Edible Rhody Summer 2011 : Page 7

Mobile Meal Story and Photos by Jan Faust Dane The Food Truck Bandwagon Rolling to a Street Corner Near You Hewtin’s Dogs Mobile. Food trucks may be all the rage from coast to coast, with hotspots in Los Angeles; Portland, Oregon; and New York City, but there’s nothing new about food trucks around these parts. Providence was, after all, the first city to have a diner wagon drawn by horse. For decades, the venerated Haven Brothers mobile burger joint has satisfied late-night revelers down by Providence City Hall. If you’ve ever cruised down Broad Street after dark, you’ve seen the fleets of chimi trucks dishing out their Latin American fare. And let us not forget the summer staple of Dell’s and New England Lemonade as they make their cooling rounds all over the state. What makes this recent crop different, however, is the variety of offerings, from appetizers to desserts, from vegan to Korean, as well as the modern ethic of buying locally and seasonally. In the two years since Chez Pascal owners Matt and Kristen Gennuso began peddling savory snappy dogs and housemade sausage sandwiches featuring local greens and cheeses out of their Hewtin’s Dogs Mobile, the scene has exploded. Now even more trucks (and we use the term loosely: some are carts; others are pulled trailers) have taken to the streets of our capital city and beyond. The styles may differ but many make an effort to buy from local farmers or purveyors, adjusting their offerings accordingly. Here we offer a primer to introduce you to the options. Study up, then look for them this summer, often popping up near parks, street festivals and farmers’ markets. If you don’t want to take any chances, fol-low them on Facebook and Twitter, or even the new iPhone app Eat St., for pinpoint locations. Then go ahead, step right up to the window— something delicious awaits from within. e R Jan Faust Dane enjoys chasing down food, both for pleasure and as the Food Forager for the Ocean House in Watch Hill, Rhode Island. Bravo Wood-Fired Pizza Vehicle: Wood-fired oven trailer Chef/owner: Gregg O’Neill Follow on: Facebook, bravowoodfiredpizza.com Favorite hangouts: Coastal Growers’ Market; Aquidneck Growers’ Market/Wednesday; Aquidneck Grange Farmers’ Market Most popular item: Italian sausage and caramelized onion pizza Most served: 120 pizzas in one day Summer events attending: East Greenwich Art Festival; Wickford Harbour Fest Rain or shine: Yes For rent: Yes Local purveyors: Narragansett Creamery, Casey Farm, Barden Family Orchard, Pat’s Pastured, Empire Soda, Zephyr Farm Goody Goody Vehicle: Bike-powered cart Chef/owner: Karen Pace Follow on: Facebook, Twitter Favorite hangouts: Providence on Broadway and Bradford Streets; Weybossett across from Gourmet Heaven Most popular dish: Salty chocolate cookies; cold-pressed iced coffee Most served: 350 at FooFest Summer events attending: FooFest; Wooly Fair; Armory Farmers’ Market Rain or shine: Probably For rent: “At the right price” Local purveyors: Rhody Fresh milk; Red Planet Vegetables herbs and eggs EDIBLERHODY.COM summer 2011 7

