Gary.Mills@jacksonville.com
The One Spark Food Village — located on a cordoned off area of Laura Street between Forsyth and and Adams streets — features nine food trucks and food and beverage vendors.

As Connecticut artist Cris Dam stood on a step ladder painting part of his collaborative urban mural project (Creator Project 556) outside the Marble Bank Building along Laura Street, Chris Dickerson was busy making tortillas inside his converted Airstream trailer food truck, Corner Taco.

It was just before noon, and a one-block stretch of of the street was filling with downtown office workers and festivalgoers for the inaugural One Spark “crowdsourcing” festival where hundreds of innovators and creators are vying for $250,000 in prize money.

Through Sunday, the cordoned-off stretch of Laura between Forsyth and Adams streets is home to One Spark Food Village, a mix of nine food trucks and food and beverage vendors lining both sides of the street, serving everything from fish tacos to pulled pork sandwiches to jerk chicken wraps to noodles and more.

Gary.Mills@jacksonville.com
Office workers and festivalgoers wait in line at Corner Taco, one of the nine food trucks/food vendors in the One Spark Food Village — located on a cordoned off area of Laura Street between Forsyth and and Adams streets.

More: Complete One Spark coverage

As the 112-year-old Jacobs Jewelers clock – unveiled Wednesday after a two-year restoration – chimed 12 times, Dickerson and his team were taking their first order of swordfish tacos from more than a dozen guests already in line.

At the south end of the block, the line had stretched 30 deep outside the Up in Smoke BBQ food truck.

Elsewhere on the street, lines quickly grew and stayed at 20 or more for many of the food truck operators and vendors.

Those vendors and their menus include:

■ All Jacked Up: Drinks, including espresso-bases, smoothies, iced blended coffee shakes, Italian sodas and more ($4)

■ Brazilian Corner: Burgers, hot dogs, shish kabob and spit barbecue selections ($3 to $4.50) from Ronaldo Bonachela

■ Caribbean Sunrise: Jerk chicken wrap, jerk pork kabob, curry chicken, wings and beef, chicken or veggie patties ($4.50 to $7)

■ Cely’s Famous Food: Filipino favorites pancit, fried lumpia, fried rice and meat on a stick ($1 to $5)

■ Corner Taco: Swordfish tacos (2 for $10) and nachos ($8.50); selection varies daily

Gary.Mills@jacksonville.com
At Island Noodles, a food vendor at the One Spark Food Village, noodles are prepared in a large wok.

■ Island Noodles: Wok-fired soba noodles ($7, or $8 with teriyaki chicken)

■ Snowie Queen: Shaved ice ($3 to $6)

■ Up in Smoke: pulled pork, angus beef brisket sandwiches ($7, $8), plus the Poodle Noodle Chili Doodle, a bacon-wrapped hot dog with mac and cheese and chili, wrapped in a flour tortilla ($7)

■ Intuition Ale Works: People’s Pale Ale and special One Spark Brew ($6) from the Riverside craft brewer.

Dickerson – who launched Corner Taco just over a year ago – considered participating in One Spark in a different capacity.

“I wrestled with the idea of presenting versus vending,” he said Thursday inside his Airstream. “I still want to do my trailer park idea.”

That idea includes five Airstream food truck trailers, each offering a different cuisine, set up in a permanent “trailer park” location.

In the end, he decided go the vending route, an option that gives him a better shot at leaving the festival with some cash to help finance his goal.

And after his first lunch at the festival Dickerson tweeted “Record lunch @ One Spark.”

The One Spark Food Village will be open throughout the five-day festival, serving during lunch and dinner hours. Other food trucks – including Happy Grilled Cheese, Subs on a Roll and Intuition – will operate during evening and late-night hours on Bay Street, between Newnan and Market streets, in the Entertainment Zone.

http://jacksonville.com/entertainment/food-and-dining/2013-04-18/story/dining-notes-one-spark-food-village-features-food

Gary.Mills@jacksonville.com
The Happy Grilled Cheese is one of the food trucks participating in the One Spark event in downtown Jacksonville

As part of this week’s One Spark “crowdfunding” festival, several food trucks and food vendors will create a “food village” on Laura Street, between Forsyth and Adams streets.

Among those are All Jacked Up, Brazilian Corner, Caribbean Sunrise, Cely’s Famous Foods, Corner Taco, Island Noodles, Snowie Queen and Up in Smoke as well as Jacksonville craft brewer Intuition Ale Works.

During evening and late-night hours in the Entertainment District, look for Subs on a Roll, Happy Grilled Cheese and Intuition Ale Works set up on Bay Street.

