Piaztlan Authentic Mexican Food Wins 2012 NYC Vendy Cup
Governor’s Island, NY - Hordes of hungry foodies munched sidewalk style at the eighth annual Vendy Awards on Saturday, savoring a taste of the city’s best street food.
Piaztlan Authentic Mexican Food, a fixture at the Red Hook Ball Fields in Brooklyn for more than 20 years, took home the prized Vendy Cup at the competition on Governor’s Island.
The food truck, owned by Eleazar Perez, who immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico almost 40 years ago, dished out flavorful pork, beef and goat tacos.
“This is my American Dream,” Perez said through a translator, addressing the attendees. “Thank you all for being here and thank you all for what you did.”
Perez hopes the win will help her and her family expand the business.
“All the hard work paid off,” said her equally emotional son, Fabian Perez, who helps run the family business. “I grew up doing this. This is all I know.”
Foodie Alexis Diaz, 27, of Jersey City, N.J., raved about the truck’s sauces and fresh vegetables — as well as the event itself.
“You get to sample a lot of different food all in one place,” said Diaz, a social worker, as she chowed down on a plate of tacos. “And the portions are small so you can try a lot of stuff.”
Adam Sobel, owner of a vegan and organic food truck known as The Cinnamon Snail, which operates in Manhattan and New Jersey, said he was excited to win the People’s Taste Award.
The award’s recipient was selected by the event’s roughly 1,500 attendees, who voted for their favorites out of the two dozen vendors.
“It’s a huge win for vegetarianism,” said Sobel, whose fluffy fig pancakes with chamomile blood-orange syrup and pine-nut butter were a big hit.
The Competitors:
The Cinnamon Snail Vegan Organic Food Truck
Schedule: Always on the move, for latest Manhattan coordinates, visit:@VeganLunchTruck
Piaztlan Authentic Mexican Food Truck
Schedule: Saturday Sunday, 10am – 8pm, May-October at the Red Hook Ballfields, Brooklyn @PiaztlanBK
Uncle Gussy’s Traditional Greek Cuisine
Schedule: Monday-Friday, 11am -3pm at 51st St and Park Ave, Midtown, Manhattan@UncleGussys
Tortas Neza
Schedule: Daily from 1pm-1am at 111th Street and Roosevelt, a few blocks away from Citifield, Queens
Hamza Madina Halal Food
Schedule: Everyday, 10am – 4am at 254-05 Hillside Ave, Glen Oaks, NY
Xin Jiang Prosperity Kebabs
Schedule: Monday-Sunday 10:30am-8:30pm at the corner of Forsyth St Division St, Chinatown
Find the original article by Clare Trapasso at the New York Daily News here
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City Council Not Ready to Seal Food Truck Lots Fate
Torn between pleasing foodies who have found a sense of community in weekly food truck events and brick and mortar businesses who say they’re losing money as a result, the City Council has delayed its decision whether to issue permanent licenses to the mobile vendors.
“Let’s pause and evaluate the impacts,” said councilman Kevin McKeown at Tuesday’s meeting.
Currently, the city only issues temporary permits to food truck lots on private property at the California Heritage Museum and the corner of 14th Street and Santa Monica Boulevard. The permits regulate operations, such as lighting, noise and hours, and are supposed to expire after about six months.
SEE ALSO: Hump Day Food Truck Lot Gets Through First Day Slump
City planners want a permanent solution, and have proposed allowing up to four events three days per week between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m. on Main Street and Pico, Santa Monica and Lincoln Boulevards.
Now, the council is asking them to look at creating an “intermediate” permit. They also want to know the direct impact on neighboring restaurants.
“There’s some hesitancy to do something permanent… because of the hurdles we’d have to overcome if we found out it wasn’t working,” said councilwoman Gleam Davis. “That it was having such a negative impact on Main Street and we’d be stuck with it.”
In the two years that the Main Street event has operated, city staffers have conducted at least one study of the popular event, but none that were “statistically reliable,” said Davis.
There’s been a noticeable drop in the number of customers who visit The Galley on Tuesday nights during the Main Street event, but no one from the city has contacted owner Ron Schur or his staff to ask about it, Schur said.
