Ever wondered how all those amazing food trucks manage to congregate at the same place at the same time when you turn up for an event?
No? It’s magic, right? Well, it’s not.
And it takes a whole lot of expertise to pull together, not least for the Salmon Festival’s first ever food truck festival on July 1.
Across from the Steveston Community Centre – at Eastshore Avenue and Moncton Street – there will be around 20 trucks, serving up all kinds of cuisine from around the globe.
From a European dessert truck to Caribbean and Thai and Triple Os, just about every taste imaginable will be on offer.
And it’s all down to Guy Ciprian, owner/operator of Savi Integrated Marketing, who has been tasked by the Salmon Festival committee to lay on the mini festival of fast food for the first time.
“The community association created a live stage and a beer garden, so they thought (food trucks) would complement it,” said Ciprian.
“I started talking with the Salmon Festival people last fall and started booking the trucks as early as January.
“It has been quite a challenge as there are big 150th celebrations all over the region; almost every city is having a big event.
“The key, like anything, is to start early. If I waited too long, the ones that are still around are around for a reason.”
Once the trucks are booked for the event, Ciprian has to make sure they each get a fire safety inspection from the city and a food inspection from Vancouver Coastal Health.
“I’ve been organizing events for 25 years, but started to focus on food and beverage for the last three years,” he added. “There’s a huge demand for it.”
On the day of the festival, Ciprian will be responsible for loading all the trucks into the area, making sure that sustainability issues are dealt with (use of recyclable products), handling point of sale issues, as well as making sure all the trucks have adequate power and water.
Ciprian has an impressive food truck festival CV, with clients including the City of Richmond (Ships to Shore, Maritime Festival and the recent King of the Sea), City of Vancouver and Sun Peaks.
- Some of the trucks featured at the Salmon Festival include:
(New): Praguery (European desserts);
Taste of Caribbean;
Teriyaki Express;
Super Thai;
Old Country Pierogi;
Curry Express;
(New): Big Dog (1970s themed dogs);
Triple Os;
And Greek, poutine, Italian, mini-donuts and corn.
