Tag Archives: food festival

Apr 10

The Start of the 2016 Food Truck Season; What You Can Expect and Be Excited About

Image Source: vancitybuzz.com

The food truck season 2016 is underway and a lot of interesting, tantalizing, and new food ideas are expected. This year, expect there to be more food truck festivals that are more organized with better attractions and sumptuous food. However, since the past years food trucks have enjoyed immense popularity, it is very likely that the competition will be fiercer and it might be tougher to get into the festivals or prime locations unless you book a spot well in advance. And even with advance booking, organizers will be selective about the food truck choices so as not to have the too much of the same food concept.

Tips on Getting Asked to Food Festivals

  • Look up the calendar of organizers, local governments, and public venues
  • Consider offering the organizer something like free snack or drinks for the organizer and his team.  It can become part of your marketing budget because these are the people who will be in control of the event and walking around holding your food or drinks. The exposure will be tremendous!
  • Volunteer. You can help set-up, provide manpower (your staff), or supply basic needs like water, first aid, or other essentials
  • Be a sponsor for the entertainment. You can negotiate a barter deal that will not require you to give out cash but food or drinks to the band or singers
  • Go over the calendar and look for long weekends. It’s better to join a festival that runs for the entire weekend than be in a one-day event.

According to the National Restaurant Association, the 2016 food and drinks trends are:

  • Locally grown produce and locally sourced seafood and meats
  • Natural  ingredients with minimal use of processed foods
  • Nutritious children’s meals
  • Ethnic spices
  • Authentic cuisine
  • Homemade food that does not look homemade

If you plan on offering drinks on your menu, it would help to consider the following suggestions:

  • Homemade healthy, nonalcoholic drinks
  • Mocktails
  • Sparkling water
  • Gourmet drinks
  • Coconut water
  • Cold coffee
  • Smoothies

Clearly, food trucks are here to stay and be an exciting part of spring and summer. However, the people who support food trucks are slowly becoming more refined and selective about what food truck to support. Thus, make sure to keep your truck clean, organized, and fresh.  Happy summer days ahead!

May 21

The Awesome Philadelphia Street Food Festival

Image Source: uwishunu.com

Last May 15 a phenomenal event took place in Philadelphia – the Night Market Philadelphia which is the 4th year in a row that it has been held with resounding success. The event was also the jump-off point for the rest of the 2014 festivals to take place in different neighborhoods around the city.

Philadelphia is known for its diverse neighborhoods with a mix of different races such as African American, Native American, White, 8 different Asian races, Latinos, and Hispanics. The Night Market Philadelphia is an eclectic mix of these races as they are represented in food, music, and artistry. This first Night Market for 2014 was held at the Old City. The rest of the events will be held in West Oak Lane, Chinatown, and Lancaster Avenue from June to October.

Based on the success of the Old City Night Market, the street food and food trucks you can expect to enjoy in the next events are sweet potato fries, crab cakes, chicken dishes from fried to grill to chicken cooked in delicious sauces, Asian cuisine, Spanish, Cuban, and Puerto Rican fare, and good old American food.

Thousands of people packed the streets of the Old City where there were programs, live entertainment, a photo booth, raffle, and a lot of good conversation and fun times. Some of Philadelphia’s finest street foods were also present like the cheesesteak, soft pretzels, hoagies, water ice, Tastykake, and scrapple.

For those unaware of what these Philadelphia foods are, here’s a brief breakdown:

Hoagies are more popularly known as sub sandwiches in other places. It’s a sandwich that uses a long roll like French bread stuffed with deli meat, cheese, vegetables, and special sauces.

Scrapple is a pan fried loaf made from pork scraps, flour, cornmeal and seasoning. It is eaten as a side dish and served with sauce of your choice: apple butter, maple syrup, honey, catsup, or jelly.

Water Ice is a fruity Italian ice dessert very similar to sorbet. It is almost like ice cream rather than shaved ice.

Finally, Tastykake is from homegrown Tasty Baking Company with products like cupcakes, donuts, cookie bars, and other baked products.