“As someone who has operated for 22 years… I find that kind of tough to deal with,” he said.
The permanent permit proposed by staffers would have food truck vendors paying a flat $50 fee annually to the city. Restaurants pay $75 for every $60,000 in gross tax receipts, and $1.25 per $1,000 in revenue above that threshold.
“There are people who are very upset,” councilman Bob Holbrook said of the competition between the trucks and restaurants. “It’s tough to make the balance.”
Also under the permanent permits, the lots would be required to provide two off-street parking spaces per truck, at least one on-site restroom and a maximum of 200 square feet for seating to keep noise low.
Coming up with a permanent solution to regulate the lots’ operations has been on the City Council’s agenda since the spring of last year. In November 2011, the council took one step toward that goal by adopting a new ordinance to bar vending on Main Street between Ocean Park Boulevard and Marine Street between 1 and 3 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
In casting his vote Tuesday, councilman Terry O’Day cautioned, “I don’t want to study this to death.”
The lots at Santa Monica Boulevard and Main Street will continue to operate while the city does its study.
We want to know what you think, readers—should food truck lot events be guaranteed permanent spots in Santa Monica? Are they bad for business? Should the city adopt permanent rules to regulate their operations? Leave your opinion in the comments below.
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Rolling flavors return to Immokalee for Paradise Food Truck Rally
Seminole Casino Immokalee’s Paradise Food Truck Rally is in swing again, drawing foodies and the trucks they love from across Florida. The rallies are on the third Sunday of each month through October and then every Sunday in January and February.
Part of the fun of attending the food truck rallies is the element of surprise — the trucks vary with repeat trucks and new ones.
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Eleven food trucks lined the Seminole Immokalee Casino parking lot last month, including Cucina Al Mare, D’Marky, Dolce Gourmet Cupcakes, La Nostra Pizza, Miami Spice Grill, Cold Stone Creamery, Mobile Culinary Kitchen, the Nosh Truck, Out of Many, Rio Samba Grill and Travelin’ Blues BBQ.
Miami is one of the country’s busiest food truck destinations and although food trucks come from throughout the state — including several from Southwest Florida such as Fort Fort Myers-based Nosh Truck — many hail from Florida’s East Coast.
Sef Gonzalez, curator of the Paradise Food Truck Rally, is better known in the culinary community as the “Burger Beast.” Gonzalez retired his popular Burger Beast food truck with revolving chefs more than a year ago when curating food truck events and his www.BurgerBeast.com blog became a full-time job. He has a formula for getting the most out of the rally.
Food Truck Rally
When: 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 16, and Oct. 21
Where: Seminole Casino Immokalee, 506 S. First St., Immokalee
Cost: Free admission; food items start at $5
Seating: Some trucks offer their own seating. Seminole Casino Immokalee provides high-top tables.
Information: Seminolecasinoevents.com
Something else: The casino will host food truck rallies every Sunday in January and February.
“The best plan of attack is to first walk around and check out the menus, and most of the trucks have a menu you can grab and take with you,” he said. “It’s also best to go with a few folks who won’t have any problems sharing — divide and conquer, then return and share, and then repeat — it’s a beautiful, vicious cycle.”
Attendees can expect the rally to deliver a variety of food. The global cuisine include everything from burgers, ethnic dishes, sandwiches, barbecue, salsas, ceviche and desserts. The Nosh Truck serves repeat customers who arrive hungry for their Pad Thai hamburger. The burger is dressed with bean sprouts, green onions, cilantro, peanuts and mayo with a spicy kick of sriracha.
The Rio Samba Grill food truck rolls in Brazilian flavors with items that include picanha steak, which is the top sirloin cap, and the healthful aaí bowl dish, made with frozen and mashed aaí palm fruit.
On the sweeter side, Dolce Gourmet Cupcakes offers varying flavors, including, on occasion, such unique ones as chai latte, ginger carrot, maple French roast and red velvet.
“Where else can you eat a Colombian-style burger (including pineapple, ketchup, garlic and other toppings) and then walk a couple of steps and have an authentic Italian sausage-and-peppers hero? And the average cost for an entree hovers between $5 and $8 a dish, with sides a little less,” Gonzalez said.
