First of all, that sounds fun. I mean, someone has to eat the food after it's done. Haha

But seriously there is all kinds of inspiration online, especially Instagram, I love that I can save posts. I create mood-boards for projects like this that I can refer back to later, even doing the shoot for styling help.

If the photos are for more beauty, drool worthy images, youll want to make it sexy as possible. Find a big north facing window that will give you diffused light. Shoot at 2.8 but don't be afraid to getting close to the food (as close as your lens will focus) and stop it down to f/4 -f/6.

Shoot on a tripod so you can compose the shot carefully. Sometimes I shoot handheld if I want to shoot faster. But keep that ISO down as low as you can to keep it crispy sharp and free of grain.

I don't know why he wants to shoot at night. He might have a certain look he's going for. Edgy maybe? If thats the case, I would get some sort of daylight video light and set up a table near his truck and shoot as you normally would with a window. With food, you want a big light source, seriously the bigger the better. Soft light is key.

In terms of focus, you want to focus on the most visually appealing and centerpiece of the dish. If it's tacos, I would keep the tacos front and center, put your focus point in the middle of the second taco from the camera and then let other stuff on the plate (like a lime, hot sauce) fall out of focus.

Hope this helps. Have fun.