Additionally, many other downtown restaurants will have extended hours during the festival, which runs through Sunday.

http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/423471/gary-mills/2013-04-17/food-trucks-roll-downtown-one-spark

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — There’s a food truck feud brewing in Downtown Jacksonville.  Owners of established restaurants hope the trend runs out of gas, soon.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The number of food trucks in Jacksonville has tripled in the last year and the industry isn’t slowing down.

Joe Snowberger is a regular customer for the Gourmet Aviator. He says he follows Jacksonville food truck locations on social media.

“Every day, you get a different freshness and taste for my gourmet palette. It’s really a nice surprise every day,” said Snowberger.

And as awareness grows, so does the number of trucks. The company Jax Truckies supports local food trucks and says since last year, the number of restaurants on wheels in Jacksonville has grown from 12 to almost 40 now.

That matches M & R Trailers’ success in the last year. The company, based out of Baker County, builds custom food trucks and trailers and says its revenue tripled to $1 million. In 2012, they built 54 food trucks for customers all over the country.

Gourmet Aviator food truck sets up at different Jacksonville locations

“I believe that this business has caught a niche in the market. We’ve had a bad economy fall in the last few years. A lot of people in the higher-priced income area were laid off from these high paying jobs and these people have some capital in the bank and they’re saying ’I'm going to spend $25,000, $30,000 and I’ll get a food truck and I’ll be out there making revenue every day,’” said Bob Pierson, owner of M & R Trailers.

M & R trailers customizes every food truck to the customer’s specifications. They’re currently finishing a coffee truck that even has a lower window to let customers visually pick out baked goods.

From custom-made barbecues, to catering trucks with bathrooms, to full coffee shops, food trucks have evolved.

“The trucks that come around serving the lunches, roach coaches, well those days are gone. These are gourmet kitchens; they’re built like that and they cost like that,” said Pierson.

M & R builds about three trucks a month and these restaurants on wheels range anywhere from $25,000 to $200,000.

Owner of the Gourmet Aviator said the average daily revenue is $350 dollars, but depending on the location, their mobile restaurant could bring in up to $800 a day.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/topstories/article/296158/483/Food-truck-business-speeding-to-success

Customers wait in line to place their order during the lunch hour on Friday at the Smoke-N-Hot BBQ truck along Highway 78 in Oxford. The food truck is operated by Greg and Maryann Stay. (Trent Penny)

JACKSONVILLE— They’re trendy, they’re tasty, and they’re seemingly lining up to park in Jacksonville.

Food trucks are booming in larger cities such as Atlanta, and local vendors have been inquiring about how to set up shop in Jacksonville. Now the City Council plans to consider whether and how to let that happen.

Food trucks have in recent years become popular with customers, and with foodie entrepreneurs who are attracted to the idea of being able to prepare and sell food with lower overhead cost and without being tied to a specific location, following customers to wherever they happen to be hungry. Many rely on social media to let their fans know where to find their favored fare. The trend has spawned Food Network show The Great Food Truck Race; in its latest season, aspiring entrepreneurs competed in such Southern cities as Fayetteville, Ark., and Nashville to win prize money and their own food truck.

As the food truck invasion has hit Alabama, some local governments have looked to regulate the vehicles. Birmingham officials have been working on such an ordinance for months.

In Jacksonville, building inspector Mark Williams said requests “come in spurts — we may have three this week and then we may have none for a long time.” Since he took over as building inspector in 2007, he estimates he’s had at least 20 requests to operate within the city.

City officials are unclear how to handle the requests under the city’s law, said Williams, and he is now looking for direction from the City Council as to how the city should regulate and/or license the mobile establishments.

Historically, he said, the city has operated with the understanding that there were no regulations governing food trucks and thus no procedure for authorizing them.

But recently, he said, it was brought to the city’s attention that the code does govern food carts, whose definition includes the mobile food trucks.

Williams has drafted a proposed ordinance — a starting point, he said — for the City Council to begin to review and discuss tonight at its work session. The issue is not slated to be discussed at the council’s regular meeting.

State law governs the health and safety requirements for food trucks and requires approval from the County Health Department for their operation. In addition to these health requirements, Williams’ draft proposes a number of regulations, including requirement of a $500 city permit for each vehicle, written permission from the property owner where the truck would operate, proof of insurance and a lighting plan for trucks that intend to operate after dark. It would also prohibit trucks from operating on public property or in residential zones, providing seating for customers, or locating in parking spaces required for businesses.

Greg Stay of Smoke-N-Hot BBQ said his truck is welcomed in most cities locally, but aside from one church event, has not been able to operate in Jacksonville.

“Oxford has opened up their arms to us,” he said. He frequently operates in the parking lots of the city’s retail establishments such as Best Buy. “They call us and ask us to come to try to bring local businesses customers,” he said. The relationships are mutually beneficial, he said, often bringing new customers to each.

