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.

Swamp Sista LaLa Friends

Posted on by Thor

Swamp Sista La La Friends began its inaugural year as an annual event on Saturday June 23, 2012. It was an epic celebration of mostly southern music, women, independent businesses (which happen to be mostly owned or ran by women), and the hippest community in Orlando (also managed by a woman). It took  place outside and inside Park Ave CDs, from 7PM – 11PM. The evening was a gathering of Swamp Sistas, soulfully connected women, (mainly) Southern women who love to keep their roots at the surface while also branching to a more contemporary sound.

Audubon Park Garden District, Park Ave CDs, and Beth McKee joined to bring Swamp Sistas together for music, fun, vendors, beer, and food in Audubon Park.

Beth McKee’s Swamp Sista group includes diverse and talented women from all over the South and also from all over Central Florida.

The goal behind this Swamp Sista La La is to raise awareness about local independent retail stores, especially record stores like Park Ave CDs, and local entrepreneurs, which Audubon Garden District often champions. By having a Swamp Sista La La at Park Ave CDs, Beth utilized the Swamp Sista network to bring people from all over the area to Audubon Park, showing them what a special place it is.

The parking lot outside Park Avenue CDs was crowded with merchant tents while Viveca Averstedt‘s swedeDISH Food Truck hummed on the road. I sat next to the outdoor stage to sketch Laney Jones and her band as they performed mellow folk tuned. I’m pretty sure I sketched her performing solo outside infusion tea once on a rainy dusk. It was a hot humid evening and by the time I was done sketching I decided to go. The swedeDISH Food Truck had a Thor hot dog which was supposed to be immense. I was tempted to order one but decided to hold off. A band was also performing inside Park Avenue CDs where there was air conditioning. Terry and I negotiated and then left.

Food Truck Bazaar

Posted on by Thor

Mark Baratelli sent me an e-mail letting me know that he had a framed “Best Of” award for the Mennello Museum mural that I did. He was hosting an Orlando Food Truck Bazaar at Fashion Square Mall and he said he would have the award with him. I of course would travel any distance for such a major award. The sun had set by the time I got to the Bazaar. About 35 food trucks were circled up, like western covered wagons. The first two trucks, Firehouse BBQ and Twisted Cuban were the brightest trucks in the bazaar with flashing lights and bright red paint. I sat down in the middle of the “coral” and started sketching.

Unfortunately, by the time I was finishing the sketch, many of the food trucks were running out of food. Viveca Averstedt of “swedeDISH” food truck looked over my shoulder to admire my work. Her blue truck with yellow stripes was also running out of food and they were cleaning up. She offered me an onion and cheese pie dish. I asked, “how much.” And she offered it to me on the house. It was absolutely delicious. The crust was light and flaky and the cheese and baked onion pie was sweet and rich. It came with a side salad with a tangy vinaigrette dressing. I might be tempted to come out to the next food truck bazaar to see what else she has on the menu.

Mark Baratelli found me and gave me the award for the Mennello museum mural. He said it was a good turn out with 1,500 people stopping out during the course of the evening. These bazaars are spreading throughout Central Florida and the trend continues to grow. People love to come out on cool winter nights to sample the food and relax in lawn and camping chairs. A few days later, I saw the swedeDISH food truck parked beside Tom & Jerry’s Lounge near the Enzian. It seems quite a few food trucks park there in their off hours.