One of the last places you would expect to find a real Italian prince is driving a food truck on the streets of Los Angeles, California. But that hasn’t stopped His Royal Highness Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, the only male heir of Italy’s exiled king, Umberto II, from trying his luck in the American mobile food business.

“I came to Los Angeles six months ago for an event and I realized there were various Mexican and Asian food trucks around,” the prince told Italian magazine, Chi. “I thought ‘why don’t I try it?’ With a food truck with fresh Italian pasta that is loved around the world.” So he bought himself a food truck, painted it in the colors of House Savoy and named it “Prince of Venice”, after one of his would-be titles which are not recognized by the Italian government.

Filiberto says he was mesmerizes by all the “beautiful and colorful” food trucks in Los Angeles, and had his Eureka moment when he realized almost all of them were offering Asian and Mexican food, but none had Italian cuisine on the menu. He hied a chef, Mirko Paderno, and started driving around L.A. selling dishes like fettucine with shrimp and clams or linguine with truffles for as little as $15.

The House of Savoy ruled Italy from 1861 to 1946, when monarchy was abolished and the last king, Umberto II, was exiled after spending only a month on the throne. Emanuele Filiberto was born and raised in Geneva and only set foot in Italy for the first time in 2002, after a constitutional change allowed members of the exiled royal family to return to the country.

Until opening his food truck business in Los Angeles, Filiberto was often spotted on the red carpet and made appearances on various Italian TV shows, like Dancing with the Stars, Il Principate and The Novice. But he seems to have turned a blind shoulder to that lifestyle and has dedicated himself to the Prince of Venice food truck. And business is apparently going great.

“The ‘Prince of Venice’ food truck has already become a phenomenon,” the Italian royal says. “Americans like to eat quickly and have their lunch in a park or on a bench. I’m offering them a quality product.” And, after all, where else in America can you say that you’ve been fed by an Italian prince?

Photos: Prince of Venice Food Truck/Facebook

via The Local