After a three-day test run last November, the grey and red Wholly Habañero food truck rolled down Campus Walk and parked near Trinkle last Monday, March 11. The truck will return to the same spot every Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. to serve up Mexican food that’s “Qdoba-level quality,” according to junior psychology major Erika Persil.

University of Mary Washington chef Bob Beaudry said his favorite menu item is the taco salad, which includes either pork, chicken or beef in a crispy shell with sides such as lettuce, guacamole, cheese, salsa, sour cream and tomatoes. The menu also features burritos, soft tacos and salad bowls. Chips and salsa are a popular side dish, according to Beaudry.

“You can definitely get a hearty meal here,” said Beaudry.

The food truck, part of UMW dining services, has a full kitchen inside, but the grills are not yet active.

“We prepare the ingredients at Seacobeck and then items are made to order on the truck for each student,” according to Kori Dean, general manager of Eagle Dining.

Students are already showing interest in the truck.  Many have braved the cold March wind to stand outside and order lunch, despite the heated, indoor-dining options on campus.

“The burrito combo was really good,” said freshman psychology major Leanne Castellow, who went twice in four days.

One student said she liked Wholly Habañero because of the convenience factor, in addition to the quality.

“I’m able to stop by in between classes,” said freshman international relations major Jenna Aschenback, who lives in Jefferson Hall, which is just a short walk away.

Though the food truck frenzy seemed to have bypassed Fredericksburg, vendors have taken over bigger cities like Washington, D.C. Tracking websites such as foodtruckfiesta.com, as well as social media websites, such as Twitter and Facebook, show food truck locations in real time in the city so customers can find their favorite foods, which move around from day to day.

There are about 100 food trucks on any given day in the District, according to the Washingtonian. The trucks, which are boxy and often brightly colored, serve savory or sweet snacks that are as creative as the colorful mobile.

The Kimchi Barbecue Taco truck sells a unique Mexican and Korean blend of burritos with bulgogi (beef) and kimchi slaw tacos. Captain Cookie sells hand made ice cream sandwiches and cocoa cayenne espresso cookies.

Though Wholly Habañero does not concoct crazy combinations, the truck does stand out, with the bright red letters of the name and “gracias por su visita” written on the side, as well as on the menu.

“I like the flash of it,” said junior and math major Marco Levine after placing his first order.

Even though a tracking application is not necessary for the time being, Wholly Habañero might start showing up at school events, beginning this summer, to sell to crowds, according to Eagle Dining employee Richard Gustard.

“It’s a trend right now,” said Gustard, “and UMW is picking up on that.”

http://umwbullet.com/2013/03/21/umw-adopts-food-truck-trend/

By Michael Theis | Fredricksburg Patch

NOT GUILTY! Owners of Beach Fries in Fredricksburg, VA

In the wake of a not guilty verdict relating to zoning violations, Fredericksburg’s City Attorney says the owners of the Got Beach Fries food vending truck still have to get the approval of the city before setting up on private property.

“When a mobile food truck sets up somewhere, there are public concerns generated, like, has he set up on parking spaces that are already required for the use of the property where he is located,” said City Attorney Kathleen Dooley. “Has he located in such a way that he will be posing a safety hazard to the traffic pulling in off the road?”

Dooley classified Judge John Stephen’s not guilty verdict as a “warning”, but said the mobile restaurant’s participation in the Farmers Market and special events in the city were still allowed.

Richard “Eddie” Crosslin, who co-owns Virginia Beach Fries with his wife Kim Crosslin, argued in General District Court that a verbal agreement between himself the property owners in addition to his possession of an itinerant merchants license was sufficient to operate his business within the city.

Dooley said that the itinerant merchants license is only a tax license, not a zoning permit.

“He’s squared up with the tax folks, but its the zoning folks he needs to work with,” said Dooley

It seems as if the Crosslins are inclined to do just that. After yesterday’s trial, when asked how soon he would be returning to the city to do business, Eddie Crosslin quickly responded “soon,” but Kim Crosslin politely suggested that the business should go through official channels before proceeding.

http://fredericksburg.patch.com/articles/food-trucks-still-need-zoning-approval ]]> http://www.mobilefoodnews.com/2011/08/not-guilty-verdict-food-trucks-still-need-zoning-approval/feed/ 0 http://www.mobilefoodnews.com/2011/08/food-truck-vendor-arrested-fights-zoning-charge/ http://www.mobilefoodnews.com/2011/08/food-truck-vendor-arrested-fights-zoning-charge/#comments Tue, 16 Aug 2011 13:33:51 +0000 MobileFoodNews.com http://www.mobilefoodnews.com/?p=19741

By Michael Theis | Fredricksburg Patch

Eddie Crosslin stands in front of his mobile food business on the corner of Fall Hill Avenue and Route 1. He is charged with violating a zoning ordinance for setting up shop without permission. Credit Michael Theis

Richard “Eddie” Crosslin and his wife Kim spent thousands of dollars to create a mobile beach fries and crab cake vending truck, but says their business could be hurt by an interpretation of city laws which he says stifle an increasingly popular business option. Today, Crosslin and his company Got Beach Fries, go before the Fredericksburg General District Court on a zoning violation for operating his food vending truck without permission on the corner of Fall Hill Avenue and Jefferson Davis Highway.

