New Food Trucks on the scene, Grand Opening announcements, and more…
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 over 200 RSVPs, when I last checked it. For more information, see the event’s Facebook Page.
Packapalooza 2014
Hat tip to Jon at Tailgater Toby for alerting me on this. When he told me this, he looked like I was trapped behind a rock. When I saw the estimates of 45,000 on Hillsborough Street, I could see why he was surprised I had not heard. Other than Tailgater Toby, no details on what trucks might be here, but details on the event can be found here.
Skip the Beach, Attend the Rodeo
Labor Day Weekend is going to be a hot weekend with food truck events and it’s all happening in Durham!
Friday, it’s the “Bet Heard Around the Triangle” finally gets paid. US Soccer fans I don’t want to revive sour feelings, but our World Cup elimination results in work on Belgian Waffology. On Friday, the truck will be parked outside Fullsteam Brewery and I’ll sling Brussels and Liege waffles. I haven’t picked out a charity to work toward, but I will let you know as we get closer.
Also at Fullsteam, the brewery will celebrate its 4th anniversary with a party and festivities. I saw Sympathy 4 the Deli and Sōl Tacos will be there, but the festivity details are still being worked out.
And not too far from Fullsteam, on Sunday Durham Central Park becomes a food truck rodeo with 40+ food trucks surrounding it with several on Hunt Street.
This is in addition to Breakfast Rodeo, the Farmers Market, Beer Durham, and Cocoa Cinnamon’s events! So make it a Staycation.
Events On the Map
Here are events that you may want to keep your eye on.
Hopscotch 2014
September 4th-6th, Downtown Raleigh
Babes in Boyland (Saturday, Sept 6th)
The music line-up has been up for days, but it looks some of the food truck events associated are being revealed. The first event I saw is called Babes in Boyland. The event sounds really cool and has a lot of things going on. The trucks announced are Chirba Chirba, Pie Pushers, and The Parlour. There are other vendors involved, but food enthusiasts will notice the Ashely Christensen Bloody Mary Bar and Cold Press Slingshot coffee. Also to note is proceeds from the event will go to Girls Rock NC.
Hopscotch Day Party at Raleigh Little Theatre (Saturday, Sept 6th)
The Raleigh Little Theatre is having a party with Gussy’s Greek Truck and Raleigh Brewing Company. The event is free to the public, but they are asking to RSVP (please RSVP, it helps with crowd control). For more details, see the Facebook Page.
Beericana
Update: Follow them on Twitter (@Beericana) as I’ve seen tweets where tickets are being given away at breweries and events.
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 Whips
Here are events that you may want to keep your eye on.
Amigosan Food Truck
Looks like the Amigosan (@AmigosanFood) had its first event this weekend at Saturday’s Railhawks game. This food truck is specializing in tacos with sides and drink options. So far the only event on schedule is Wednesday, August 20th US Women’s match versus Switzerland. Before you rush to buy tickets, the event is sold out (first time they’ve sold out since the 10,000 seat expansion!)
Bam Pow Chow
Another truck is hitting the streets on Saturday, August 23rd at Lonerider Brewing (8816 Gulf Ct, Raleigh) from 4-11pm. Not sure on the menu, but the Twitter Page says Tacos, Wings, and more. I plan on wandering over to check them out.
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 has frequently had food trucks on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. However, as pool season starts to unwind, this location maybe drained.
- 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
Hopefully you’ve caught the news spots on ABC 11 or seen Facebook and Twitter messages that Iced Cupcakes is having a Grand Opening celebration (see their hashtag #icedgrandopening). The location has been open for most of the month, but they want to do it right this Thursday, August 21st from 6 – 9pm. There will be sample stations, which includes Brood Sodas (a locally made soda), and prize giveaways in the store. For more details, check their Facebook Page.
Located at: 5911 Poyner Village Pkwy, next to the Sprint Store in the Super Target/Toys R Us parking lot.
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, Bombshell, and Fortnight.
Sarge’s Chef on Wheels
On Saturday, Sarge posted on his Facebook Page and through Twitter a pop-up opening on Saturday. Luckily, I caught it and headed up north to Rolesville. The cafe is pretty sweet with seating inside and outside. The menu has some of the truck favorites, as well as, some of classic brunch items. Sarge was highlighting a waffle (Francois at Belgian Waffology has a local trademark on Belgian ones) with Not Just Icing’s fan favorite Salted Caramel topping. Be on the lookout as Sarge looks to be targeting September 13th for a grand opening celebration. Details are still in the works, so if the date changes – blame the messenger.
Currently, Sarge’s is open Monday through Friday from 6 am to 2 pm at 400 Southtown Circle, Rolesville.
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. Hurry! There’s only 12 days to take advantage of food truck dinner for four, a copy of the cookbook, and more.
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 