In a mobile business such as his, Stay has to keep track of sales tax in each municipality, charging each day based on where he parks. He estimates that with his truck stops and catering, Smoke-N-Hot BBQ generates between $1,500 and $2,100 in sales tax each month.

How similar Alabama cities regulate food trucks

College towns such as Jacksonville throughout the state have taken different approaches to regulating the mobile kitchens. In Auburn and Montevallo, the cities haven’t had enough trucks to really bother with ordinances, officials say.

According to Forrest Cotton, director of planning for the city of Auburn, the city typically sees two or three food trucks operating in the city outside of Auburn University. The bulk of the trucks are regulated by the university. Officials at JSU confirmed Thursday that the university does not allow food trucks to operate on campus due to its contract with Sodexo, its food services provider.

Cotton said the food trucks that do operate in the city typically set up on property where owners have given them permission. The city requires they have a business license to operate within the city limits and ensure they pay proper taxes, but, he said, “until folks start to complain or until we start seeing more than a few, I’m not inclined to regulate them.”

Troy takes a firmer stance on regulating the businesses. According to Diane Leveque, revenue officer for the city of Troy, food trucks must be approved by the City Council. In order to secure such approval, vendors must show written permission from the property owner where they intend to park, which must be located in a business district. If a truck wants to move to another location, she said, the vendor must go before the council with written permission from the new property owner to secure approval. The truck must also secure a business license from the city.

Success regionally

Food trucks are popping up at events across the region. The city of Smyrna, Ga., has gained a reputation for its Food Truck Tuesdays, a popular event that showcases one of the city’s biggest parks.

“Food Truck Tuesdays has attracted a lot of attention for the city of Smyrna regionally, which we like,” said Jennifer Bennett, community relations director for city. “It has generated a tremendous amount of community pride, too.”

With live music, room for children to play, and a variety of food truck fare, the event appeals to a cross-section of the community, added Smyrna City Councilwoman Teri Anulewicz.

Bennett said the trendy food trucks — which have grown nationwide — have offered an opportunity for residents and those in surrounding communities to create their own jobs in a tough economy. “I see it as very American,” she said. “It helps us enjoy our community through food in a new and fun way.”

http://annistonstar.com/bookmark/20877739–Jacksonville-set-to-discuss-food-truck-rules

By Lewis Turner | FirstCoastNews.com

Chris Dickerson, right, and Heather Douglas operate Corner Taco, one of Jacksonville’s newest food trucks.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Just like any street side restaurant, Chris Dickerson’s Corner Taco serves downtown diners lunch quick and fresh.

And they have some prime real estate.

Traffic always flows at the corner of Main and Forsyth downtown.

“Two of us serve 100 people a day,” he said from his busy kitchen.

When the day is over, the Corner Taco picks up and becomes a part of that traffic.

“We move around, we’re somewhere new every day,” he said.

They’ve set up their food truck in an Airstream … well it’s “a 1965 Airstream.” Dickerson is quick to add the year.

It’s obvious he’s proud of his ride/restaurant.

“The Airstream has a soul and hopefully adds another dimension of what we’re trying to do,” he said.

Corner Taco was one of the first food trucks in Jacksonville.

Now he says there are more than a dozen on corner lots and side streets all over town.

“When we started in January, there were only three,” he said.

“So it’s expanded quite a bit.”

Chris says the trend is to ditch the pretense and cut overhead.

It allows him to come to the people.

“We certainly have a pricing advantage because we don’t have the infrastructure.”

Lunches average less than $10 and are each made to order.

They have state-of-the-art equipment powered by propane tanks and generator.

Like the other trucks, they move daily.

“We really do work together. It’s like a tribal community.”

It’s a community that lives on social media.

They have no advertising.

Other than word of mouth, the only way to know where the trucks will pop up next is Facebook and Twitter.

“The thing you learn from history is that things change, you can either embrace it or reject it … We’re definitely going to try and ride the wave of social media.”

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/article/271065/3/Food-trucks-feasting-on-social-media

You’ve seen food trucks on TV. You’ve read about food trucks in this column. And perhaps you’ve even tried a couple of food trucks in and around Jacksonville.

On Saturday, March 31, however, you’ll be able to fully immerse yourself in food truck culture when Bold City Brewery hosts the Jax Truckies Food Truck Championship, featuring food trucks from across the city.

But to do that, you’ll need to act fast. Less than four days after tickets first went on sale, fewer than 100 general admission tickets remained for the event, which is limited to 300 attendees. While supplies last, tickets ($5) are available at www.metrojacksonville.com/JaxTruckies. (Food tickets will be sold the day of the event for $1 each or 20 for $18.)

The Jax Truckies will crown Jacksonville’s best food truck based on the votes of seasoned foodie judges. A people’s choice honor will be awarded by attendees’ votes.

