Michael Hauke will compete in LIVE’s Trucking Amazing Cook-Off on May 24th. (LIVE with Kelly and Michael)

Known for making his pizzeria menu into fun grub, Michael Hauke owner of  Tony Boloney’s, will compete on national television for “LIVE’s Truckin’ Amazing Cook-Off” hosted by ‘LIVE with Kelly and Michael.’ On Friday, May 24, tune in to watch Tony Boloney’s Mustache Mobile compete against nine other food trucks from across the country to win the grand prize.

Hauke is no stranger to winning, one of his other claims to fame is winning the Guy Fieri Cheesesteak Battle at the Atlantic City Food and Wine Festival with his popular “Cheesesteak Ole.” This award-winning concoction consists of 10 spices sirloin steak, fried onions, jack cheese, chipotle-house-sauce, lettuce and tomatoes – just the names of the dishes alone should be enough to keep you intrigued. A few unique favorites are: The S#ITFACED Chicken,Bouffant Breeze, Casino Carnivore, and Boardwalk Vampire.

If you happen to be in Atlantic City, check out the Tony Boloney’s brick and mortar location, located in Atlantic City’s inlet nearest to the Revel Resort!

http://www.nj.com/atlantic-city-entertainment/index.ssf/2013/05/atlantic_citys_own_tony_bonlon.html

All owners will now have to (be) licensed by their hometown’s police department and will also have to go through CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) and SORI (Sex Offender Record Information) checks. They also will have to be fingerprinted

Food is being served locally a la cart — literally — more often.

“Food trucks seem to be the new thing,”Westborough Director of Public Health Paul McNulty told the board of health in his April report.

“Some are really tricked out with equipment like a full service restaurant.”

McNulty said he attended a food trucks workship last month.

McNulty, Town Sanitarian Steven Baccari and Town Health Inspector Terry Gilchrist’s April reports were on Tuesday night’s health board agenda.

Gilchrist said she inspected the BeBopps Mobile Ice Cream Truck that served the recent spring festival.

“There are new laws in place for all ice cream mobile vendors,” Gilchrist wrote.

“All owners will now have to (be) licensed by their hometown’s police department and will also have to go through CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) and SORI (Sex Offender Record Information) checks. They also will have to be fingerprinted.

Gilchrist added that she was supposed to inspect a Kraft Food Truck planning to set up at Stop and Shop on Route 9. However, the vendor said the truck needed repairs.

Gilchrist and Baccari both said they attended food trucks training in April.

Among the other highlights of the health reports were:

• Westborough’s rabies clinic attracted 36 dogs and 32 cats, McNulty said. “I think this was more than we have had in a long time,” he said.
• McNulty and Gilchrist toured Owen O’Leary’s Restaurant and Pub, which will open at 17 Connector Road.
• McNulty said he inspected the residence at 165 Lyman St. “after being notified by the police. Borderline hoarding. An order was issued and the occupants cleaned up.” Baccari also noted this.
• Baccari said he noted 11 minor violations on a routine inspection of UNO’s. “All violations were corrected for the reinspection,” he said.
• Baccari said he noted 17 minor violations and one critical violation during a routine inspection of Sodexho @ BNY. “One minor violation was not corrected for the reinspection,” he said.

http://westborough.patch.com/articles/food-trucks-popularity-growing

Food trucks like the Roaming Buffalo are cashing in with catering events this summer as hungry customers bring the trucks home.

Buffalo’s passion for food trucks got started on lunch breaks for the most part. Now hungry customers are bringing the trend home.

Ask any food truck operator in Western New York and most will say they rely on private catering to keep the truck running. “We make money serving lunches day to day,” said Chris Taylor of the Roaming Buffalo. ” But catering brings in the big bucks.”

Taylor started the Roaming Buffalo almost two years ago. He runs the operation with his wife, Valerie. This weekend, for Memorial Day, the Roaming Buffalo has several private parties booked, most of them thanks to a growing popularity with little advertising. “Social media and word of mouth,” he said. “I tweet and I’m on Facebook all day long.”

Trying to promote the business is the easy part. Dealing with daily challenges is much harder. Taylor says those range from “the truck not starting and snow to the generator going down just as the health inspector shows up.”

What happens when the food truck is scheduled for a lunch session and it rains so potential customers choose to stay inside their offices? With private catering, food trucks get a set rate and don’t have to chance a lack of customers.

“We go to a lot of big events and do catering out of the truck. We also do weddings, stag parties and more,” Taylor said. “We can make everything from steak and lobster to hotdogs and hamburgers right out of the truck.”

