Food trucks drive foodies to explore various cuisine

THE FOOD TRUCK FAIR at ORANGE COUNTY FAIR. Western Sun photo by Eric Silkenson

By Eric Silkenson
Western Sun staff writer

Mobile food service has come a long way from the old roach coach. To sample the new trend of gourmet mobile food service, visit the Food Truck Fare at the Orange County Fair and Event Center Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Vendors can be found in the Fair parking lot in front of the ticket box office.

Every Thursday, an eclectic mix of food and dessert trucks are parked during the lunch hour with prices ranging from $2.25 to $10, but do not expect traditional lunch-truck cuisine.

Many of the vendors provide fusion cuisine,which blends different cooking styles.

The Lee’s Philly truck offers traditional Philadelphia food with a Korean twist. A cheese steak sandwich can be ordered with bulgogi, a thinly sliced rib-eye steak with a Korean marinade.

If food with a Mexican-Asian fusion sounds tasty, the Dos Chinos truck is a good choice. Dos Chinos offers Mexican dishes like tacos and burritos that can be stuffed with Korean barbeque, Vietnamese spiced pork, and more.

There are usually one or two trucks that offer desserts. Chunk-N-Chip Cookies offers cookies and brownie sandwiches with ice cream in the middle. The red velvet ice cream with a white chocolate fudge cookie was a favorite.

Do not expect the same vendors every week. The Fair doesn’t just open their gates and allow anyone with a grill in their truck to set up shop. Only a select group are invited.

“The food truck has to be a licensed and insured business,” said Robin Wachner, communications director for the O.C. Fair. The Food Truck Fair is Wachner’s brain-child.

“We set the schedules for the trucks featured every Thursday,” stated Wachner. “It allows us to bring people to our property and promote future Fair events while offering an interesting dining experience.”