Mobile Meal

Jan Faust Dane

Story and Photos The Food Truck Bandwagon Rolling to a Street Corner Near You Food trucks may be all the rage from coast to coast, with hotspots in Los Angeles; Portland, Oregon; and New York City, but there's nothing new about food trucks around these parts. Providence was, after all, the first city to have a diner wagon drawn by horse. For decades, the venerated Haven Brothers mobile burger joint has satisfied late-night revelers down by Providence City Hall. If you've ever cruised down Broad Street after dark, you've seen the fleets of chimi trucks dishing out their Latin American fare. And let us not forget the summer staple of Dell's and New England Lemonade as they make their cooling rounds all over the state. What makes this recent crop different, however, is the variety of offerings, from appetizers to desserts, from vegan to Korean, as well as the modern ethic of buying locally and seasonally. In the two years since Chez Pascal owners Matt and Kristen Gennuso began peddling savory snappy dogs and housemade sausage sandwiches featuring local greens and cheeses out of their Hewtin's Dogs Mobile, the scene has exploded. Now even more trucks (and we use the term loosely: some are carts; others are pulled trailers) have taken to the streets of our capital city and beyond. The styles may differ but many make an effort to buy from local farmers or purveyors, adjusting their offerings accordingly. Here we offer a primer to introduce you to the options. Study up, then look for them this summer, often popping up near parks, street festivals and farmers' markets. If you don't want to take any chances, follow them on Facebook and Twitter, or even the new iPhone app Eat St., for pinpoint locations. Then go ahead, step right up to the window– something delicious awaits from within. Jan Faust Dane enjoys chasing down food, both for pleasure and as the Food Forager for the Ocean House in Watch Hill, Rhode Island. Bravo Wood-Fired Pizza Vehicle: Wood-fired oven trailer Chef/owner: Gregg O'Neill Follow on: Facebook, bravowoodfiredpizza.com Favorite hangouts: Coastal Growers' Market; Aquidneck Growers' Market/Wednesday; Aquidneck Grange Farmers' Market Most popular item: Italian sausage and caramelized onion pizza Most served: 120 pizzas in one day Summer events attending: East Greenwich Art Festival; Wickford Harbour Fest Rain or shine: Yes For rent: Yes Local purveyors: Narragansett Creamery, Casey Farm, Barden Family Orchard, Pat's Pastured, Empire Soda, Zephyr Farm Goody Goody Vehicle: Bike-powered cart Chef/owner: Karen Pace Follow on: Facebook, Twitter Favorite hangouts: Providence on Broadway and Bradford Streets; Weybossett across from Gourmet Heaven Most popular dish: Salty chocolate cookies; cold-pressed iced coffee Most served: 350 at FooFest Broadway and Bradford Streets Summer events attending: FooFest; Wooly Fair; Armory Farmers' Market Rain or shine: Probably For rent: "At the right price" Local purveyors: Rhody Fresh milk; Red Planet Vegetables herbs and eggs Hewtin's Dogs Mobile Vehicle: Converted GMC linen truck, heavy on the conversion Chef/owners: Matt & Kristen Gennuso Follow on: Facebook, Twitter, chez-pascal.com Favorite hangouts: Providence at Roger Williams Memorial Park; Grants Block downtown; summer Saturdays at Lippitt Park Most popular item: Bacon-wrapped pork meatloaf sandwich; housemade sausages Most meals served: "Can't count 'em" at Lincoln School's book festival Rain or shine: "Light rain, we'll be out" For rent: "Yes, for some private functions in town" Local purveyors: Pat's Pastured, Aquidneck Farms, 4 Town Farms, Hill Orchard, Zephyr Farms, White Barn Farm and many others Julian's Omnibus Vehicle: Double-decker bus; 24 can dine upstairs Owner: Julian Forgue III, Julian Forgue IV, Randy Kass & Brian Oakley Chef: Mike "Nice" McHugh Favorite hangouts: Providence film sets Follow on: Facebook, Twitter, juliansprovidence.com Most popular dishes: Pulled brisket sandwich; falafel sandwich; parfaits Most meals served: 100 in an hour at the Steelyard Iron Pour Summer events attending: Waterfire; Newport Polo matches For rent: Yes Rain or shine: Light rain Local purveyors: City Farm, Red Planet Vegetables, Armory Farmers' Market Like No Udder: The World's First Vegan Soft Serve Ice Cream Truck Vehicle: Chevy 2500 Express cargo van Chef/owner: Karen Krinsky Follow on: Facebook, Twitter, like-no-udder.com Favorite hangout: Providence on Waterman Street at Brown University Most popular flavor: Vanilla/chocolate twist soft serve with peanut butter sauce Most served: 450 cups/cones in one day Summer events attending: RI Pridefest; Providence ArtFest; Garden City Festival Fete Rain or shine: Generally no rain For rent: "Absolutely!" Local purveyors: Wildflour Vegan Bakery & Juice Bar Mama Kim's Vehicle: GMC 2003 Stepvan Owner: Sook Kim & Hyun Kim Chef: Sook Kim Follow on: Facebook, Twitter, mamakims.us Favorite haunt: Providence on Thayer and Waterman Streets; lunch, dinner, late night Most popular dishes: Galbi (L.A.-style short ribs); Bulgogi (marinated shaved beef ) Most meals served: 1,500 in one day Summer events attending: Waterfire Rain or shine: "Yes. Plus rainy day specials too." For rent: Yes Local purveyors: Silver Star Bakery, Captain's Catch, Farm Fresh RI Market Mobile Rosie's Vehicle: Full-service catering truck Owner: RISD Dining Services Chef: Pierre St-Germain (RISD Executive Chef ), Nick Betcher (Truck Wrangler) Follow on: Facebook, Twitter Favorite hangout: Providence at RISD student studios on South Main Street Most popular dish: Tangy pulled-pork sandwich; black bean taco Summer events attending: Waterfire; Brown Street Park summer evening concert series Rain or shine: "Rain, snow, sleet and hail." For rent: "Yes!" Local purveyors: Hill Farm, Windmist Farm, Jaswell's Farm, Buffoni's, Yacht Club Bottling Works, Narragansett Creamery, Rhody Fresh Sugarush Vehicle: "The cupcakemobile is a 1950s International Harvester Metro Van. There isn't an exact date because it depends on which part you're looking at!" Chef/Owner: Erica Saladino Follow on: Facebook, Twitter, sugarushtruck.com Favorite hangout: Providence on Hope and Lauriston Streets near Frog & Toad Most popular flavor: Chocolate cupcakes with salted caramel frosting Most served: Nearly 400 cupcakes at RISD alumni sale Rain or shine: "Not in heavy rain." For rent: Yes, if nearby Local purveyors: Rhody Fresh milk

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