For Pizza Amore “The Wood Fire Way” that’s the only way to do it. The two-year-old mobile business features a real brick oven, with temperatures topping 750 degrees. ”It’s a little bit different,” said owner Dave Perri, who also runs the operation with his wife Diana. “It’s hard to throw a big oven in a food truck. We don’t drive it like a typical food truck, it’s mostly private catering.”

Pizza Amore also has a brick and mortar restaurant and takes part in many festivals like the Erie County Fair, the Jazz Festival and the Niagara Falls Music Festival. The truck will also be at Darien Lake this summer selling everything from Buffalo chicken pizza to white pizza and more, all of which cook in just three minutes.

So expect to see food trucks lined up for lunch, at homes and at events this summer.How long will the trend continue? Stay Tuned. Taylor says competition among trucks is heating up and long time operators rely on their reputation for tasty truck food.

http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/blog/stay_tuned/2013/05/food-trucks-arent-just-for-lunch.html

sjtaco.com
San Jose Taco Festival

The 2nd annual San Jose Taco Festival will be filled with tastings, art, and performances. Held in History Park on Senter Road not far from the San Jose Municipal Stadium, the festival will offer a curated selection of over 35 of the best food trucks from all over the Bay Area serving their best rendition of a taco. All plates will be $5 or less. Short rib tacos, nacho tacos, Vietnamese shrimp tacos, and even ice cream tacos is just a sample of the day’s menu. Tacos in the competition will be voted on by attendees. Finalists will be judged by a celebrity panel and prizes will be awarded based on quality and presentation.

The onsite Firehouse building will be converted into a VIP area with all you can eat tacos and open bar. While food is the main attraction, various entertainment options will be provided for the crowd. The Concert in the Park music program will bring a variety of live acts throughout the day including noted Latin hip-hop act Raul Y Mexia.

There will be a kids area near the stables with pinatas, balloon artists, and face painters. The event will also offer the high-flying live entertainment of Mexican-style Luche Libre wrestling with a full wrestling ring staging matches throughout the festival. A selection of two dozen art, jewelry, clothing vendors and community partners will also have a presence at the event. The taco festival will also play host to the second annual US Air Accordion Championship (USAAC) competition. For more information on the festival, please visit their official website.

San Jose Taco Festival
Saturday, May 25, 11 a.m. $10-$150 (children 11 and under free)

http://www.ktvu.com/news/entertainment/san-jose-taco-festival/nX2QC/

Hurricane Sandy was devastating to millions of people in the New York tri-state area. With electricity, food and water in short supply (or non-existent) in many neighborhoods, David Weber and the NYC Food Truck Association stepped up to help feed hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers in some of the hardest hit areas.

David organized corporate contributions and donations from the Mayor’s Fund To Advance NYC, in addition to coordinating dozens of food trucks, to get over 350,000 hot meals served in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

Now David and the NYCFTA have been chosen as an honoree for the 2013 Neighborhood Achievement Awards.

In addition, they are in the running for the Helping Hand Award for their post-Sandy relief work which will be determined by public vote. That’s where you come in. VOTE HERE!

Remember all the smiles that David, the NYCFTA and its food truck members brought to our friends and neighbors in their time of need. Now let’s recognize them for their selfless service.

Cupcake Crew Handing Out Smiles In Queens

http://newyorkstreetfood.com/42292/vote-for-the-nyc-food-truck-association-for-the-2013-neighborhood-achievement-awards/

Hungry festival participants line up at one of the food trucks competing at Monmouth Park. / Staff Photo: Mary Frank

Try your luck at the trucks: The Food Truck Wars are back, and this year they’re bigger than ever.

Now in its second year, the food truck festival at Monmouth Park Racetrack has expanded over two days, bringing the mobile cuisine experience back to Oceanport on Saturday and Sunday, May 25 -26.

Last year’s inaugural event attracted nearly 24,000 people in one day. This year’s event, presented by Spark Market Solutions, includes 32 food trucks – that’s 13 more than last year.

“We have an amazing array of food trucks this year from New York, Philadelphia and right here in New Jersey serving every kind of burger and sandwich along every type of ethnic foods you can imagine,’’ said Patti Baxter of Spark Market Solutions in a news release.

Food selections include dumplings, empanadas, pizza, lobster rolls, pad thai, vegan dishes, chicken fried bacon on a stick, fried cheese curds and specialty cupcakes.

Music is also on the menu. Country musicians Craig Campbell and Chris Janson will entertain festival-goers on Saturday, May 25.

Sunday, May 26 is “Family Fun Day” at Monmouth Park Racetrack, with free face painting, bounce houses and clowns for the kids along with live entertainment by New Jersey-based band Pez Hed.