The event runs noon to 3 p.m. at Bold City Brewery, 2670 Rosselle St., #7 in Riverside. Canned food donations, benefitting Second Harvest North Florida food bank, will be accepted.

http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/423471/gary-mills/2012-03-06/jax-truckies-food-truck-championship-set-march-31

Owner Patrick O'Grady talks with customer Bryan Massey outside O'Grady's Driftwood BBQ trailer. WILL DICKEY/The Times-Union

Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/entertainment/food-and-dining/2012-02-14/story/working-first-coast-driftwood-bbq-food-trucker#ixzz1mStsvO7A

Business owners try to overcome odds against them

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Mobile food trucks are popping up across the state, and now the craze has made its way to the River City.

Generally, they’re easy to move, easy to find and easy on the wallet.

Edgar Varela, a construction worker who’s working on the new courthouse downtown, said he likes to stop by one nearby food truck on his lunch break.

“I don’t have to go anywhere else, just walk from the job over here,” Varela said.

Mario Tuzuak, who owns Five Star Catering, parks that food truck by the construction site, where he said it’s an easy target to pocket cash. Tuzuak sells sandwiches, tacos and soda to workers.

But he’s got competition. More than 2,000 trucks are moving across the state. In fact, the state says the number of mobile vendors has increased by about 5 percent over the past year, and it’s encouraging businesses to get their licenses to help boost the economy.

“It’s good money, just starting up building a route and everything, that’s the hard part,” Tuzuak said.

It’s not just food trucks. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation says food carts are fast growing, too, but some say it’s tough to set up shop in Jacksonville.

“It’s really hard for a guy who just opens up a truck and tries to generate new business because the locations can be difficult,” said Keith Waller, who runs a truck for Monroe’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Q. “People have so many options. There has to be great food, great quality. You have to have the whole package.”

Banking nearly $1,000 during the lunch hour, Waller is proud of his barbecue truck Monroe’s On The Go. But he’s backed up by the brick and mortar restaurant on the Westside and doesn’t worry as much about mobile’s bottom line.

Although he is concerned that too much red tape could give the red light to the growing trend.

“Hopefully they don’t limit it, where food trucks really are shut down all together,” Waller said. “I think there’s an opportunity for them to thrive, but the opportunity has to be there.”

Food truck owners say they’ll keep moving along, trying to turn a profit by serving some fast food.

http://www.news4jax.com/news/Mobile-food-trucks-make-way-to-Jax/-/475880/5009250/-/ld070pz/-/

Keith Waller is the owner/operator of Monroe's On-The-Go.

Office workers downtown and beyond soon will have a new lunchtime option when Monroe’s On-The-Go food truck hits the streets.

Owner Keith Waller said he plans to launch his new venture as soon as his credit card processing system is installed and operational, perhaps by week’s end.

Diners can expect most of what Waller serves at his west Jacksonville restaurant, Monroe’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Q, including Monroe’s famous smoked wings, pulled pork platters, two-meat combos, sandwiches, salads and more.

“We’ll have 80% of what’s on our current menu,” Waller said, noting the food truck will offer fewer side items than the restaurant. Those will be served buffet style, he said.

Monroe's sides will be served buffet-style.

And with Monroe’s On-The-Go, Waller plans to offer food at lower price points — including a wings meal for as low as $4.95 — to attract customers to the new venture.

Plans call for the mobile kitchen to roll out for lunch Monday through Friday, Waller said. Already, he’s gained permission to set up shop on private property near the new Duval County Courthouse. Other private property owners, too, have expressed interest, he said.

Legislation pending before Jacksonville’s City Council will ultimately decide where food trucks are allowed — and not allowed — to operate. (Busin’ Your Chops owner Curt Cavins tweeted last week that his food truck was cited by the city for selling on land zoned for commercial, residential and office.)

Waller said he’s hopeful that once downtown leaders see food trucks like his and Cavin’s in operation, that they’ll expand, rather than limit, the areas they’re allowed to operate.

On evenings and weekends, look for Monroe’s On-The-Go to deploy for special events and cater to late-night crowds. Riverside microbrewery Intuition Ale Works has already inquired about availability, Waller said.

Unlike the Busin’ Your Chops food truck — actually, a converted bus — Monroe’s On-The-Go is a mobile kitchen trailer previously used in the film industry, Waller said. He plans to offer seating as well — including a pop-up tent when needed — so that walk-up customers can enjoy their food on-site instead of carrying it back to the office.

Key to any food truck’s success is informing potential customers where and when they can find their favorite food. Monroe’s plans to use social media sites Twitter and Facebook to do just that.

http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/423471/gary-mills/2011-03-15/monroes-bar-b-q-roll-downtown-beyond-new-food-truck