Rain or shine, or perhaps both. That’s what 2,500 food truck fans got on Saturday when they ventured out into the muddy (and sometimes soupy) grounds of Fork York for the largest food truck event this province has ever seen. AwesTRUCK is an event and awards ceremony that saw 52 food trucks and carts park their muddy wheels at the historic site to feed the culinary curious and the hardcore food truck fans.
Newcomers Luchador Gourmet Streatery had items like The Korean Zombie ($7), a veggie naan bread taco with kimchi tofu, cucumbers, and cheese, and their popular Pork Steam Bun Taco ($8.75) combining two trendy foods in one with Japanese five-spice pork belly.
Localista food truck highlights as much local food as possible and had creative dishes like a Barbeque Duck Cake with Spicy Corn Relish ($8), pulled duck meat mixed with cheese and fixin’s, breaded and formed into a patty that resembled a crab cake.
Considered the first gourmet food truck in Canada (and only three-years old with that title), El Gastronomo Vagabundo continued to show their truck creativity with dishes like tender Grilled Octopus ($10) served with crispy potatoes with a chipotle gastrique, salsa verde, and paprika.
There are plenty of dessert trucks on the streets now. Churros, pies, ice cream, cupcakes and crepes. Curside Crepes cooked up their Honey Bee crepe ($8) with gruyere cheese, lemon, thyme, warm pears, honey and walnuts.
When food trucks really started getting noticed last summer, some dismissed them as a fad. But they are still here, and they are pushing a new kind of street food onto hungry Ontarians. A pilot project launched by the city of Toronto this summer has put food trucks in various parks and public spaces in the city. These trucks are the definition of a small, independent business, which is why I support them. While we still have some mild(ish) weather left, why not visit one of these food trucks and see what a few dollars can get you? It’s a relatively low investment for many delicious returns.
Follow Ontario Food Trucks on Twitter: @ontfoodtrucks
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