Food Trucks in Mississauga

Published June 27, 2012 at 1:15 pm

foodtrucks

The Mississauga Waterfront Festival, which is held every year on Father’s Day week-end, is always my benchmark to indicate that summer has finally arrived. But this year’s festival was made extraordinary with the presence of a number of specialty Food Trucks – all offering a sampling of tasty, gourmet eats. I spoke with Beatrice Laidlow who is a Vendor Coordinator for Port Credit’s summer events and I asked her about the Food Trucks. “When we were planning the MWF, we wanted to increase the caliber of food at the event and with all the talk around Food Trucks these days we thought it would be a perfect venue to try something different.”

Now, if you were in the mood for something unique, other than the usual festival fare of burgers and hot dogs; then this was the spot for you! The trucks were set up on a grassy area overlooking the main stage of festival entertainment; picnic tables offered seating for many, but festival-goers also brought blankets and chairs for casual summer eating.

As I wandered around the Food Truck zone, it was impressive to see the variety of items to choose from: Rome’n Chariot offered Italian comfort food, The Toasted Tangerine featured “toasted” ravioli stuffed with cheese and spinach and Bonfire Catering had an actual wood-fired oven, on their truck, to prepare thin crust, specialty pizza. So what did I try – you ask?  It wasn’t easy to make a decision – although each of the truck’s curbside menus looked inspiring, I, however, was craving a Smoked Meat sandwich and lucky for me – Caplansky’s Deli truck (AKA Thunderin’ Thelma) was there to satisfy that craving. The sandwich combo was good   value – for $11.00, I got a substantial, hand-sliced, perfectly seasoned smoked meat on rye, a crunchy dill pickle, crisp non-greasy fries and a Coke to wash it all down. Superb! A compliment coming from a Montrealer whose favorite joint is Schwartz’s. While I waited in line for my order, I also had my eye on some scrumptious looking donuts being devoured by a few customers ahead of me – so, I had to try those as well! Three mini donut centers, dripping with real maple syrup and stuffed with savory bacon – crazy good!  Some of the other notable Food Trucks at the MWF that I did not get to try out but are on my list for next time: Gourmet B1tches and Sweetness Bakery.

The Food Truck phenomenon has been bustling for years in cities like New York, Chicago and Seattle and now it’s finally creeping its wheels onto our city. Unfortunately, due to strict bylaws and regulations; at the moment, the trucks are only allowed to operate at organized festivals or at specific locations. That’s O.K. – it’s a start. Many of these trucks already have a steady following of patrons just because of social networking.

I asked Beatrice if there are more events on the horizon where the Food Trucks will be roll ‘in into town and she said that they are looking into it for this year’s Southside Shuffle (Mississauga’s renowned Blues and Jazz Festival) on September 7, 8 and 9th 2012 and she also mentioned to look out for Blue Donkey Eatery ,offering Greek fare, sometimes parked at Celebration Square.

The next time you pass one of these unique Food Trucks – stop and check out the menu board, I guarantee, you won’t be disappointed.

Photography by Ann Ivy Male

INsauga's Editorial Standards and Policies