Lake Worth, FL: “Best French Fries” Food Truck – Belgian-Style Chips

MFN Editor #1 — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 01:10:03 +0000

Lake Worth resident Debbie Harris didn’t name her food truck Best French Fries for nothing. She’s pretty sure the fries served from her food truck — which hit Palm Beach County streets late September — are some of the best around.

Why? Harris isn’t serving your typical fries. She’s making “chips,” the European counterpart to our Americanized fast-food version. Harris’ obsession with finding the perfect fries began a few years ago during a trip overseas to visit her British-born husband’s family and friends.”We were all over [Europe], and had so much good food, but we just fell in love with the fries,” Harris told Clean Plate Charlie during a recent interview.

Specifically, Beligan frites – unofficially the small country’s favorite food, served from more than 4,000 stands or carts known as chipperies, frietkots, or frituuren found almost almost everywhere you could think to put a fryer.

Turns out the Belgians really love their fries — so much so they even have a museum dedicated to the chip and a National Association of Chipmakers, a 1,500-member professional team of chip-friers. With so many chips to sample, Harris started thinking “how popular these European frites — which are served in paper cones with as many as 30 different dipping sauces — could be here in the U.S.”

So what makes European chips different from American fries?

According to Harris, a double-fry process that ensures the chip is “really crispy and crunchy on the outside, but soft and fluffy on the inside.” The Belgians have a special two-step system for cooking bintjes potato (a slightly floury variety of potato), beginning with soaking thick, hand-cut slices of potato in water for several hours, then drying. Next, a quick dip in a hot fryer before removing to drain and cool. Only when an order is placed are they given a second dip in super-hot oil (typically a vegetable oil or beef fat for added flavor) before being served in a paper cone with a choice of specialty dipping sauces.

To replicate the process stateside, Harris decided to go the way of the truck, outfitting a used model with three fryers and a convection oven. She starts by hand-cutting Yukon Gold potatoes — as well as sweet potato and yucca — into thick strips. After a quick dip in corn oil, the fries are drained and cooled.

Place an order and Harris gives your frites a second fry, then serves them in her own custom-made, cone-shaped container designed to hold any four of her more than 20 housemade dipping sauces. They can also be ordered twice-baked, and all orders come with your choice of two dipping sauces, as well as the option to “mix” for those who want a taste of all three fries. The cost: about $4-$6 depending on how many added 50-cent sauces you request.

We couldn’t help but notice Best French Fries “dessert” cone, served funnel-cake style with plenty of powdered sugar alongside a gooey marshmallow sauce and chocolate syrup. But are they the best? You’ll have to take your own taste-test and find out!

To find Best French Fries next serving station, be sure to check the food truck’s Facebookpage, or follow their Twitter feed.

http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/cleanplatecharlie/2012/10/best_french_fries_food_truck_lake_worth.php

Lake Worth, FL: P.S. 561 Seeks Funding For New Food Truck: You Can Help

MFN Editor #1 — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 00:25:36 +0000

By Laine Doss | BrowardPalmBeach.com

P.S. 561′s Aaron Merullo wants to graduate to a larger truck.

Sure the economy is getting better little by little, but if you’re a small business looking to upgrade, there are still few funding options on the table. Banks are still wary of lending to even the most stable of small businesses, and going public is not a viable option.

Read also:
- Favorite Dishes: The FCAT at P.S. 561

So when Aaron and Stefanie Merullo decided to upgrade P.S. 561, they went outside the box and started a campaign through Smallknot. Their goal? To raise $2,500 in 45 days to help fund a new food truck to replace their trailer. So far, they’ve raised over $1,000 in just a few days.

Smallknot is a small company out of Brooklyn that helps small businesses raise small amounts of capital for business improvements. Unlike Kickstarter, which tends to fund artistic projects, Smallknot concentrates on local mom and pop businesses that are looking to expand or improve a project.

Aaron Merullo told Clean Plate Charlie that he’s outgrown the current P.S. 561 trailer and the $2,500 he’s raising will help purchase a new food truck.

“The food truck itself will cost a lot more than that investment, but this is a small grant that will give us a boost and that’s what this program is all about. The current P.S. 561 has a leaky roof and it’s not big enough to allow us to expand into Broward County and get into the late night service we’d like to get involved with.”

Your monetary investment to P.S. 561 brings returns in the form of food or your name on the new truck. If goal isn’t achieved, your money is returned. For instance, a $25 investment gets you lunch for four at P.S. 561; a $50 investment gets you lunch for six; a $100 investment gets a lunch party for ten; invest $250 and the truck comes to your house for a grill party. $500 gets your name etched on the new truck.

While many food truck owners are finding the business difficult due to permitting issues and a glut of competition, Merullo’s future is bright. “It comes down to what we’re selling. We sell gourmet hot dogs. It’s a good product that people enjoy. Restaurants always have a high failure rate, but we started out by not going into heavy debt with an expensive truck and working hard. We’re looking forward to the future and sharing our hot dogs with more people.”

If you want to invest in P.S. 561, check out their Smallknot page here.

http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/cleanplatecharlie/2012/11/ps_561_smallknot.php

Mobile Food News » Lake Worth

Lake Worth, FL: “Best French Fries” Food Truck – Belgian-Style Chips

Lake Worth, FL: P.S. 561 Seeks Funding For New Food Truck: You Can Help