A panel of judges will determine the food truck winners for Best Guilty Pleasure, Best Ethnic, Best Overall Truck and other categories. Visitors may vote for their truck favorite for the People’s Choice Award.

http://www.dailyrecord.com/article/20130523/NJENT/305230038/Fun-on-wheels?nclick_check=1

Food Trucks are all the craze these days. Gourmet food truck fever is sweeping the urban foodie scene in full force and now it is making its way to our very own Oceanside, California. Here are a few of our Favorite Food Trucks that frequent the Oceanside Area. (If you have a favorite food truck that isn’t up here tell us about it!)

Mad Mantis Food Truck

Eclectic, delicious and surprisingly healthy food from a mobile kitchen. Follow Mad Mantis Food Truck on twitter or facebook, find them and come try some delicious food! Note that they are also available for catering services.

“Not your ordinary food truck! Great and delicious combinations of some of the greatest entrees. I got the mahi-mahi fish tacos, not your ordinary since it has delicious cranberry sauce, avo, and all the reg rest! Can’t wait to try something else next! Added bonus: The take credit cards!” Yelp Review: Tiffany G.

The Sushi Bus

Entrepreneurial sushi chefs selling take-out bento boxes out of the back of an old ice cream truck might not ring your bell. However, The Sushi Bus is offering up fresh California cuisine at local breweries, private parties, or business events. Track them down by following The Sushi Bus on facebook or twitter.

“You would have a hard time finding better sushi in a brick & mortar restaurant, especially at their price points!  The flavor of their sauces and quality of the fish are top notch.” Yelp Review: Michael S.

 

Red Oven Pizza

Red Oven Pizza is a la vera pizza Napoletana mobile pizzeria where every ingredient is prepared in the wood oven. Ask them about lunch service, catering, weddings, school fundraisers, or other public events. Then, don’t forget to follow them on facebook and twittertoo!

“A recent find, but I’m already head over heels. These guys haul around a real brick oven on the back of their truck. They set up this thing every time they touch down in an office park or brewery. That’s real love for pizza, guys. Real love.” Yelp Review: Lindsay L.

http://www.visitoceanside.org/blog/oceanside-street-food-food-trucks/

Richard Linskens, owner of Smoken Pig Express, cooks a double cheeseburger for a customer during lunchtime Friday in downtown Neenah. Linskens says a new $250 fee may prompt him to take his business to Menasha. / Dan Powers/Post-Crescent Media

NEENAH — Mobile food vendors operating on streets and sidewalks now have to stay 500 feet away from events like Communityfest and the downtown Neenah farmers market, under a new ordinance.

They also must pay a $250 annual licensing fee.

The law applies to food vending carts like Smoken Pig Express and to food vending trucks like Kangaroostaurant. It also covers the popular ice cream truck that’s been traveling through Neenah neighborhoods for decades.

City staff had recommended ice cream trucks be exempt from the ordinance, but the Public Services and Safety Committee disagreed.

“I think we lose a little bit of credibility if we try to target certain kinds of mobile vendors,” Alderman Todd Stevenson said.

The Common Council approved the ordinance last week. It prevents food carts from selling in front of brick-and-mortar restaurants, and in the central business district it restricts food trucks to seven specific locations.

Before the ordinance, Neenah hadn’t regulated mobile food vendors. They were able to operate anywhere in the city by obtaining a license for food sales and a permit for a solicitor, peddler or transient merchant.

The arrival of mobile food vendors in the central business district has drawn concerns from downtown restaurant operators, who argue the mobile food vendors are siphoning off business without paying property taxes or the special assessments to pay for the downtown Business Improvement District.

Chris Haese, director of community development, said mobile vendors can add interest and ambiance to a community, “But if you overdo it, and we start to see storefronts go empty, then we’ve got a real problem.”

Richard Linskens, owner of Smoken Pig Express, brings his food cart to the southeast corner of Wisconsin Avenue and Commercial Street on weekdays. He’s not opposed to the ordinance — other than the $250 license fee. He said the fee could force him to move his business to Menasha, which doesn’t charge a fee.

“I don’t know,” Linskens said. “Time will tell.”

• Only six trucks and three carts will be licensed to operate in the central business district during a year. There will be no limit in the balance of the city.

• Mobile vendors will pay a $250 license fee.

John Skyrms, a downtown property owner and a member of the Business Improvement District Board, said the ordinance provides a balance between competing interests.

“No one is going to be thrilled with this,” Skyrms said. “From one side to the other, mobile vendors want this, and restaurant owners want this. I think this is an excellent compromise.”

