Few things happening on the Food Truck scene here in the Triangle
Objects in the Rearview Mirror
Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo
More like the Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo Coaster… Raleigh weather can really change in 24 hours where forecasts called for a washout this weekend. Guy, the event’s organizer, quickly secured $4,000 in tents and tables in anticipation of the weather forecast. Luckily, Saturday was the wash out and Sunday looked like a perfect weather day. I think this helped fuel the crowds, as the rodeo attendees probably got cabin fever from Saturday.
If you missed this rodeo, the next food truck rodeo in the Triangle is Sunday, August 31st in Durham Central Park. The next and final Downtown Raleigh for the 2014 series is Sunday, October 12th. Tell your out of town friends and family… they are both on holiday weekends!
Your Favorite Food Truck
If you haven’t seen the results, I won’t spoil the article for you. Last month, I tallied up the votes and announced the top 5.
Events On the Horizon
Here are events that are real soon that you may want to plan ahead on.
A Very Brunchy Sunday at The Cookery
If you haven’t heard, The Cookery is opening its doors for a Sunday Brunch catered by Pie Pushers, cocktails by Alley Twenty Six, tastings by my favorite wine shop, Wine Authorities, and more from other Cookery members. The Cookery is asking for attendees to RSVP, which will help them gauge attendance. It has already had over 150 RSVPs, when I checked it. For more information, see the event’s Facebook Page.
Events On the Map
Here are events that you may want to keep your eye on.
Beericana
Update: Did you see Beericana tickets were given away at Sunday’s Downtown Raleigh Food Truck Rodeo? Follow them on Twitter (@Beericana) to stay up to date.
Daily I am catching updates for this event, which looks like the planning stages are coming into full swing. I won’t go into full details on the beer, but I did notice beers outside of the Triangle are participating (like Old Mecklenburg in Charlotte).
Food Trucks announced: Stuft, Tailgater Toby, Not Just Icing, Jam Ice Cream, All American, Dump Pho King, Valentino’s, Baguettaboutit, Olio and Aceto, and CJ’s Steet Food.
Music includes Dark Water Rising, Lynda & Pattie, Skinny Bag of Sugar, and The Honeycutters as music. The event is September 27th at Sugg Farm in Holly Springs.
Tickets Sales have also started with General Admission at $45, VIP at $75, and a Designated Driver at $15 (no beer access).
For Tickets and more details, see the event site.
Brewgaloo
This event has been around, but this year was my first time. For beer (and spirits as local TOPO Distillery was here this year) and food truck fans, this is a prime event. Two stages on both ends of Fayetteville Street with beer and food trucks filling the asphalt in between. The date set is April 25, 2015 and is from 2-10pm. I know a bit early, but you might want to circle it and tell your family this is a great weekend to visit.
New Rest Stops
Where are trucks being spotted…
Hopefully, you know of all the breweries in our area (including the recent opening of Draft Line down in Fuquay-Varina). But, you may want to look here.
- Person Street Bar (805 N Person St, Raleigh): I always like it when a bar/brewery and food truck can come together. Both can come in with their specialities and exceed on expectations on both ends. Lately, I’ve seen Dump Pho King Truck, Hanu, Green Olive Deli Truck, and Not Just Icing parked here.
- Beer Durham (404 Hunt Street, Durham): Again, beer and food trucks collaborating! This neighborhood bottle shop has 20 beers on tap where you can refill growlers and now enjoy food trucks. I’ve seen Bo’s Kitchen, Sol Tacos and The Wicked Biscuit here – so great variety. I’ve noticed Wicked Biscuit doing a lot of Sunday Brunch here…
- Marathon Gas Station, Five Points (1641 Glenwood Ave) on Fridays from 5-10pm the as close to Philly as you can get Philly Cheesesteaks food truck will be parked here. I drove by here last Friday and it looked like a decent crowd.
- Greenway Club There has been some exploration for this area and it seems trucks are being scheduled here. I’ll report more as we find out, but wanted to alert the North Raleigh fans.
- Plantation Point Farmers Market: There is a new farmers market in North Raleigh, located at 6250 Plantation Center Dr (I-540 and Capital Blvd, next to BJ’s/Big Lots/Petco) that is food truck friendly. The organizers’ goal is to have two trucks, one entree and one dessert, and running the market year-round. If you are interested, feel free to contact me and I’ll get you in contact with the organizer.
Trucks finding a Garage
Is your favorite truck finding a brick and mortar?
Iced Cupcakes
Keep an eye on me this week – I’m hoping to have some more updates on the brick and mortar location!
I’m happy to say Iced Cupcakes passed their inspection last week and had a soft opening shortly after. I stopped over and really enjoyed the shop’s vibe. The colors are consistent with Iced’s mail jeep (“Estelle”) and looks awesome. It also has great view of the water between them and Shane’s Rib Shack. The shop’s location 5911 Poyner Village Pkwy.
Olio and Aceto
On Saturday, July 19th, Olio and Aceto opened their cafe to the public. If you haven’t tried them yet, they are famous for using the beers at their brewery stops and making menu items out of them. The cafe is in Chapel Hill near the cross streets of US 15-501 and Elliot Rd (400 S Elliott Rd, Chapel Hill). Also the truck will still be on the road hitting some your favorite breweries like Raleigh Brewing and Fortnight Brewing.
Sarge’s Chef on Wheels
Many of you like me were excited to here the Sarge set up base in Rolesville last month. Right now, hours are just weekdays from 6:30am-2pm for Breakfast and Lunch at 400 Southtown Circle Rolesville. However, it seems fans like me have been asking for weekend hours. Well, we are getting our wishes and we should see weekend hours posted soon.
Trucks Giving Back
Bloggers Takeover: Not Just Icing
Last Tuesday, Big Boss Run Club had their big run day for the first Tuesday of the month. Both Triangle Explorer and I worked on the truck doing duties normally done by Cristal and Donna. I was selling the cupcakes that John iced. I have more pictures, as well as, later post to expand on. We did put out a tip jar, which all went to Central and Eastern North Carolina Food Bank, as well as, $1 for each 4 pack we sold. Turned out to be a decent charity to raise money as later that week, the Triangle food banks were looking for non-perishable food donations.
Food Trucks giving back to Rescue Durham
You may remember last month Gussy’s Greek, Chick-N-Que, Stuft, and Not Just Icing giving back at the Durham Rescue Mission. Well, Gus is organizing another one. The rodeo is not a public event, but an event where the trucks give food to those at the Rescue Mission. If you are interested, get a hold of Gussy’s Greek (@GreekGussys).
Kickstart Their Heart
Valentino’s
He’s already raised over $1,000 of his $6,000 goal!
A really cool guy I’ve met on the food truck scene, Steve, is doing a kickstarter for new equipment and help start-up a web cooking show. If you have ever been to Lonerider Brewing on a Thursday, you have tasted Valentino’s great creations.
Street Foodie Diaries
Last week, I got word that Our State magazine published an article from Kim with Street Foodie Diaries. I am a huge fan of their work and try to support them as much as I can. I think Steve and Kim really helped connect the wires in my brain to help steer away from focusing on the food and really incorporate the people. Anyways, they are really making a push for Season 2, which is featuring the Atlanta food truck scene. If you haven’t seen their first season, based here in the Triangle, you’re missing out on some great work.
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The Wandering Sheppard 