“Street Food” is something I’m hearing and reading a lot about and I’m still not sure I fully understand what it is, but it has certainly elevated the standard of food-to-go generally and it seems to be creating great excitement. On a recent trip to America you can imagine my excitement when I not just discovered “Street Food” but also a Food Truck Rodeo. This is really clever and seems to be capturing the imagination of both public and stakeholders alike. Food Trucks in the states are trendily designed retro vehicles, some the same shape as the classic UPS vans but adapted as mobile gourmet kitchens. The magic that’s behind this whole rodeo concept is that a number of these vehicles each with a unique menu and offering come together in one place and create a market feeling leveraging off each others strengths. The consumer is exposed to many different food cultures and on a recent visit I discovered everything from Gravalax to Cuban Sandwiches, great barbecued beef and a unique vehicle which allowed you dispense your own chosen flavour of organic frozen yogurt. What further intrigued me was that all of these vendors use social media as a significant medium to communicate with their customers and these Rodeo events pop-up in different communities and at different events and are managed by gourmet food trucks, a website used to promote these gatherings.
Entertainment at these events is themed around the festivities or celebration at that time or of that place. I had heard of Food Trucks in California in 2010 but was delighted to discover that this phenomenon has now made it’s way to the East Coast. On the evening we visited, which was Halloween, there was talented balloon artists, great music, puppet shows and skilled mime artists which created a unique theatrical atmosphere. I took some photographs to share with you on my phone. I hope you enjoy!
We hope you enjoyed reading this post by Pat Whelan of James Whelan Butchers. Pat is a 5th generation butcher, cook book author and the director of James Whelan Butchers with shops in Clonmel, the Avoca Handweavers Rathcoole and Kilmacanogue, Dunnes Stores Cornelscourt, Rathmines and Swords in Dublin. Sign up to our newsletter for more updates from James Whelan Butchers
Tags: barbecued beef, bbq, beef, Cuban Sandwiches, Food Truck Rodeo, frozen yogurt, Gravalax, James Whelan Butchers, Pat Whelan
