Operating out of everything from
jazzed-up Jurgens caravans to flashy Ford RVs, food trucks are putting tread to
tar in food capitals including New York, London and, most recently, Cape Town.
Ilana Sharlin takes to the road
It all started with tacos.
It all started with tacos. Before the
American gourmet food truck craze officially kicked off in LA, taco trucks were
a regular sight around the city. Parked at construction sites, they provide
cheap, convenient, mostly Mexican food to blue-collar workers. But in 2008, two
enterprising Angelenos upped the concept with Kogi BBQ which served innovative
Mexican-Korean fusion food from the hatch of a seriously styled truck that was
fitted with a restaurant kitchen, and had a lively social media presence. Soon,
Kogi and other trucks were on the roll with quality eats, stopping outside
office buildings by day, and clubs by night.
The
Soft Machine sells innovatively flavored heritage-themed soft serve
The concept quickly went viral, spreading
to other cities such as San Francisco, Portland and New York. Americans
couldn’t get enough of this fun, delicious and healthier alternative to fast
food. Gourmet food trucks became the biggest food trend in years, giving rise
to offshoots including food truck festivals, where trucks would feed crowds of
foodies with everything from braised pork belly on steamed Chinese buns, to
double-chocolate and sea salt ice cream sandwiches, and ultimately even a
reality TV show called The Great Food Truck Race.
The mobile food trend has been driven by
many elements. An ailing economy has made the restaurant industry an even
tougher business for chefs to gain entry to, and innovative restaurant food is
becoming much less reachable for cash-strapped foodies. Gourmet food trucks
also allow chefs to reinvent old favorites in a fun, casual environment, with
some even focusing exclusively on one item they are passionate about, such as
bacon or cupcakes. As trucks rove city streets, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter
have fuelled loyal followings with up-to-the-minute tweets about truck
locations and menu items.
Tomato
sauce and a cucumber and pickled onion relish
Now, the trend has reached Cape Town, and a
convoy of caravans, trailers and trucks is forming. While some issues of
operational and parking permits still need to be ironed out, the frontrunners
of this movement are certain it will grip Cape Town, and ultimately other South
African cities. They are loving the freedom of being creative on a smaller
scale, as well as the interaction with customers – something that chefs tucked
away in restaurant kitchens often miss out on. For now, they are more likely to
be found at markets, festivals and private function, but keep your eye on the
road… they’re just around the corner.
Detour espresso bar
The sea lured part-time barista and
full-time surfer Marck Baxter back to Cape Town after 25 years in northern
Canada. Now, he keeps things real and frothy from his compact trailer
overlooking the breathtaking stretch of coastline between Oudekraal and
Bakoven. Detour is a popular morning stop for daily commuters and java lovers,
who can’t help but chat with this laidback Clifton-born dude while he expertly
runs a Brazilian blend from Cattura through his San Marco machine. Baxter
prefers nature and a friendly communal vibe to pretentious coffee culture, and
wants “everyone to feel they’re worthy of a good cup of coffee.” Where else can
you watch dolphins frolic while you sip a flat white?
Limoncello
Cinematographer Lee Doig, who worked on
American TV series Survivor for 10 years, and business partner San Kelly knew
that food on Cape Town’s movie sets could be much better. Together with
Napoli-born chef Luca Castiglione of Limoncello restaurant, they’ve lauched the
first in their fleet of trucks. “We want to grow the culture of food trucks;
maybe even create a Food Truck Trail,” says Kelly, who adds that “people are
breaking the rules about how food businesses are done”. Gone are the erstwhile
chairs and double bed of Limoncello’s 1978 Ford RV, which now boasts a sleek
galley kitchen with an oven for baking pastries and pizzas. Food is rustic
Italian, with chocolate-chip pastry sticks, thin-crust breakfast pizzas topped
with egg and ham or smoked salmon, calzones and pastas, such as penne with
braised lamb.
