Purple Pride immediately siezes Orlando.

Posted on by Thor

I was going to Falcon Bar (819 E Washington St, Orlando, FL) or Mystery Sketch Theater which has a cos-play model taking poses for artists once a month. Streets were blocked off and I found myself walking besides runners in a 5K race. Everyone was wearing purple tee shirts. I heard an announcer and walked towards the noise. A finish line was set up on the East side of Lake Eola Park on Washington Street.

A Food Truck Bazaar were set up beyond the finish line and hungry runners lined up for food. I sketched the purple Orlando Soccer truck. Soccer has been promoted with a vengeance and   Orlando City Soccer Club logos, murals and stickers are all over town. Lion heads appear everywhere. The renovated Orlando Citrus Bowl Stadium is now packed for every game. I haven’t figured out who to contact yet about sketching a game. I feel I need to report on a team that has quickly become as known as the Orlando Magic basketball team. With the US team doing better in the international soccer competitions, the fan base keeps growing.

Mark Baratelli of the Daily City had organized all the food trucks. He showed me a paper that he now publishes that shows where to find each food truck bazaar all around Central Florida.  I admire the marketing prowess of the Orlando City Soccer Club and Mark’s entrepreneurial spirit. After I finished my sketch I walked over to the Falcon Bar to squeeze a few more sketches into my day.

Trucks & Tech III : Truckpocalypse

Posted on by Thor

I went to Truckpocalypse on March 23rd at Lake Eola Park (195 N Rosalind Avenue, Orlando, Fl.) From the write up in the Orlando Weekly, I expected to see chrome hub capped monster trucks and a crowd of moaning zombies. My wife walks around Lake Eola every afternoon for exercise. When I got to the park I saw her walking up ahead of me. She walks fast and I wasn’t sure I could catch her. I fired off a text that said, “Look back!” She reached into her pocket to check her phone. She paused then turned to see me walking up behind her. She laughed. Chance encounters are rare and you have to appreciate them when they happen. She had already done a lap around the lake and when I asked about Truckpocalypse she said she noticed some trucks at the south east corner of the park. She changed course and we walked that way together. She hadn’t noticed any zombies other than the regulars in the park.

She stopped to see some baby swans. The little fur balls had just hatched and mom was watching over them with care. Truckpocalypse wasn’t what I expected. The Trucks and Tech event was a mashup of two cultures , foodies and techies. It was the only Orlando event that combines discussion from leaders in the Central Florida tech community with top local food trucks to fill attendees’ minds and stomachs with the best of the best.  Survivors and zombies went head to head in an epic costume contest. I only saw one couple who made a lame attempt to look like survivors. The only zombies I saw were on the Swede Dish food truck.

Terry and I decided to order from the Swede Dish food truck. I had to order the “Thor” which is a hot dog smothered with mashed potatoes and crunchy onions in a wrap. It was a unique and unexpected taste combination. Picnic tables were set up, and Terry and I sat down to have dinner together. It was a romantic meal among the undead. Terry returned to work when we were done, and I decided to sketch the Swede Dish food truck. A zombie had a meat hook jabbed through his eye and his loose black fabric fluttered in the breeze. I sketched the food truck proprietress handing a sandwich to a costumer. It looks like she is handing him a legless zombie. I consider that a happy accident.

Tasty Tuesdays

Posted on by Thor

Mark your Calendar! Every Tuesday between 6pm and 10pm Food Trucks gather in a parking lot in the Milk District for Tasty Tuesdays. The Trucks used to park on the street but local restaurants complained and a city ordinance shut down that practice. The parking lot is behind Spacebar (2421 East Robinson Street, Orlando FL). So food trucks can sell food in parking lots and driveways but they can’t do business on the streets. It’s a shame food vendors have to hide in back alleys yet prostitutes can work the streets.

It looks like Andrew Spear started a mural on the wall behind Space Bar. Terry told me about another local artist who agreed to do three murals for $1000 and he posed in front of an Andrew Spear mural for the announcement. If you consider the number of hours it will take to cover 3 walls with paint, that artist will be making well below minimum wage. A house painter would probably charge more to cover those walls with one coat of semigloss paint. Posing in front of someone else s work and claiming it as your own is just insane.

While doing this sketch I was given a business card by a fellow who just started an awning company. He suggested I could paint large logos on awnings that need them. I don’t know if there is money in that type of endeavor but I’ll consider anything.  With the sketch done, I decided to order an Empanada from La Empanada Food Truck. It was pre-prepaired so I didn’t have to wait. I ordered the sweet potato & goat cheese for $3.50. It had roasted sweet potatoes with shallots, thyme, creamy goat cheese and a dash of curry. The outer crust was crunchy and potatoes, cheese and herbs inside were delicious. They gave me a second empanada sample which was filled with chocolate and that was pure heaven.

Black & White

Posted on by Thor

The Food Truck Cafe occurs every Wednesday from 6pm to 9pm at Lake Lily Park in Maitland, located at the intersection of State Road 17-92 and Maitland Avenue in Maitland. Typically anywhere from 5 to 8 different Food Truck concepts will participate. All of Food Trucks are unique, all them are independently owned and managed, and the dishes I tried from Big Wheel were delicious. Current participants include: The Korean BBQ Taco Box, The Crooked Spoon , Big Wheel Provisions , Redeye BBQ , The Treehouse Truck, and The Yum Yum Cupcake Truck.

