Food Truck Tales

So… why a food truck? This is the question I asked four local food truck owners in an effort to get a look behind the curtain (or window) on food trucks in Columbus.

There are more than 100 members of the Central Ohio Food Truck Association today, and collectively at least 190 mobile food offerings. But food truck owners have had to overcome many challenges in the past decade, including regulations on where trucks can park, mobile vending laws, rules about distances from other businesses and many more. In fact, food trucks were not allowed to park on city streets until the law was changed in mid-2014.

Despite the challenges, food trucks have quickly risen to popularity among both owners and customers alike. In today’s day and age, it is commonplace to suggest dinner out at a local food truck. Here are some special ones to watch for.

STREET THYME

Our first visit was with Alex Emrich, owner of the popular gourmet burger truck Street Thyme. Alex’s passion for mobile cuisine began when he was working on a food truck in early 2013. He had spent the previous years working in the restaurant industry, where he developed a love and passion for serving others and bringing joy to the community through food. Alex is enthusiastic about the food truck industry as he believes it is a great opportunity for would-be entrepreneurs. He said that the food truck community in Columbus is very supportive, and people are always willing to help each other.

Alex is not a stranger to the many challenges that arise when operating one’s own business. He said there are still restrictions on where trucks can park if they do not have exclusive rights, as well as costly truck repairs and specific channels that need to be followed when serving at businesses or corporations.

These challenges haven’t put a damper on Street Thyme’s success. Street Thyme has been in business for seven years, winning the Columbus Food Truck Festival after just two years of operations.

The award-winning burgers offered by Street Thyme are anything but ordinary. Alex recommends the Apple Bacon Brie Burger featuring Granny Smith apples, sweet onions, thick-cut bacon, brie and his own tarragon chive aioli. Another favorite is the Green Jacket, which includes fried green tomatoes, roasted red peppers, pimento cheese, arugula and garlic aioli. These menu items were a collaboration between friends and family and have been staples on the truck.

We tried the Green Jacket, which was mouthwatering and savory, as well as the Irish Breakfast (with fried egg, bacon and jalapeño jelly), which was unexpected, hearty and tantalizing.

MOODY TRUDY'S

Our next stop was Moody Trudy’s where we had the opportunity to chat with the star herself: Trudy King!

Moody Trudy’s pressed-sandwich food truck was born out of a gap year combined with a move to Columbus and an unrelenting passion for food and hospitality. Once Trudy persuaded her parents to spend college-tuition money on a food truck instead, the story began. Although Trudy has held a myriad of hospitality and food-focused jobs, she attributes her growth and education to her position in the kitchen at Muirfield Country Club. Here she was able to learn techniques and skills to carry on to her own venture.

Trudy has been inspired by the challenges she has faced owning and operating Moody Trudy’s. “Sometimes your whole business is stuck on the side of the road in a downpour, and you start to wonder, ‘What in the world have I done to myself?’ But it’s inspiring; I love the challenge,” she said. “I see my colleagues, and we share horror stories, and you have a sense of community. I’ve made wonderful friends.” Trudy names the family-run food truck Porketta as one of her favorites in the business.

Surprisingly, Trudy views her food as her biggest unforeseen success. Although she has always loved cooking, she never expected to have people rave to her daily about her delicious creations, which include a multitude of childhood favorites. Trudy has her truck out at least four times a week, but she likes to make sure it’s not an effort for her customers to hunt her down. She says if the beer is good at a local establishment, you may find her truck there.

When asked about her favorite menu items, Trudy said that she has put such special care and intent into each sandwich that it’s hard to pick just one. She likes to take her customers on a journey to pick out the perfect sandwich. No matter your restrictions, likes or dislikes, there is an option for anyone, and quality is never sacrificed. We recommend the Mul-Fetta Not, featuring olive tapenade, gouda cheese, Italian meats and tomato; or the Artimus Parmesano featuring baby Portobello mushrooms, artichokes, red pepper, oregano, banana peppers, onions, balsamic, parmesan and mayo. These flavors are bound to surprise your taste buds in every way possible!

TWO FATT INDIANS

Amit Kumar of Two Fatt Indians shared his excitement about opening a food truck serving North Indian food.

Amit felt like this was a unique opportunity to serve the community as well as to bring Indian cuisine to Columbus. Amit went to school for culinary arts but also had his fair share of work in both retail and HVAC. His experiences interacting with and serving others eventually led him to opening Two Fatt Indians.

Amit echoes the sentiment that he and his food truck partner, Raj Sabherwal, were surprised at how much Columbus would love the cuisine that Two Fatt Indians offers.

This was the biggest unforeseen success to them. The truck is out almost every day of the week for either lunch or dinner, only closing for a rest day on Sundays. Amit has enjoyed the fellowship in the community of food truck operators participating in multiple festivals including Comfest, the Food & Wine Festival and music events.

The truck’s North Indian cuisine is a bold punch of flavor combined with traditional preparation and unique spices. Amit recommends the Chicken Jalfrezi, featuring chicken prepared with bell peppers, onions and red-ripe tomatoes stewed in a spicy curry; as well as the Lamb Saag, featuring delicate bits of lamb cooked in a hearty spinach cream sauce. There’s a wide range of delicious offerings for everyone from vegetarian to meat lovers.

EL TACORIENDO

If you’re looking for authentic street food tacos, look no further than El Tacoriendo, parked permanently at 3344 Allegheny Ave., off James Road on the East Side. Street tacos don’t get much better than this with thick, warm, multi-layered corn tortillas, spicy and flavorful meat, an array of toppings and hot sauce with a kick. There was quite a line of people waiting to get their fix on a snowy Saturday in January—that’s how you know it’s delicious.

We highly recommend the traditional tacos with one of each meat sampling and both red and green sauces. We have to thank Gus Webb of @614_eats for showing us this treasure.

• If you’re wondering how you can locate these scrumptious food trucks, there are two avenues we recommend. First, you can download the app StreetFoodFinder. While every single truck isn’t listed here, it’s certainly a great starting point. Next, check out centralohiofoodtruck. org. You can usually count on finding food trucks parked in downtown Columbus from 11am to 2pm on weekdays, and at local breweries around town on evenings and weekends. If you’re aiming to find the hidden gems among the many Columbus food trucks, you should also check out @614_eats on Instagram.