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Arcadia, CA: Santa Anita Food Truck & Brew Fest Photos

MFN Editor #1 — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 01:20:07 +0000

Santa Anita Jan 26 2013 (23)
Omar, Lisa May, Dave

For over a decade, KROQ has thrown parties in the infield at Santa Anita Park. And there’s a reason; they’re always a blast.

Couldn’t be there? Here’s what you missed: 25 of the best food trucks, 45 craft beers served by a legion of cheerleader-like hostesses, 10 thoroughbred races and a live performance from Shiny Toy Guns. Clouds dumped rain all over LA and OC yet not a single drop fell over Arcadia. It was like someone wanted us to party hearty.

Leave it to Lightning to hold a contest for Muse tickets that involved mud. Three contestants hurriedly smothered mud from a nearby puddle all over their faces in an attempt to impress the judges. One guy went a far as placing a piece of turf on his head like a bad grass toupee. Since all three were such good sports, each one walked away with a pair of tickets to Saturday night’s Staples Center show.

The day was capped by an amazing set from Shiny Toy Guns who stayed to meet fans and take a few photos. Be sure to join us March 3rd as we welcome another great LA band you’ve heard on KROQ,Youngblood Hawke.

http://kroq.cbslocal.com/2013/01/27/santa-anita-food-truck-brew-fest-recap/#photo-1

Arcadia, CA: Join KROQ DJs At Santa Anita Racetrack – Shiny Toy Guns, Food Trucks, Microbrews And More – Enter To Win VIP Tickets!

MFN Editor #1 — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 23:25:31 +0000

By Contributor | CBSLocal.com

Shiny Toy Guns performing at Santa Anita in 2012 (Photo: Cody Black)

Join Stryker, Kat, Dave the King of Mexico, DJ Omar Khan, Lightning, and Lisa May in the infield at Santa Anita Racetrack this Saturday for 10 live thoroughbred races starting at NOON and a live performance from Shiny Toy Guns.

Enjoy the best of the best food trucks and fun for the entire family all for only FIVE BUCKS! 10 Live Thoroughbred races, 45 Craft/Microbrews on tap, and 20 of SoCal’s best food trucks!

Gates open at 11, first race at noon. Admission only $5 at the gate or in advance by clickinghere. The best of the California-breds battle it out at Santa Anita featuring 6 stakes races! Plus, fans in attendance will take home a free* Santa Anita Beach Hat!

Win a Santa Anita Backstage VIP package worth $181.

$106 betting voucher
Free Admission for 4
Parking Pass
Back Stage Access
8 drink tickets!

Two ways to win:

Listen to Ralph’s Showbiz Report all week 6:50, 7:50, 8:50, 9:50
Click here to enter online

FOOD TRUCKS

A ROCKin Ice
Border Grill
The Grilled Cheese Truck
Joe’s Pizza
Lobsta Truck
Macho Nacho Truck
Me So Hungry
Pallazado Gelato
Paradise Cookies & Ice Cream
Ragin’ Cajun
Slammin’ Sliders
Waffles de Liege
White Rabbit
Komodo
Mustache Mikes
Baby’s Bad Ass Burgers
The Greasy Wiener
My Delight Food Truck
Meet The Greek
Tornado Potato

Arcadia, CA: Council Lifts Food Truck Ban

MFN Editor #1 — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 22:00:26 +0000

By Natalie Ragus | Arcadia.Patch.com

The Grilled Cheese Truck
The Grilled Cheese Truck was one of the most popular food trucks at the festival. Credit Sebastian Zeferino

The Arcadia City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt an ordinance lifting the city’s ban on food trucks.

The ordinance allows food trucks to operate on the public right-of-way; previously, food trucks could only set up shop at Santa Anita Park, the Arboretum or during city-sanctioned special events.

The ordinance comes in response to Socal Mobile Food Vendors Association claims that the city violated state law by not allowing food trucks to operate outside of special events.

Arcadia Chamber of Commerce President Scott Hettrick said local businesses have a number of concerns regarding the ordinance and the introduction of food trucks in town.

