The Dallas Film Commission posted information about a casting call on their website. According to the open casting call announcement The Great food Truck Race is gearing up for its fourth season, and they’re looking for new contestants for the show.

The announcement says they’re looking for food lovers from all walks of life including trained chefs, amateur chefs, line cooks, sous chefs, home cooks and dedicated foodies to compete for the chance to own and operate their very first food truck. They don’t mention anything about driving skills, but I bet if you’re a charismatic school bus driver with some bitchin’ grill skills you’re a shoe-in.

If you’re interested grab two teammates and email Emily.Sweet@rrstaff.com with your name, age, photo, proposed teammates (and their photos), description of your culinary background, and the idea for your truck.

What? You don’t have a good idea for your own truck? That’s OK. We’ve got some previously rejected truck ideas right here. Feel free to dust any of them off, tweak them (significantly) and take them for your own.

http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/cityofate/2013/03/the_great_food_truck_race_is_c.php

ALAMEDA — About 1,400 people attend the weekly food truck gatherings at Alameda South Shore Center, creating a “significant” increase in business for the center’s retailers, the Planning Board will hear Tuesday when it reviews guidelines for the trucks.

The city also has received no complaints from anyone about the gatherings, including from business owners or business associations, despite some voicing fears that allowing the trucks would undercut brick-and-mortar establishments when city officials adopted the guidelines just over a year ago.

Along with Alameda South Shore Center, the city has allowed the trucks to operate at specific times at the Harbor Bay Business Park and two spots on Park Street, as well as on Central Avenue near Eighth Street.

“They offer a variety of food that you can’t get in a lot of places,” said Nina Oden, 27, of Oakland when she visited the South Shore event on a recent Saturday. “I did not even know these trucks were here until I showed up.”

Her friend, Terri Salcedo, 34, said she will often visit trucks when she spots them near her home in Oakland or when she visits San Francisco.

“It’s different than going to a restaurant,” Salcedo said. “You’re outdoors and there’s more of a communal feeling with other people. It can make you feel that you are part of a community.”

The City Council adopted the draft guidelines for the trucks in December 2011 — just after they were backed by the Planning Board — so that the municipal code would comply with state law, which allows the trucks to set up on any public street as long as a vendor meets local safety requirements.

The aim of the local guidelines was to provide the city with extra control.

Among the guidelines, which officials decided to revisit within a year, was a restriction that the trucks could not set up near an elementary or middle school.

Eric Fonstein, the city’s development manager, said the gatherings have proved especially popular at Alameda South Shore Center.

“The shopping center conducted a month-long, internal analysis last October and found an average attendance of 1,400 people at the events with a significant increase in overall sales for the center’s retailers,” Fonstein said in a background report for the Planning Board.

He is now urging the board to drop the annual review of the gatherings and the renewal requirements for the vendors.

Public Works Director Matt Naclerio also should be allowed to determine where the trucks can operate at the former Alameda Naval Air Station on a case-by-case basis, Fonstein said.

Currently, the trucks must park next to a sidewalk at least five feet wide at the former base, a requirement that can only be met at a handful of locations.

Food truck gatherings, such as “Off the Grid” in Berkeley and Oakland, have become especially popular with food fans and young people, who spread the word about times and locations via Twitter and Facebook.

Some trucks specialize and are staffed by up-and-coming chefs, or chefs who have lost their jobs in the tough economy.

The gathering in Berkeley takes place each Wednesday evening near Shattuck Avenue and Rose Street in the heart of the city’s “Gourmet Ghetto,” a neighborhood that contains Chez Panisse and the Cheese Board collective.

Among the trucks that have visited Alameda is Sanguchon, which specializes in Peruvian food. It was launched by Chef Carlos Altamirano, who also owns the Michelin Star winning La Costanera restaurant in Montara Beach.

http://www.insidebayarea.com/small-business/ci_22349031/alameda-officials-revisit-food-truck-guidelines

Five teams remained as the food trucks pulled into Fayetteville, Arkansas. The teams of The Great Food Truck Race season 3 met Tyler at the U of A Razorback Stadium and were instructed to tailor their menus to the college crowd. Tyler gave each team $300 seed money and warned there were epic surprises in store.

