{"id":821,"date":"2016-08-31T20:15:40","date_gmt":"2016-08-31T20:15:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tallahasseefamilymagazine.com\/wordpress\/?p=821"},"modified":"2016-08-31T20:18:09","modified_gmt":"2016-08-31T20:18:09","slug":"a-new-sense-of-community-through-food-truck-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/tallahasseefamilymagazine.com\/wordpress\/2016\/08\/31\/a-new-sense-of-community-through-food-truck-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"A New Sense of Community through Food Truck Culture"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Brianna S\u00f6rne<\/p>\n

The idea of the food truck represents something\u00a0humble and earnest that allows creativity to flourish for an aspiring business owner.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"TFM_Summer_Web_Page_47_Image_0002\"Over the past five years there has been a growing discussion\u00a0about how Tallahassee is interpreting and adjusting\u00a0with the changes of the modern world, and what will come\u00a0of the developmental projects that have been implemented\u00a0to improve our quality of life. Within a city like Tallahassee\u00a0there is a mix of traditional and varied cultural influences.\u00a0When the primary focus is on government and university\u00a0buildings, it is often difficult to strike a widespread cultural\u00a0harmony within a community of diverging interests. Yet,\u00a0there have also been certain emerging avenues that have\u00a0been initiated entirely by people of the community that are\u00a0improving upon our sense of place and home, regardless of\u00a0class or affiliation.<\/p>\n

The idea of the food truck represents something humble\u00a0and earnest that allows creativity to flourish for an aspiring\u00a0business owner who wants to materialize their vision. The\u00a0public has shown their support through their increased patronage\u00a0at events like Capital City Amphitheater concerts,\u00a0The Word of South Festival, The LeMoyne Chain of Parks\u00a0Art Festival, First Fridays at Railroad Square, and Food\u00a0Truck Thursdays at Lake Ella. Where people collect and\u00a0celebrate, there is now a collection of diverse food trucks\u00a0that expand the breadth of the celebration.<\/p>\n

\"TFM_Summer_Web_Page_47_Image_0005\"Consider the food truck El Criollo, a testament to an aspiring\u00a0food lover\u2019s ability to make his traditional food histories\u00a0accessible to the modern public. The food truck was\u00a0started by owner Geno Arroyo, a native to Puerto Rico, after\u00a0many years of traveling the world. He partnered with Chef\u00a0Jos\u00e9 Robles, who was taught at a young age to make dishes\u00a0with ingredients and recipes passed down through his Puerto\u00a0Rican lineage. Through Arroyo\u2019s and Robles\u2019 personal\u00a0histories and passions for sharing them, they have extended\u00a0their food cultures to a growing and supportive customer\u00a0base.<\/p>\n

The story of El Criollo is similar to other stories that\u00a0are derived from cultures around the world where old food\u00a0histories extend back multiple centuries and teach us the\u00a0importance of understanding a broad range of palates and\u00a0techniques. \"TFM_Summer_Web_Page_47_Image_0003\"For example, a section of El Criollo\u2019s menu is\u00a0dedicated to multiple mofongo dishes. Traditionally an Afro-Puerto Rican staple, mofongo is a base of plantains paired\u00a0with beef, seafood or chicken that can be mashed, stuffed or\u00a0rolled into balls. A dish like this shows how the Caribbean\u00a0islands such as Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Haiti and\u00a0Cuba spent most of their formative years as melting pots of\u00a0African and Creole influences. Because Arroyo and Robles\u00a0bring food from a region that has multiple ethnic influences\u00a0and reinterpret it for a new audience, they communicate\u00a0a deeper, richer message from their past to our present. As\u00a0Arroyo has stated, he never experienced a true Puerto Rican\u00a0meal outside of Puerto Rico, before starting his business\u00a0and partnership with Chef Robles. The history and culture\u00a0behind the El Criollo food\u00a0truck allow them to channel\u00a0their personal traditions\u00a0to their local community.<\/p>\n