Seminole Casino Immokalee Director of Marketing Jim Gibson said a casino hosting the rally is in line with the events program the company offers.
“We are happy to host the Paradise Food Truck Rallies to bring delectable food from all across the state here for the community to experience in a unique way,” he said.
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More Bang for Your Bite
10 ways to get the most out of food truck rally
1. Make a loop: Review the menu at each truck before ordering.
2. Don’t hurry: Plan for enough time to make repeat visits to your favorite trucks.
3. Bring friends: Sharing multiple dishes cuts costs.
4. Pace yourself: Have a game plan.
5. Go hungry: Many trucks offer appetizers and entrees.
6. Walk it off: Stroll around between courses.
7. Drink, drink, drink: Stay hydrated.
8. Be comfortable: Wear sneakers or other comfy shoes.
9. Jot it down: Make a note of your favorite dishes.
10. Get involved: Post your favorite food truck experience in social media.
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Murrieta Food Truck Fest Set to Roll in
The city of Murrieta’s inaugural Food Truck Fest has been announced.
Plans are under way to bring some of the best food trucks in the country to Town Square Park on Saturday, Oct. 13. From noon to 5 p.m., residents are invited to join their neighbors for a Saturday afternoon filled with food, music, craft beer from Brew-Ligion and fun.
The Murrieta Food Truck Festival is being hosted by the Community Services Department as a way to fund-raise for the new Youth Center currently under construction at California Oaks Sports Park, according to a news release. The Youth Center is slated to open in the summer of 2013.
Dozens of gourmet food trucks will be on hand to serve unique dishes out of a rolling restaurant, according to the news release.
There will also be a beer garden: Brew-Ligion, Murrieta’s first brew house and grill, will be on hand hosting the beer garden and selling craft beers to those 21 and older.
Live Bands and DJ music will be played from the amphitheatre stage during the event. For those little “foodies,” a kid zone with jumpers will be set up.
Bringing chairs and umbrellas for a relaxing afternoon in the park was encouraged.
Residents planning to attend may take advantage of a Labor Day Week sale by purchasing their general admission tickets now for just $5. The discounted tickets will also be available for purchase at the Murrieta Mud Run on Sept. 10 or the Temecula Valley Century Ride on Sept. 29.
Otherwise, pre-sale general admission is $8—$25 for a family four pack—and is available online at visit Murreitafoodtruckfest.com by clicking on the “chalk board.”
Pre-sale tickets are also available for purchase at all Community Services District facilities, such as the Community Center, Senior Center and California Oaks Sports Park.
Admission the day of is $10 per person; kids 5 or younger get in free.
For $5 more, VIP tickets are available the day of the event and include early access and a VIP shaded area. Admission for VIP ticket holders begins at 11 a.m.; there is limited space available so it is on a first come first serve basis.
Business or corporate sponsorships are available now. Contact Jeri Copeland at 951-461-6122 or jcopeland@murrieta.org for more information.
For more information or details about trucks that will be on hand, visit Murrietafoodtruckfest.com or email foodtruckfest@murrieta.org.
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Portland food truck plans appear to be on back burner
Portland food truck plans appear to be on back burner
New limits on location and hours of operation prompt some to re-think setting up shop in the city.
By Randy Billings rbillings@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer
PORTLAND – Foodies have seemingly cooled to the idea of operating food trucks in Portland.
Today’s poll: Food truck
At least, for this season.
Applications have been available since Aug. 16, but no one has submitted one.
A food truck task force was created more than a year ago after Sarah Sutton, co-owner of the Bite Into Maine food trailer, asked city officials if she could operate a food truck in Portland. The city didn’t have regulations, so the group worked for more than a year to craft rules to allow food trucks while also protecting the business interests of brick-and-mortar restaurants.
The final regulations allow food trucks on the peninsula from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., but only in specific locations — largely away from downtown and existing restaurants. Off-peninsula, they would be allowed to operate in certain business and industrial zones.
From 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., food trucks may operate anywhere downtown, provided they are 65 feet from operating restaurants and lodging establishments.
The restrictions are prompting some to re-think setting up shop here.
“We still need to figure out where we can be because it is so restrictive,” Sutton said.