The Challenge
Momma’s, Nonna’s and Seoul Sausage headed to Dickson Street which was considered the town’s hot spot, but Pop-a-Waffle heard that area wouldn’t be busy till later so they set up shop in the grocery store parking lot. Meanwhile, Coast of Atlanta opened their doors in front of a bar hoping to attract the drunk crowd looking for munchies.

Seoul Sausage started serving their fried balls right off the bat, while Momma’s Grizzly realized they forgot to buy tortillas, which is kind of needed for tacos. They watched as Seoul Sausage dealt with long lines, while they scrambled to open their doors.

Truck Stop
The Great Food Truck Race host Tyler ordered the teams to shut down their trucks for the day because they would be getting up early for a breakfast challenge using a secret ingredient. Pop-A-Waffle was excited by the breakfast aspect for obvious reasons, while Nonna’s was unhappy to shut down already since they hadn’t made a single sale yet.

The next day, Tyler called the teams to tell them they had to use the college food staple of Pop Tarts, which delighted Pop-A-Waffle. The teams opened their trucks to find the processed breakfast treat already stocked. They also learned they would be judged by accomplished teen chef Jeremy Salamon.

Nonna’s decided to partner with Seoul Sausage at a farmer’s market. While Pop-A-Waffle joined them, Coast of Atlanta learned there was no more room, so they decided to set up on a nearby street. Momma’s followed suit, but even though all the teams ended up in the same area, Momma’s was the only team to take out a street lamp while parking. The bill for the post would come out of their earnings, putting them further behind than ever before.

Nonna’s made vanilla battered French toast topped with Pop Tarts and a mascarpone cream. Pop-A-Waffle put the Tarts directly into their batter, while Coast of Atlanta made a Pop Tart hash, which seemed to fly out the window. Momma’s toasted their tarts and made Napoleons out of them, as Seoul Sausage made a French toast encrusted sandwich with cream cheese, friend egg and bacon. After Jeremy sampled all the breakfast specials, he awarded the $750 prize to Nonna’s Kitchenette.

Speed Bump
Tyler shut the trucks down again because they would be going from the breakfast shift to the graveyard shift starting at 1:00 AM. All the teams drove to Dickson to hit up the bar crowd. Momma’s and Nonna’s both decided to park on the same corner, sparking more animosity between the teams. As Coast of Atlanta dashed off to the store for more supplies, Pop-A-Waffle and Seoul Sausage started selling to long lines. Once Coast of Atlanta regrouped, they dropped their prices and made their fish baskets smaller in order to make the most money. After the bars closed and the kids went home, the streets emptied out. Coast of Atlanta were tipped off about another Farmer’s Market and made their way over for the final couple of hours. Nonna’s found out about it as well, while Pop-A-Waffle and Seoul Sausage teamed up on Dickson Street.

Elimination
Tyler announced that the winning team of the Fayetteville challenge was Nonna’s Kitchenette. Seoul Sausage, who came in second, was finally dethroned. The top two teams were only separated by $98, but don’t forget, Nonna’s received that bonus $750. Pop-A-Waffle came in third, leaving Momma’s and Coast of Atlanta in the bottom two. Momma’s would have been in the clear, but they had to pay for the light post. Fortunately, the mayor agreed to treat it as an insurance matter, allowing Momma’s to just pay the $250 deductable instead of the full $1900. Tyler lowered the boom for Coast of Atlanta that even with the $250 setback, Momma’s was safe. That meant Coast of Atlanta was the team who went home.

And then there were four. The final four is headed to Nashville, Tennessee next week. Tune in to find out who survives in the music city and who falls short on the The Food Network reality show.

Want more? Follow our tweets on Twitter and like us on Facebook!. Click here for more information about The Great Food Truck Race. For other great reality TV news, please feel free to check out SirLinksALot: Reality TV.

http://realitytvmagazine.sheknows.com/2012/09/09/the-great-food-truck-race-recap-pop-tarts-and-lamp-posts-in-fayetteville-arkansas/