A Beach Fries Truck employee hands out a business card with the phone number of the Fredericksburg Planning and Community Development Office for customers to call and complain about the zoning violation. Credit Michael Theis

Crosslin says that he had been operating at that location since May. “It turned into a good spot for us,” said Eddie. He lures customers with a bright orange delivery truck and Twitter tweets to devoted followers who go out of their way to find the truck.

Crosslin, who lives in the White Oak area of Stafford County, was arrested for violating section 78-964 of the Fredericksburg code on July 25. The law prohibits any site-improvement activity from happening until the owner obtains permission from the zoning administrator. The law also prohibits changing the use of a property or structure until an occupancy permit is issued.

After being charged with a zoning violation for his business activities, Crosslin decided to hold a small protest. On July 26, he set up at the corner of Fall Hill and Jefferson Davis, but did not sell a thing. Instead, they gave out free lemonade and the phone numbers of the Fredericksburg Planning and Community Development Office to would-be customers hungry for crab cakes and fries. Incensed at being unable to munch on surf and turf, dozens of customers called into the planning office on the spot to lobby for their beloved food truck.

Kim Crosslin was surprised to see her husband’s name in the daily Fredericksburg City Blotter on July 27. Having not been detained, they thought he had only been issued a ticket to appear in court and nothing more.

“Although he was released on a criminal summons on the day in question, he was in fact arrested,” wrote Natatia Bledsoe, public information officer for the Fredericksburg Police Department, in an email. “I think people often misunderstand that.”

Arrest aside, pointing to health and fire permits as well as a itinerant merchants license issued by the city, Crosslin argues that he has the necessary documents to operate his business.

Ray Ocel, director of Fredericksburg’s office of Planning and Community development, disagrees. He says that the itinerant merchant’s license only allows Crosslin and other mobile vendors to set up shop at special events, defined in the city code as things like a “fair, street fair, show, exhibit or celebration open to the public.” The only exception, he says, is the Fredericksburg Farmer’s Market, of which Crosslin is a member.

“Zoning wise, you cannot set up on private property or in the public right of way,” said Ocel in an interview.

City zoning laws do not mention food vending trucks specifically, says Ocel. Eddie Crosslin says that needs to change, noting that food vending trucks can be a low-cost way to start a business. Ocel says that his office is not currently exploring any options to revise city code to address food vending trucks.

http://fredericksburg.patch.com/articles/food-truck-vendor-fights-zoning-charge#c

One day I was about to turn on State Route 218 when I spotted a bright orange-and-white panel truck with large letters on the side that read “Beach Fries and so much more!”

Since I am a big boardwalk fries fan, I knew I had to find out what in the world this truck was.

So I went to the website painted on the side of the truck, gotbeachfries.com, and was pleasantly surprised to find it was a mobile food truck.

The cool thing is, the Beach Fries truck rotates locations from day to day. You can find out where the truck is going to be by checking the website or Facebook page or by following it on Twitter.

Locations include the old Mary Washington Hospital, Duff Green Park, Hurkamp Park, Celebrate Virginia concerts and just about everywhere that’s anywhere in Fredericksburg.

Eddie and Kim Crosslin are the owners. Eddie Crosslin got the idea for the Beach Fries truck from watching a show on TV called “The Great Food Truck Race.” He and his wife serve everything from fries to crab cakes to deep-fried corn on the cob.

I visited the truck with my friend Karen when it stopped at Duff Green Park. We were picking up some food for our kids, who were at swim practice.

Before I even get to the food, I have to mention that the Beach Fries truck provides a table full of every kind of condiment available. This came in handy when I doused my beach fries ($2.50 for regular) with malt vinegar and salt.

While the fries were tasty and cut similarly to the ones found on boardwalks, they weren’t quite as crispy or as thick.

I tried the crab cake sandwich ($8.50), a handmade crab cake made from a combination of lump and back fin with a minimum of filler and homemade remoulade sauce. The flavor of this crab cake reminded me of the deviled crab that is served farther down south at the beach.

It was definitely fresh and generous with the crab. The remoulade sauce was very spicy but a good complement.

I couldn’t resist ordering the OBX (Ossim Bologna Xtreme) Burger ($4.50) for my son. They literally deep-fat-fry a one-third-pound slab of Smithfield bologna and cover it with cheese and a bun.

It was the right choice for a 15-year-old boy. He loved it. It was the ultimate fried baloney sandwich!

My daughter Maggie and friend Karen had the Big Kahuna Grilled Chicken Sandwich ($6.50). Karen had the combo, which came with the deep-fried corn and a cookie. She reported that the corn tasted very fresh and sweet. She and Maggie both thought the chicken was tender and tasty.

My daughter Celia and Karen’s daughter Michaela each had the Coney Island Corn Dog Combo ($5). Celia said the corn dog was crunchy on the outside but soft in the middle.

She liked that the breading was dense. Michaela echoed that and said the dog was “yummy.”

Michaela let us try her funnel cake ($3), the truck’s newest item. The funnel cake was thicker than normal ones but had that same great taste that all things fried in oil and showered with powdered sugar have.

Karen was a little surprised that the cost of the items from the food truck was similar to prices in a restaurant, but said the quality was as good. To me, if you are stuck at an endless soccer practice during the dinner hour and a food truck pulls up, you will be happy to see it no matter what.

Plus, if you are working in an office and the Beach Fries truck shows up, how cool is it to be able to run out and grab a chicken sandwich?

The Beach Fries truck is a great addition to a continuously evolving Fredericksburg dining scene. Look for it on a street near you.

http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2011/062011/06092011/631399