By J. Kathleen Thompson
“This is a dream come true. There’s nothing I’ve enjoyed more.”
It turns out that it’s not just Dean Engen, owner of Spencer’s Chef Gardens, that feels this way about what has become a popular roadside stop in the Boundary this summer: the food truck. A phenomenon that started locally with ‘the fish truck’ operated by Dave and Orion Soroka, the food truck has now become a full-fledged summer feature in the Boundary.
The reasons for ‘hitting the road to promote one’s food services tend to be the same:
“I love the flexibility the food truck gives you and the chance to interact with so many different people. I get to be part of the different stories and personalities that make up this region,” Engen said.
“You get such a variety of people stopping by. Today, I had people from Australia, German, and Mazaatlan, Mexico. It’s great to hear about everyone’s road experiences,” said Jason McIver, operator of Pig Out Taco in Christina Lake.
“Talking to my clientele, sharing opinions, is what this business is all about,” adds Dave Soroka, operator of Festival Espresso, parked at the intersection of 68th Ave. and 19th St. in Grand Forks.
Equally consistent are the vendor’s motivation for getting into the food truck business: affordability (for both vendor and customers) and convenience. With out-of-the-box thinking chefs, trendy appeal, and prices that reflect the operator’s reduced overhead, it isn’t hard to understand why the food truck has gained a foot-hold in the modern culinary scene - and the Boundary is no exception.
The food truck vendors enlivening the streets this summer run the full gamut.
Now in its third year, Festival Expresso offers double-shot brews such as Cups of Mercy, Mochaman and Yael Wand (which is finished with a spoon of Louisiana hotsauce!), all inspired by musicians that owner Dave Soroka has known. In its inaugural year, The Chef’s Garden food truck outside Chain Reaction on Wednesdays and Thursdays, uses Engen’s expertise as a chef to prepare a variety of non-traditional take-out foods like vegetarian Pad Thai.
Often side-by-side at the Farmer’s Market are Philippe the Butcher’s wagon, which specializes in smoked and prepared meats, Nancy and Ross O’Brien’s Jilly Beans, an ice-cream truck, which has kept residents and visitors of the Boundary cool with sno-cones, sodas and floats, and Dave Warwaruk’s DJ Donuts, which finds ready customers for its deep-fried donuts.
Ze Cauldron, operated by Sherisa Batton, is parked Saturday and Sunday afternoons in Wildways parking lot, and menu includes gluten free fish tacos, braised beef and blackbeans. Pig Out Tacos can be found five days a week on Highway #3 just east of the New Horizon Motel. In addition to pork tacos, their deadly refried beans and blistering hot sauce have all been hot tickets on sweltering days this summer!
While there are the usual challenges for anyone in the food service industry – the permits required, the equipment to maintain, the long hours, the fuel needed to transport truck or trailers – it appears that the ‘sidewalk bistros’ in the Boundary are alive and well, thanks to the support of locals and visitors alike.