Sutton now operates a seafood truck in Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth, where she paid $4,000 to set up shop. It costs $500 to operate a food truck in Portland.
The Cape Elizabeth business benefits from being set up in the same location every day, she said.
And that’s not easily accomplished in downtown Portland, where food trucks are largely banned until 10 p.m. Even where they are allowed during the daytime, trucks need to abide by normal parking limits, unless they are on private land.
“What they’ve opened up is pretty limited,” she said. “It’s not an opportune time to find a spot. If we could be on the street, that would be a different story.”
Julie Ann Johnson, a business license administrator with the city, speculated that some people may be waiting until next summer to get a license. But she is hopeful people will come forward this year.
“I was part of the task force, and there was some good interest,” Johnson said.
Steve DiMillo, the owner of DiMillo’s Floating Restaurant, who also served on the task force, had also expressed interest in opening a food truck. But for now, those plans are “on the back burner,” he said.
Dimillo said he hopes someone steps forward this season to open a food truck, because it would be good for the city.
But he doesn’t want it bad enough to allow them to set up in his waterfront parking lot.
“Maybe if they were selling margaritas,” he said. “Oh, wait, I guess we sell those, too.”
Fancesca Ferrigno said she was initially excited to bring her Fire Company food truck to Portland. But the rig — a 1949 international harvester — exceeds the city’s size rules.
The city limits food trucks to 10-feet-by-20-feet, but the limits include side extensions and awnings.
Ferrigno, who uses the truck to cater events, said she is also part of a food truck outfitting business called Northeast Chop Shop. She is considering outfitting a smaller rig to bring to Portland, said but the city limits would be difficult to meet.
“I am skeptical we’d be able to fit in their dimension rates,” she said.
Michael McAllister said he is still interested in bringing the Shuck Truck — a 1963 Airstream Globe Trotter trailer that sells Cabin Cove oysters — to Portland, but probably not this year.
“I just don’t think people will be buying oysters out of a shiny truck in December,” he said.
McAllister said he would likely begin the application process this fall. When licensed, he would only operate at special events, rather than having a daily presence.
But even then, finding a location will be a challenge given the restrictions, particularly the 65-foot setback from brick-and-mortar restaurants.
“All the places where there’s one restaurant, there’s a string of them,” McAllister said. “So that blocks off a huge area you can’t go. There’s only a few good spots for us.”
Staff Writer Randy Billings can be contacted at 791-6346 or at:
rbillings@mainetoday.com
Twitter: @randybillings
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IE Food Truck Fest returns to Ontario
Officials at Citizens Business Bank Arena have announced the date for the next I.E. Food Truck Fest — Oct. 20.
This marks the fourth time the IE Food Truck Fest will be held at the arena.
More than 45 food trucks are expected for the event, and expected to draw anywhere between 10,000 and 11,000 foodies.
When officials at the arena held the original festival, food trucks were such a phenomenon, mainly because they were banned from roaming the streets in San Bernardino County without a permit, said Sue Oxarart, spokeswomen for the arena.
Since then, there has been a lot more festivals organized in the region. That’s hasn’t slowed down the demand for the festival, the last event organized by the arena drew in 10,000 people,
she said.
“I don’t think people have had enough tasting yet,” Oxarart said. “People still want to experience food trucks for the first time and then there’s the loyal food truck fans who want to get them in one location.”
The event is being moved back to Lot A which is east of the arena.
Tickets are now on sale. General admission is $10 per day, $8 in advance.
Parking is free. Children 6 and under are free.
An additional early entry ticket is available for $5. This early entry will reduce time in line at the food trucks.
Tickets are available at the arena box office or axs.com.
Reach Liset via email, call her at 909-483-8556, or find her on Twitter @DBOntarioNow.
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IE Food Truck Fest returns to Ontario
Officials at Citizens Business Bank Arena have announced the date for the next I.E. Food Truck Fest — Oct. 20.
This marks the fourth time the IE Food Truck Fest will be held at the arena.
More than 45 food trucks are expected for the event, and expected to draw anywhere between 10,000 and 11,000 foodies.
When officials at the arena held the original festival, food trucks were such a phenomenon, mainly because they were banned from roaming the streets in San Bernardino County without a permit, said Sue Oxarart, spokeswomen for the arena.
