Social Justice Through Food Trucks
If the day was purely epicurean, it would be easy. But there are so many stories to hear and questions to ask. What makes a trio of post-army service Israelis start a (Shakshuka) Shuka Truck in a city that has never heard the word? The answer: Chutzpah, I guess. They got my vote.
Flavor and healthful in the same bite; maybe the only dish there that was actually good for you. What sort of vision motivates someone to give up the day job to start (another) dessert company (witness Butter & Scotch with their signature maple bacon cupcake) - or build a business on a foundation of marshmallows?
Only in NYC is there a market for multi-textured & flavored, dynamic marshmallows as Katherine Sprung of Squish Marshmallows explains - think Smore's or Rocky Road or even Peanut Butter and Jelly filled. And its not like we need more doughnuts, but dessert category Doughnuttery 'took the cake' with their freshly fried mini gems.
What is it about fried food? My favorite was BOOQOO Beignets. In all fairness, I fell in love with Matt Pace, a NOLA native, at Vendy Plaza earlier this summer. He is as sweet as his pastry and doesn't break a sweat despite standing over a hot fryer for hours. Wicked good with killer dips of chicory coffee praline or creole vanilla, you can find him on Sundays at La Marqueta.
PlayJScream served a J shaped cone filled on both sides. Without a flat bottom, where's the drip and the fun? CK of this unpatented Korean invention. Just because I tasted each dessert does not make me a sweets person. If there were veggies, you'd be hearing about it. The closest thing was the hand cut spud from Home Frite which I would gladly eat daily savoring each cheesy, French fried, salted and dip drenched bite.
Crazy good if only to try each amazing dip (think malt vinegar aioli, herbocado, jalapeno cilantro, curry ketchup - get my drift?) The Gumbo, empanadas, mole, albondiga and palatas were creative, tempting and worth the occasional nibble from this vegetarian. Thank you Gumbo Bros for the non-meat option. I was really longing for the Cinnamon Snail, a ground breaking, award winning, brilliant 100% vegan truck that fell victim this past year to the lack of availability of food truck licenses.
On the subject of licenses, I asked the newer vendors how they managed to get one. The answers were a blend of 'you know', 'not easy', a dip of the head, and the unspoken truth - that you finagled, found your way to the black market and struggle to make it work. It is a tribute to this round up of vendors that despite the near impossibility of simple, legal options, they persevered and made their way to the street.
It is also the proliferation of markets inspired by Smorgasbord, which provide welcome and legal outlets for new vendors. The City Council and Speaker are working to change this landscape. Back to food. Husbands & wives, moms & sons and other cheering relatives round out the truck teams and provided the support needed to feed the long lines. The Old Traditional Polish Cuisine truck served up tempting Kielbasa and pierogis - the wife of one of the owners does their marketing off hours from her job at Calvin Klein.
Her husband and partner left construction in search of something different. Every ingredient (people included) come from Poland and yes, they found their new calling. Lil Zeus enlisted Mom to man the front line. My other weakness is a good beverage. Renegade Lemonade, the category champ, was delicious and has morphed into a real business wholesaling to David Burke and BR Guest while planning large scale mass distribution.
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