Kit & Checklist

6-tab event workbook with a break-even calculator, 8-page guide and a printable load-and-packing checklist. For markets, festivals, breweries and pop-ups.

$19.98Get it on Etsy

For caterers

Price the job, send the proposal, and sign the contract that protects your deposit.

Catering pricing template spreadsheet and business guide
Digital · instant download

Catering Business Kit: Catering Pricing Workbook

18-page guide + 9-tab Excel workbook: package builder, event pricing, prep & staffing, shopping list, job profit and lead trackers, rate card.

$19.98Get it on Etsy
Catering proposal template in Word and catering quote calculator in Excel
Digital · Word + Excel

Catering Proposal Template & Quote Calculator

A 4-tab quote builder (rate card, packages, add-ons, travel, service charge, tax, deposit) plus a 2-page client-ready proposal. Price the job, then send the proposal that closes it.

$29.98Get it on Etsy
Catering contract template with deposit and cancellation policy, change order and headcount forms
Digital · editable Word

Catering Contract Template: Deposit, Cancellation & Headcount Forms

A 14-section catering service agreement, a plain-English deposit & cancellation policy, an event change order and a final headcount form. Pairs with the proposal kit.

$7.98Get it on Etsy

For home bakers & cottage food

Cost every cookie and label it the way your state requires.

Recipe cost calculator and bakery pricing spreadsheet for Excel and Google Sheets
Digital · Excel + Google Sheets

Recipe Cost Calculator for Home Bakers

An ingredient library, automatic unit conversion, 10 recipe tabs, and packaging, labor and overhead built in — with a suggested retail and wholesale price at the margin you choose.

$6.98Get it on Etsy
Editable cottage food label templates for all 50 states and DC with label law guide
Digital · printable labels

Cottage Food Labels for All 50 States + DC

Editable label sheets with each state’s cottage food statement already set, in Avery and thermal-label sizes, plus a 16-page state-by-state label law guide.

$9.98Get it on Etsy

Everything in one download

The Food Truck, Catering, Menu and Farmers Market kits together.

Food business template bundle: food truck, catering, menu and farmers market kits
Best value · all four kits

Food Business Bundle: All Four Kits

The Food Truck, Catering, Menu and Farmers Market kits in one download — four kits for less than the price of three.

$49.98Get it on Etsy

Digital files are final sale. Questions? Message the shop on Etsy or text (714) 260-3696.

Chef backpack & kit FAQs

How many knives fit in the chef backpack?

The built-in leather knife roll has 10 slots and takes blades up to 14 inches, so a full kit rides in one bag.

Will my laptop fit?

Yes. Both backpacks have a 15-inch laptop sleeve and a USB pass-through.

What’s the difference with the Big & Tall backpack?

Same bag and same knife roll, with a longer, further-adjusting strap for a bigger frame.

Do the kits work in Google Sheets?

Yes. The workbooks are Excel files that also open in Google Sheets and Numbers. Menu layouts come as PowerPoint plus print-ready PDF.

How do I get the kits?

They’re instant downloads on Etsy — the files are ready the moment you pay. Digital files are final sale.

Who made the templates?

Ryan Lane, owner of Tacos El Gringo, a Santa Ana food truck running since 2017. Every calculator started as a sheet we use to run the truck.

Follow along

New gear, new guides, and what’s cooking this week.

Etsy

Every bag and guide in one place. Gear ships from Santa Ana; kits download the moment you pay.

culinarycurators.etsy.com →

Pinterest

Plates, menus, the truck and the kitchen, pinned as we go.

Follow the boards →

Instagram

This week’s menu, the presale and the cook.

@the.culinary.curators →

The numbers are ours

Every calculator started as the sheet we used to price a plate, quote a catering job or decide whether a Saturday market paid.

The bag was a problem we had

Cooks carry a knife roll in one hand and a backpack on the other shoulder. We put the roll inside the pack and had it made to our spec.

Questions go to a person

Message the shop on Etsy, or text us at (714) 260-3696 — the same people who answer about Tuesday’s pickup.

And the food.

Chef-cooked meal prep, every meal over 50 g of protein and under 600 calories — plus catering for weddings and events.

This week’s menu Catering