“While we think food trucks could bring in some new customers from beyond the borders of Arcadia, the Chamber was very much opposed to the new ordinance allowing food trucks to park on just about any city street — business or residential — pretty much whenever and wherever they want, and with likely little strict enforcement of sales tax collection,” Hettrick said. “We feel this presents an unfair advantage to mobile businesses based outside of Arcadia who pay no property taxes or invest in any way in Arcadia to cherry pick and siphon off business at selected prime times during lunch and dinner hours from business and property owners who maintain their Arcadia establishments 24/7 and are actively engaged in the community.”

But city leaders have said the former ban on food trucks violates state law and makes Arcadia vulnerable to lawsuits. The ordinance is modeled after other successful ones in Long Beach and Manhattan Beach.

Some restrictions set up by the ordinance to protect businesses and residents include:

Food trucks cannot park within 10 feet of the entrance to any business during said business’ operating hours.
Food trucks cannot operate after 10 p.m. in residential areas, and after midnight in commercial zones.
Food truck vendors must keep clean up all litter, and cannot dump any liquid on city streets

The Council first discussed the proposed ordinance at a meeting last month. At that time, Council members decided to more forward with the ordinance, putting it on the Nov. 6 agenda.

http://arcadia.patch.com/articles/council-lifts-food-truck-ban

Food Trucks Draw a Crowd to Santa Anita Park

MobileFoodNews.com — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 20:03:18 +0000

By Melissa Berlant | Arcadia Patch

The lines at many trucks like the Lobsta Truck were long. Credit: Melissa Berlant

Foodies and families joined horse racing fans at Santa Anita Park on Saturday to sample food from more than 60 food trucks at a food truck festival hosted alongside the races for Breeders’ Cup Challenge Day.

The Santa Anita Food Truck festival was conceived as a way for the park to broaden its audience and lure a younger crowd, including many young families. The festival began small in January, but the fourth festival Saturday had more than 60 gourmet trucks serving foods ranging from fried chicken to samosas and gelato.

Director of Publicity for the park Mike Willman said they really didn’t know what to expect when they had the first event back in January, but they were overwhelmed with the crowds the food trucks were able to draw in through Twitter and Facebook.

The Ragin Cajun truck owner Stephen Domingue said he was excited about the event. He was at the original festival back January and said the trucks sold out within 4 hours.

“It’s been a pleasure with the horse racing going on here and the crowds. I mean, we’ve got a following that is crazy,” Domingue said.

The Grilled Cheese Truck was especially popular and had a snaking line before the event even began. President and chef of the truck, Dave Danhi estimated that he would sell about 1,200 sandwiches at the festival.

“We love the venue. Each venue, each community takes on its own feel…This has always been a very family-oriented, fun, group thing, as opposed to a the drunken guys coming out and saying, ‘let’s go eat’ like Abbot Kinney [in Venice Beach] can be,” Danhi said.

Danhi recommends strategic eating to manage long lines like the ones at his truck.

“It’s all about divide and conquer. Come with a group of people. Two people go here, two people go there, boom boom boom. Come back and feed the people waiting at the busy trucks,” he said.

When Anna Castillo of Whittier entered The Grilled Cheese Truck line, she had about an hour wait ahead of her. She was willing to wait in the line thanks to her love of grilled cheese sandwiches, but followed good food truck festival form by sending her sister to wait in line at the Lobsta Truck. Twenty minutes later, she was still in line, but had the sandwiches her sister bought to stave off the hunger.

Other less well-known trucks used a variety of techniques to draw costumers in. Joyce Cachapero helping at Almoosal Filipino Fusion Cuisine lured people over using a cow bell and free samples. Paradise Cookies had a violinist playing as customers enjoyed fresh ice cream sandwiches.

Sanata Anita Park is betting on the event bringing in new horse race fans.

“There’s an energy here that you’re not going to find in parking lot somewhere. There’s professional sports going on in conjunction with this event,” Willman said. “We view it as a great opportunity to expose an entirely new demographic to our game at Santa Anita, and we’re hoping we can have some of them come back on occasion and participate in this sport.“

While some guests like Castillo only came for the food, others planned to check out the horses too.

Jennifer Sotelo of Montclair and Raquel Alcantara of Covina were drawn by the food, but came for the whole experience including the races.

“I want to place some bets,” Alcantara said. “Hey, if I win something, maybe I’ll come back.”

http://arcadia.patch.com/articles/food-trucks-draw-a-crowd-to-santa-anita-park#video-7977365