Back by popular demand, the Jersey Shore Food Truck Wars returns as a two-day culinary throw-down on May 25 and May 26 at Monmouth Park, Oceanport.

Gourmet food trucks will roll into the festival area to wage a food war.

With more than 20 trucks to choose from, who will win the most votes for the People’s Choice Award?

This year’s gourmet trucks include Ahh! La Cart, Amanda Bananas, Bacon On Wheels, The Burger Box, Cinnamon Snail, The Cow and the Curd, Cupcake Carnivale, El Lechon de Negron, Empanada Guy, Fork in the Road, Four Boys, Freezy Freeze, Gozen Yogurt, Greenlight Food Service, Hibachi Heaven, Jersey Johnny’s Grill, Kona Ice, Max’s Hot Dogs, Molly’s Milk Truck, Morris Grilled Cheese, Pizza Vita Wood Fired Pizza Truck, Red Hook Lobster Pound, Rickshaw Dumplings, Surf and Turf Truck, Thai Elephant Truck, The French Quarter, Tony’s Italian Sausage, Tony Boloney’s, Mustache Mobile, Wafels and Dinges, and Wrap Star.

Country stars Craig Campbell and Chris Janson will be playing from noon to 4 p.m.

May 26 is Family Fun Day. A live band will play from noon to 4 p.m. Children can enjoy the bounce houses, face painters, clowns and more.

http://exa.gmnews.com/news/2013-05-23/Front_Page/Jersey_Shore_Food_Truck_Wars_this_weekend.html

Jessica Noto served Jordan Todd from a truck parked outside West Sixth Brewing Company on Thursday. The proposed ordinance would allow food trucks in metered public parking spaces in some downtown locations. Councilwoman Shevawn Akers said she plans to bring up the proposal at next week’s session, with passage possible in early June.

Lexington’s Urban County Council spent two hours on Tuesday discussing details about a proposed six-month pilot program to create five food truck zones downtown.

The discussion covered everything from where and when the trucks can set up on the street to who would enforce the rules, and how. Council members at Tuesday’s work session eventually voted to send the pilot project to Thursday night’s council meeting for a first reading.

Under the proposal, food trucks would be allowed to set up in five zones that have metered parking spaces. Trucks could park there for two hours between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. As long as they are in line with other zoning regulations, the food trucks could operate downtown — or anywhere in Fayette County — between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m.

The trucks cannot be within 100 feet of the entrance to a business establishment during its regular hours of operation, or within 100 feet of a residential area.

Moments after the start of Tuesday’s meeting, some council members asked for some of the zones to be changed or eliminated. Councilman Steve Kay asked that South Limestone between Main and Vine be removed from the list because of limited on-street parking, and because it put the trucks too close to businesses, including several restaurants.

Kay said Bill Owen, president of the Lexington Center Corporation, had requested that food trucks be banned from an area around Rupp Arena because they would compete with food vendors inside the Lexington Center.

Chris Ford pointed out that all metered spaces on Elm Tree Lane between Corral and East 4th Street, near the Lyric Theatre, were within 100 feet of residential areas. He wanted that zone removed.

Harry Clark reminded fellow council members that the project was only a six-month pilot. “We have to have enough spaces to prove food trucks have viability,” he said. If zones are removed, “There would not be enough left to make any sense.”

Julian Beard said he did not see how food trucks on South Limestone would hurt downtown restaurant business. Besides, Beard added, competition is part of the American way of doing business.

Council eliminated Elm Street Lane as a zone, but added two blocks nearby on Corral Street between Spruce and Martin Luther King Boulevard.

Another concern was who would enforce the two-hour parking limit — Lexington police or the Lexington Parking Authority, the agency responsible for the city’s parking meters.

James Frazier III, board member of the parking authority, said the agency would enforce parking until 5 p.m., and enforcement would be complaint driven. The parking authority wants some discretion in enforcing parking decisions because the food truck program is new and they aren’t sure how it will work.

The food truck project would be evaluated in October, Councilwoman Shevawn Akers said, using information such as the number of police citations issued, parking authority citations and the volume of business by food trucks.

Sean Tibbetts, director of the Bluegrass Food Truck Association, said earlier that many of the food truck operators are concerned that the ordinance is too restrictive for them to be able to operate.

“The longer the process has gone on, the more restrictive the process has gotten,” he said. The first food truck task force was set up two years ago.

The food truck association currently has about a dozen members, many of whom have more than one truck.

He said the ordinance would require the trucks to open for business immediately upon parking, but it takes 20 minutes for his griddle to even warm up. “We just don’t see how we can actually make it work,” he said.

http://www.kentucky.com/2013/05/21/2648574/lexington-food-trucks-pilot-program.html