\"TFM_Summer_Web_Page_47_Image_0004\"When businesses like\u00a0Lasang Pinoy Philippine\u00a0Cuisine, Ono Kai Hawaiian\u00a0Style and Catering, El\u00a0Criollo Grill, Dany\u2019s Cambodian Cuisine and Valhalla Grill\u00a0are in the same location, within the same platform, their\u00a0presence initiates an excitement to explore the differences\u00a0between them. We start asking \u201cWhy are you passionate\u00a0about your food? What is the story behind your truck? What\u00a0made you want to pick up and serve food to the masses in\u00a0open spaces?\u201d These questions expose a desire to make connections\u00a0for a more fulfilled and significant human experience\u00a0in Tallahassee. It is easy for someone to be fed to fulfill\u00a0their basic human need for food, but when these small businesses\u00a0seek to educate and create a narrative around food, it\u00a0then incites us to think differently about what we\u2019re eating.\u00a0We begin to change our minds about how food is created,\u00a0where it comes from and its impact on our shared ideas of\u00a0the arts, cultures and our collective experiences. These food\u00a0trucks are portable vessels that champion these concepts,\u00a0and the dishes are the messages that voice the stories behind\u00a0them. When these businesses convene at our most central\u00a0and pleasant focal points like Lake Ella, Cascades Park or\u00a0Railroad Square, they are helping to shape our city and our\u00a0friends and families within it. They continue to improve\u00a0upon the way we satisfy our basic needs and in turn, we are\u00a0able to expand upon plans to develop Tallahassee into a city\u00a0of its own strong local customs, culture and food histories.<\/p>\n

Brianna S\u00f6rne is a Tallahassee\u00a0native and graduate of Florida\u00a0State University, whose studies\u00a0focus on art history, visual\u00a0landscapes, city structures,\u00a0and global food, music, and\u00a0architectural cultures.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n

FOOD TRUCKS and\u00a0WHERE TO FIND THEM<\/h4>\n

Part of the food truck philosophy is their mobile inclination. Here\u00a0are just a few of the spots around town where you can start.<\/em><\/p>\n

Wednesdays and Thursdays:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Food Truck Court, 725 S. Brunough Street\u00a011 a.m. to 2 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Captain Q’s<\/p>\n

El Criollo Grill<\/p>\n

The Mann’s Doghouse<\/p>\n

Food Truck Wednesdays:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Four Oaks Community Church, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Backpacker’s Box<\/p>\n

Dany’s Cambodian Cuisine<\/p>\n

Donaven’s Road Cookin & The Munchie Bus<\/p>\n

El Criollo Grill<\/p>\n

Foodz Traveler<\/p>\n

Momma P’s Ice Cream<\/p>\n

The Cake Shop Bakery<\/p>\n

The Mann’s Doghouse<\/p>\n

Valhalla Grill<\/p>\n

Food Truck Thursday, Every Thursday:<\/strong><\/p>\n

5 to 9 p.m., Lake Ella<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Dany’s Cambodian Cuisine<\/p>\n

Julio’s Food on the Move<\/p>\n

Scott’s Smokehouse<\/p>\n

Street Chefs<\/p>\n

Taco Truck Juan<\/p>\n

Valhalla Grill<\/p>\n

First Fridays, Railroad Square Art Park:<\/strong><\/p>\n

First Friday of every month, 5 to 9 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Big Five Braai<\/p>\n

Captain Q’s<\/p>\n

Foodz Traveller<\/p>\n

Scott’s Smokehouse<\/p>\n

Street Chefs<\/p>\n

Lake Ella Sunday Brunch:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sunday 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Captain Q’s<\/p>\n

Island Pound Hounds<\/p>\n

P&G’s Mobile Table<\/p>\n

Street Chefs<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\"TFM_Summer_Web_Page_49_Image_0001\"<\/p>\n

\"TFM_Summer_Web_Page_49_Image_0002\"<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Brianna S\u00f6rne The idea of the food truck represents something\u00a0humble and earnest that allows creativity to flourish for an aspiring business owner. Over the past five years there has been a growing discussion\u00a0about how Tallahassee is interpreting and adjusting\u00a0with the changes of the modern world, and what will come\u00a0of the developmental projects that have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":822,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,66],"tags":[244,69,243,166],"class_list":["post-821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-food","tag-culture","tag-food","tag-multicultural","tag-truck"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/tallahasseefamilymagazine.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/tallahasseefamilymagazine.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/tallahasseefamilymagazine.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tallahasseefamilymagazine.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tallahasseefamilymagazine.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=821"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/tallahasseefamilymagazine.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/821\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":833,"href":"http:\/\/tallahasseefamilymagazine.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/821\/revisions\/833"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tallahasseefamilymagazine.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/822"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/tallahasseefamilymagazine.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tallahasseefamilymagazine.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tallahasseefamilymagazine.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}