Get your tastebuds ready. Plant City foodies will be able to sample cuisine from around the world: couscous, spices ranging from the Gulf of Thailand to the Gulf of Mexico, mac n’ cheese stuffed between two slices of buttery bread, fried okra and Brazilian-style meat on a stick.
And they’ll all be in one place Friday, Sept. 30. The Tampa Bay Food Truck Rally will bring nine of its wheeling eateries to the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World for the Plant City Main Street Food Truck Rally.
The event will be held at the corner of Drane and North Palmer streets, across from the Robert W. Willaford Railroad Museum in Historic Downtown.
It’s the first time in two years food trucks are making their way back to Plant City.
Bring Back the Trucks
The City Commission approved food truck rallies as a community event in July, enabling the rallies to be run by Plant City Main Street, an organization which works to bring visitors to Historic Downtown. City Manager Mike Herr was responsible for establishing the rules of the event.
Glenn Nicholson, the owner of Neumeister’s Candy Shoppe, was one of the local business owners who spearheaded the initiative to bring the trucks back to Plant City. As a downtown business owner, he saw the positive effects the rallies had on the business community.
Nicholson took the idea to Plant City Main Street, who then teamed up with Tampa Bay Food Truck Rally. With over 100 trucks serving up delicacies across Tampa Bay, the organization was able to offer Plant City a wide variety of flavors.
“Businesses in the (downtown) area have always wanted it to come back,” Kim Sanders, of Tampa Bay Food Truck Rally, said.
Though the trucks were halted in 2014, this time they’re back for good. Different food trucks will be in the Historic Downtown area the last Friday of every month.
“The trucks will change,” Sanders said. “We try to change that out every month.”
The process of getting the trucks re-established took about six months, from partnering with Plant City Main Street to getting both business owners and the City of Plant City on board.
Sanders, along with Tampa Bay Food Truck Rally CEO Michael Blasco, believe the rallies will have a positive impact on the community.
“If businesses decide to stay open during the event, they will see a huge impact (from foot traffic),” Blasco said.
As for the trucks, Sanders said, the owners are ready to dive into a new setting.
“It wasn’t hard to get people to sign up for it,” she said. “I think the trucks realize it was an untapped market.”
The Friday, Sept. 30, rally will have nine trucks, expanding as needed should the event grow in the future. The event is free to the public and all ages are welcome, with the rally potentially adding kid activities in the future.
The only fees, Sanders said, will be the cost of food and drinks from the truck. The average truck ranges from $7 to $10 in price, including a drink.
“I think the city is hoping for the same, something that brings people to the downtown area,” Sanders said. “It’s not only about food trucks, it’s about the community.”
Contact Emily Topper at etopper@plantcityobserver.com.
About the Trucks
Open Fire Grilled Brazilian
About: During his time in Brazil, Cesar Sangaletti helped open Brazilian steakhouses. He later helped open the first Brazilian steakhouse in Miami before venturing into the food truck industry. There’s three certainties foodies can expect out of his truck: meat, meat and more meat.
“He’s quite talented,” Kim Sanders, of Tampa Bay Food Truck Rally, said. “Any time you put food on a stick, people tend to get excited.”
On the Menu: Marinated chicken breast skewer, grilled sweet plantains, vegetarian plates, top sirloin skewers
Mr. C’s Grilled Cheese
About: Mr. C’s Grilled Cheese joined Tampa Bay Food Truck Rally just over one year ago after the organization helped the company get started. The truck, owned by Ben Rampt, serves crafty, cheese creations between two
slices of artisan bread — from mac and cheese sandwiches to The Caliente, a grilled cheese featuring chorizo sausage and sliced jalapeños. The sandwiches are paired with dips, including spicy chipotle, creamy pesto, honey mustard and tomato soup.
“It comes with a sauce container,” Michael Blasco, CEO of Tampa Bay Food Truck Rally, said. “He does tater tots as well.”
On the Menu: Loaded fries, The Buffalo Soldier Grilled Cheese, The Fancy Caprese, The Caliente
Rollin’ Zoinks
About: Food truck owner Tammy Young serves up everything from chicken and beef to couscous and scallops in her ‘zoinks,’ a term she uses for hand-held eats.
“It’s a crossover between a burrito and a wrap,” Kim Sanders, of Tampa Bay Food Truck Rally, said.
The typical zoink consists of a meat, sautéed mushrooms or onions and long grain rice. Rollin’ Zoinks throws in a sauce for free, and the truck serves fried okra and fried mac n’ cheese as sides.
On the Menu: Screamin’ Buffalo Chicken Zoink, Steak On A Whim Zoink, Vegan Primo Veggie Zoink, fried okra, fried mac n’ cheese
Sawadee Thai
About: David Shields’ food truck inspiration comes from his wife, Wallapa Shields, who is from Rayong, an eastern Thai province on the Gulf of Thailand.
“She cooks, and he takes the orders,” Kim Sanders, of Tampa Bay Food Truck Rally, said.
Shields went through the Tampa Bay Food Truck Rally’s seminar before opening his eatery on wheels. He and
his wife serve classic Thai dishes, from Pad Thai to the stir fry dish Pad Kra Pao.
On the Menu: Thai fried rice, Thai egg rolls, crab rangoon, Thai BoBa Tea, Pad Kra Pao, Pad Thai