Since then, there has been a lot more festivals organized in the region. That’s hasn’t slowed down the demand for the festival, the last event organized by the arena drew in 10,000 people,
she said.
“I don’t think people have had enough tasting yet,” Oxarart said. “People still want to experience food trucks for the first time and then there’s the loyal food truck fans who want to get them in one location.”
The event is being moved back to Lot A which is east of the arena.
Tickets are now on sale. General admission is $10 per day, $8 in advance.
Parking is free. Children 6 and under are free.
An additional early entry ticket is available for $5. This early entry will reduce time in line at the food trucks.
Tickets are available at the arena box office or axs.com.
Reach Liset via email, call her at 909-483-8556, or find her on Twitter @DBOntarioNow.
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Food Truck Social edition | Foodspotting Fridays
Pb J Donut @ Beavers Coffee And Donuts
In case you haven’t heard yet, Time Out Chicago‘s Food Truck Social is back this year for round two. It’s bigger, better and longer than ever before, spread across two days (Noon-10pm Saturday and Sunday on Chicago Avenue between Wood and Wolcott), featuring music and bites from some of the city’s most delictable food trucks. And because some of us haven’t been able to get the thought of eating off our minds all day, we’ve rounded up some of the most delicious foods we could find on Foodspotting that some of our featured food trucks from this weekend have served up in the past.
Wondering what Foodspotting is? It’s a social network for foodies, where you can find and recommend dishes, not just restaurants. Follow us on Foodspotting and spot your favorite dishes, or follow our guides, including Sweet Scoops and Best Bar Food.
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New food truck ‘Cracked’ rolls out budget-friendly gourmet
CHAMPAIGN, IL - This month, two University of Illinois alums rolled a new eatery to campus that serves up gourmet-quality breakfast items to Illini on the go. Founded by Daniel Krause and Jeremy Mandell, who graduated in 2012, Cracked is the newest addition to the growing food truck community in Champaign-Urbana.
Parked at Mathews Avenue and Stoughton Street in Urbana, the truck’s menu includes breakfast sandwiches, hot dogs, veggie wraps, sides and beverages. Cracked is open Monday through Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. with late night hours from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Monday, Friday and Saturday.
Just two and a half weeks into the business, Krause and Mandell have come to expect the unexpected on a day-to-day basis.
“There’s just so many uncontrollable variables in the business,” said Krause. “One or two things will go wrong whether you like it or not.”
Krause has learned the only way to get past these variables is to deal with them one day at a time.
“Today, our propane was acting up so we couldn’t start our deep fryer, so that slowed down all of the ticket times,” he said.
“Without propane we can’t run the grill, the double burner or the deep fryer, so it just really slows you down until you fix it.”
Find the entire article by Kelly Chuipek at the Daily Illini here
Cracked Truck
Twitter: @CrackedTruck
Cracked is a new Food Truck providing fresh, gourmet breakfast food to the Champaign-Urbana and Univ. of Illinois community, run by two foodies on a mission!
Champaign-Urbana, IL · http://www.crackedtruck.com
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Good evening, good eating: Shots from the Street Food Festival Night Market
Photos by Bowerbird Photography
It wasn’t too long ago that shopping locally meant hitting up your neighborhood Safeway. But seemingly overnight (in retrospect), farmers markets sprung up like healthy tomato plants. A weekend doesn’t go by during which I don’t see someone toting their re-usable canvas bag down the street to fill up with fresh produce from local growers.
This is just one sign of a big revolution that is happening in the food world. Having visited night markets across the globe, from Taiwan to Morocco, I’ve always wondered when the States would figure out their own version of these late-night-snack shindigs. Lo and behold, this weekend night markets hit our soil. The Street Food Festival hosted its first night market to eager eaters on Friday the 17th at the Alemany Farmers’ Market. The happily matched location housed live music, dancers, hot toddies (a useful weapon for battling the chilly evening fog) and of course, delicious street food. Night markets often highlight grilled meats and one-bite-wonders for foodies who want a little taste of it all. This night was no different, with a food-filled dream of delicious dumplings, tiny tacos, and pork sandwiches sprinkled with chicharones. The greasier, the better, thank you very much!
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