August 25, 2015 – Is the Monterey Bay area finally getting a food truck culture? Last Saturday night hundreds of people flocked to the Food Truck Block Party in Watsonville, First Friday in Santa Cruz now features two food trucks on Abbott Square and this weekend Truck Stop 831 is launching its first event in the parking lot of Northridge Mall in Salinas. The “Endless Summer” Food Truck Party will take place on Saturday and Sunday, Aug 29-30 from 11am to 4pm. It will feature five to seven food trucks each day, along with live music, a bounce house and skate ramp. Organizer Domingo Rivera says this weekend is just the first of many events he’s planning.
“I love food trucks because the chefs are the most passionate, grassroots people you’ll meet,” says Rivera. “I get these amazing chefs who just want to do their own thing and maybe don’t have enough money to open their own restaurant.”
Rivera—who once worked in the dining room of Marinus at Bernardus Lodge—compared it to eating at the “chef’s table” where you can watch the chef making your order and interact with him or her.
He is making an effort to recruit some of the bigger name food trucks from the Bay Area, as well as local favorites. But the final list of participating trucks won’t be released until Friday on the event’s Facebook page. Click here to view FB page.
Truck Stop 831 hopes to hold food truck pop up events monthly, the next one is already being planned for the Marina Dunes shopping center and they are hoping to stage one at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in the near future.
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At Edible Monterey Bay, our mission is to celebrate the local food culture of Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey Counties, season by season. We believe in sustainability, and we believe everyone has a right to healthful, clean and affordable food. We think knowing where our food comes from is powerful, and we hope our magazine, website and newsletters inspire readers to get to know and support our local growers, fishers, chefs, vintners and food artisans.