The parking lot at Lake Lilly park was packed but I lucked into a close spot as someone pulled out. I was there to see Black and White with Beth Black on violin and Jim Bass on keys and guitar. The food trucks were lined up along the waterfront and there were tables set up on the cement boardwalk so people could sit and enjoy their meals. Between the clusters of tables was the performers tent. I know Beth because she volunteers for the Florida Film Festival. They performed a variety of covers. Beth had a sweet singing voice. The parks department had a menacing red lock box set up to accept tips for the performers. Children took delight in the live music sometimes swaying and dancing. As the sun set, the light sparkled on the lily pad encrusted lake. Lines for the food were short and the event was very family friendly.

Tasty Tuesday Shut Down by Police

Posted on by Thor

On June 19th, Mark Baratelli, of The Daily City, gave me a tip that a food truck event in the Milk District was being shut down by police. He felt that all the proprietors in the neighborhood were behind the event since it brought in a crowd. Apparently a business in the neighborhood did complain and there were reports that Code Enforcement was there. In Miami, food truck corals draw huge crowds to the trendy gallery district. I immediately drove over to see what was going on. As I approached the Milk District, I noticed a food truck driving away. The event was called Tasty Tuesdays and involved food trucks in a parking lot at the corner of Robinson and Graham. There was a small crowd of 20 to 30 people milling about. Some people were finishing off plates of food. Two police cars were parked in the middle of the road blocking traffic. Officers stood in the road with their arms crossed waiting for the food trucks to pack up and leave. Melissa’s Chicken and Waffles food truck closed up and pulled out of the parking lot as I sketched. A camera man from Fox 35 News started shooting video.

Saigon Sizzle on the left side of my sketch packed away a table and supplies and then backed out of the lot. I asked  the guy who was helping guide the driver why they had to leave. “The police say we are blocking traffic.” he said. “We assumed the organizer had all the right permits, but I guess not.” Slowly the crowd disappeared as the sun set behind the T.G. Lee’s Milk towers. A mosquito kept tickling my left elbow. I rushed to finish the sketch before I lost all my light. The Flattery, a black food truck was parked on the sidewalk and was the last to leave.

The Daily City contacted Commisioner Patti Sheehan and this is what she had to say. “City
staff is working with Tommy to try and get the issues resolved.  There
was a complaint from a nearby business.  I was aware of parking
concerns, and I had spoken to OPD about it, but I was unaware of the
code provision that does not allow sales from the city right-of-way. 
The trucks were warned, but a few decided to pay the fine and continue
selling. I would
rather work this out so that all of the codes are understood and
followed, and the event can continue. I do not think this is a bad omen
for food trucks in general, just a hiccup with a group trying to
promote an event that needs to be a little more familiar with our
rules.” Read the rest here…

Tasty Tuesdays in The Milk District had this to say on Facebook, “One
of the businesses on the street complained one too many times. Worst
case scenario, next week the trucks will be in the Spacebar/Sandwich
Bar, Etoile Boutique/Milk Bar, and Doggy Day Care parking lots. Best
case scenario, we’re back on the street – we will keep you all updated.
Small businesses for the win!”

Yum! Yum!  I drove home and had a hot dog for dinner. I was starving.

Big Wheel Food Truck

Posted on by Thor

Every Monday there is a farmers market that sets up in the parking lot of Stardust Video and Coffee in the Audubon Park district of Orlando starting around 6pm. I stopped by right after work at Full Sail. When I got there vendors were still setting up their tents. The Big Wheel Food Truck was parked at the entrance of the parking lot. Several flimsy roadside dividers were set up to keep cars from trying to pull into the lot to park. I decided I should order dinner from the truck. Inside the truck the three chefs were busy cutting and preparing the food. I asked if they were ready to take an order, and they weren’t. They suggested I return in about 15 minutes.

I sat across the way leaning back against a road sign and I began to sketch. Sure enough, 15 minutes into the sketch people started to line up for food. The Big Wheel Food Truck is proud of serving fresh local food that is prepared in small batches, “because, frankly, we think it just tastes better that way.” Their slogan is “Local is Lovely.” Cars kept parking in front of me so vendors could unload their gear. One fellow backed up and knocked over one of the “no parking” dividers. I picked it up for him. The next woman to back out asked if I could take care of the divider. Suddenly I was the gate keeper. I left the dividers out of the way and continued to sketch.

Finally I ordered my dinner. I decided to try a meatloaf burger made from local grass fed beef. The burger was topped with house made bacon with local lettuce, garden herbs and a big wheel onion. The burger was juicy and delicious with a creamy sauce but a bit to salty for my taste. I ordered Captain Eli’s blueberry pop to wash it all down.

Chef Tony Adams who founded the food truck had a tent set up in the market to sell local produce and to promote the truck. The truck uses twitter to let people know where the truck is parked. These up to the minute updates called “Chase our Wheels” can be found at twitter.com/bigwheeltruck. I showed Tony the sketch and asked for a business card. He thought their might be some in the truck so he jogged over and into the truck to search for them. He gave me someone’s card with his info written by hand on the back. I often run out of my business cards so I found it comforting and endearing that this was a true small local business.