El Gastronomo Vagabundo
The second annual AwesTRUCK was held down at Fort York on one of the rainiest days in September. This event was both a food truck rally and an awards ceremony all rolled into one. This year, the organizers boasted that it would be Canada’s largest rally with fifty trucks serving up some delicious street eats.
The event was first started by Suresh Doss and his team to celebrate the emerging street food culture in Canada, as well as to create an event very similar to the Vendy’s, New York City’s premier street food showcase, now in its ninth year.
Food trucks in Toronto, and other cities in Ontario, have had a very tough time getting their food into the hands of their hungry fans. They’ve had to battle city bylaws, cut through red tape, pay very high licensing fees and then try to convince local restauranteurs that they weren’t out to steal their customers. If they’re successful in getting past those obstacles they then face the one thing that they have absolutely no control over: the weather.
Soggy field full of food trucks
Recently though, the tide has slowly been turning in their favour. Back in August of this year, a pilot program was started in Toronto that allowed trucks to sell their food in five city parks. The project was supposed to wrap up on October 1st, but the good news is that the program has been extended with no set end date. Hopefully new locations will be added but it all depends on Toronto’s Parks, Forestry and Recreation division.
The food truck movement in the Greater Toronto Area has come a long way and I’m very happy to see it growing. This city is home to many different cultures, each with its own distinct version of street food. The menus produced by the chefs on the trucks are often imaginative combinations of different cultures, with some very delicious results. One of the trucks doing so, and doing so exceptionally well, is Luchador Gourmet Streatery based out of the Waterloo area.
Operators Emma Putt and Reuben Solanga are creating some unique dishes by combining Mexican and other international flavours. They’re also known for their Luchador masks, worn by everyone on the truck. Additionally, Emma and Reuben were very successful in their AwesTRUCK 2013 debut by winning the awards for Best Concept and Best Menu Item for their Pork Steam Bun Taco.
Emma Putt & Reuben Salonga (standing) with other members of the Luchador Gourmet Streatery staff
Another thuck that was very popular at the event was Frankie Fettucine. Based in Oakville, and operated by long time friends Chef Frank Mazzonetto and Anthony Maniccia, they are only gourmet pasta truck on the streets of the GTA. They’ve only been on the road for about four months, but their pastas made with fresh, local ingredients have been getting lots of rave reviews. They’ve recently had celebrity chefs Susur Lee and Massimo Capra visiting them on the truck and have even filmed a segment for the popular Food Network show, Eat St.
Anthony and Frank
The Frankie Fettucine food truck also has one of the most decked out kitchens I’ve ever seen on a truck:
Here are the 2013 AwesTRUCK award winners:
Best Concept: Luchador Gourmet Streatery
Best Graphics: The Food Dudes
Best New Truck: Frankie Fettuccine
Best Menu Item: Luchador Gourmet Streatery‘s pork steam bun taco
Best Pop-Up: Babi & Co
People’s Choice: Gourmet Gringos
Road Warrior: Sid Friedman, Ontario Food Trucks Association
I want to congratulate all the winners at this year’s AwesTRUCK 2013 and I can’t wait to see what the organizers have up their sleeves for next year. They brought in fifty trucks this year and with more and more trucks coming into service, I’m pretty sure AwesTRUCK 2014 will be even bigger and hopefully much drier.
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