Neighbourgoods Market, Biscuit Mill,
Woodstock. Open Saturdays. Caters festivals and private parties
Die Wors-Rol
This ain’t no Boerewors cart, nor does it
serve first-date food! From a trailer dubbed Betsie, sourced from a second-hand
lot in the Strand, chef Bertus Basson of Stellenbosch’s Overture Restaurant,
along with assistant Willem Folscher, wow festival- and party- goers with one
simple, straightforward item. Basson’s gourmet roll holds a gargantuan 22 cm,
hand-made, 100 percent pork, additive-free Frankfurter with an addictive crunch
from local Sweetwell Farm. It’s smothered with his mother’s signature “die
wonder” mustard sauce – “the first thing she taught me to make” – as well as
tomato sauce, and tangy cucumber relish, and comes with thrice-fried golden
potato wedges reminiscent of great Roasties, all nestled in a funky, recyclable
cardboard dish. “I always wanted to get involved with food on the move, and do
something tongue-in-cheek and fun,” says Bertus.
Die
Wors-Rol’s mascot Betsie is emblazoned across the canary-yellow trailer
Lady Bonin’s tea parlour
Jessica Bonin has always been a tea
drinker, but says that before her mobile tearoom, she only knew teabags. Her
desire to create a tea haven led to a crash course in tea and a search for an
affordable venue. She converted a 1975 Jurgens caravan she found in Krugersdorp
into her Boho tea Parlor, and launched a mission “to get traditional
tea-drinking to fit into a modern lifestyle.” While she gets the odd request
for “ordinary tea,” she can charm even the most tealeaf-phobic with organic and
Fairtrade teas directly sourced from farms, and brewed to order in a mug
infuser. Her favorite is Pai MuTan, a smooth Chinese white tea that ‘taste like
liquid silk,” but there are many other exotics, like Yerba Mate and Moroccan
Mint. Just opened: her “stationary” tearoom in the Woodstock Industrial Centre
Neighbourgoods Market, Biscuit Mill,
Woodstock. Open Saturdays. Caters to festivals and private parties
The soft machine
Creative marketing man Donald Swanepoel
enlisted friend and innovative chef Kobus van der Merwe to come up with
grow-up-tasting soft-serve ice cream free of the nasty additives of childhood
favorites. It made sense to put their new venture on wheels, as “there’s a
classic connection between soft-serve and being mobile,” says Swanepoel. Van
der Merwe dove into the challenge of creating a thin custard base infused with
natural flavors, smooth enough to go through a soft-serve machine. Each
heritage-themed ice cream has a partner, such as moerkeffie with cinnamon spice
snaps, sweet corn with tomato jam, and caramel with Mebos brittle, and flavors
are delicate and true without being overly sweet. Swanepoel says they’re
looking into more soft treats like sweet-and-savory candy floss and gourmet
marshmallows.
Neighbourgoods Market, Biscuit Mill,
Woodstock. Open Saturdays. Casters to private parties
The
Soft Machine is a collaboration between West Coast chef Kobus van der Merwe and
marketing maestro Donald Swanepoel
Northern Exposure
Meanwhile, up in Joburg, the mobile food
movement, while still in its infancy, is slowly gaining traction.
Full of beans
Pioneered by Brazilian-born Marcio Mordoh
and his wife Teresa, Full of Beans brings quality Cuppa Joes to Joburgers,
courtesy of a retro-chic, three-wheeled Piaggio TriVespa scooter. The
pint-sized trike purveys everything from skinny lattes to creamy cappuccinos
made with coffee supplied by TriBeCa, as well as an array of cheerily decorated
doughnuts and crumbly croissants.
Full
of Bean’s Marcio Mordoh
Long Tom
Inspired by New York’s ubiquitous hot-dog
vendor stands, Glenn Scharrer set up his first mobile food stand in Sandton
last year. The fir-engine red, two-wheeled trailer pleases punters with its
assortment of American-style hotdogs, ruler-length boerie-rolls, steak rolls
and “Cheezas”.
Corner 11th Street and Marie
Road, Parkmore, Sandton; tel: (011) 706-7268. Casters to private parties,
events and festivals
