After a long night in the city, you don’t care what you eat, as long as it’s savory, inexpensive and quick. That’s what was on the minds of Mark Manguera, his wife Caroline Shin and sister-in-law Alice Shin after barhopping in L.A. at 4 a.m. They scouted out the nearest taco truck and indulged in their late night hunger. With a taco in hand, it dawned on Manguera. Wouldn’t it be great to put Korean barbeque in a taco? he thought out loud. Caroline and Alice laughed at him. Buglogi is the ultimate savory beef barbeque dish from Korea. But in a taco? It seemed that Manguera was much more buzzed than Caroline and Alice thought. But Manguera was serious.

Weeks later and sober, Manguera brought the idea up again with his wife. Both had a culinary background—Shin worked as a caterer while Manguera had worked in a restaurant kitchen in LA. “I thought it was too soon,” Shin says. “We always wanted to start a business, but I never thought it would happen now.” Now is especially not the ideal time to start a new business, thought Shin. In this hard economy, it would be a miracle if they even got off the ground.Then a friend offered them an opportunity to turn their late night culinary epiphany into reality – a catering truck with a one-month free lease. “We thought, ‘Why not?’” Shin says. “An opportunity like this isn’t going to happen every day.” With the help of their friend Chef Roy Choi, the couple came up with a simple concept –variations of Korean barbeque in a soft shell taco, a take on the carne asada coaches popular around the LA area.

With a bare-boned budget, some Korean barbeque, tacos and a truck, Kogi BBQ hit the streets. “I remember when we first went out there and being all excited just to see 20 people,” says Shin. “We were prepared to take a hit for a few months before we saw any real profit.” But then something strange happened. The crowds grew bigger and bigger. Before long, the Kogi truck would pull in to their next destination with several hundred eager customers waiting for them. The only problem now was making enough tacos to feed everyone in line.

Thanks to the Web, digital word of mouth marketing had turned Kogi BBQ into a culinary and marketing phenomenon. Caroline’s sister Alice offers Kogi fans with updated Twitter tweets on the truck’s next destination. Their Web site gets thousands of hits each day from people eager to try their popular Korean short ribs or spicy barbeque chicken tacos. L.A. food bloggers took notice of the new craze and legions of foodies followed their culinary craving wherever the Kogi truck went.“This probably would not have gotten as big as it has gotten and quickly as it has without the Web,” says Shin. “When we started, we had nothing. We didn’t a have a budget for marketing. The Web just offered a forum for free and fast publicity.” Savory, filling and surprisingly cheap (tacos go for $2 while burritos go for $5), the Asian/Mexican concoction has created a nationwide buzz.

From the Los Angeles Times to the New York Times and spots on CBS and ABC, the Kogi phenomenon has hit the big time. Now with two trucks – Roja and Verde – prowling the southland, Kogi BBQ is broadening its reach. Orange County can count on seeing the trucks in its neighborhoods soon.The secret to Kogi’s success? A simple yet creative take on two cuisine favorites. But to Shin, the secret formula goes beyond the marinade or ingredients.“We have a really good solid team,” says Shin. “I don’t think we could have done it alone. Everyone does their part to bring it to the next level – from Roy creating a new dish, to my cousin working the crowd, to sister writing the blogs.

The food is the first part, but finding the right people for the job, to get the food out there is probably just as important.”Standing in line to taste the fusion tacos has even become a must-do L.A. experience.L.A. executives stand in line for as long as one hour with late night clubbers and hipsters. A small boom box plays reggae music.“At the end of the day, people are happy and it’s worth the wait,” says Shin.

Check out where the Kogi BBQ trucks hit next on www.kogibbq.com or follow them on Twitter