On a roll: Central Pa. food truck fleet continues to evolve

Editor’s note: This is the final installment of a two-part series on mobile food in Centre County.

Meghan McCracken is praying for blue skies today. A rainy day could ruin her hopes for the successful maiden voyage of her food truck, Nomad Kitchen, to Crickfest in downtown Coburn. The mobile kitchen neatly tucked into a box truck, whimsically crafted by master woodworker Mark Risso, will roll into Coburn Park and provide local food options for the festival attendees between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. — or until she runs out of food.

Nomad Kitchen, a dream that took two years to realize, was inspected and licensed last week through the Department of Agriculture. The gleaming stainless steel counters and shelving units will be tested at the festival. Before the inspection, McCracken was busy applying Velcro to her spice jar of ras el hanout and figuring how to tightly bungee in her rolls of foil and wrap so they don’t slide around once she moves her truck out of her front yard on Long Lane to follow Penns Creek a couple of miles downstream to the site.

Food trucks are on a roll here in central Pennsylvania, but they are ephemeral entities that pop up and disappear at whim. That’s the nature of the beast and the social media engines that propel them — Facebook and Twitter — require that you check in before you try to track them down.

Joining the club

Kevin Kassab, health officer and supervisor of inspectors for State College for 29 years, explained some of the ordinances that make the trucks take a back seat in our area of local jurisdiction.

“The way the borough wrote the ordinance, food trucks are acknowledged as a unique part of the community but their presence is limited within the borough and the regulated townships — College, Ferguson and Patton — to protect the neighborhoods. Food trucks are not permitted to park where there are parking meters, or in a loading zone, or in municipal parks — unless there is a special event going on that the truck is serving,” he said.

“We are not Pittsburgh or Philly,” Kassab said, “and we can’t let the trucks interfere with ongoing businesses that are established and paying real estate taxes or rental fees to owners. The cost to license a truck is not real high, but the process is the same as for a bricks and mortar establishment — plans need to be submitted for review, the equipment must meet certain standards and the home storage of the truck’s provisions must be considered.”

As the sixth licensed food truck in the central Pa. region, Nomad Kitchen joins a club of operators who view new members with open arms. More options create more buzz and more customers for all — and there are a lot of hungry young people in town who appreciate the creative types of food that these mobile units offer, as well as their relatively low cost compared to full-service restaurants.

The food truck that has been around the longest is El Gringo taco truck, a division of Tony Sapia’s extensive food empire. Chef Ben Stanley has been in the driver’s seat since the beginning, and this creative and uncompromising man sets the bar high for his products. Stanley uses a locally grown organic field corn that he treats with pickling lime to create nixtamal, softened kernels that are easier to grind, easier to digest and higher in nutritional value due to the presence of niacin. Stanley purchased a Mexican corn kernel grinder to ensure the proper texture of the mix. While waiting in line at El Gringo at the Boalsburg farmers market — because wait you will — know that El Gringo is into authentic food, not fast food, and notice and appreciate the Cambro box of dough that is shaped into tortillas before your eyes.

Due to the labor intensity of his product, Stanley offers the same menu every week and just changes up the fillings. There is always a tamale with an interesting stuffing like pork with almond sauce, and a variation of a taco, such as chicken with cashews. There is always guacamole, pounded to order as you wait, and it always sports seasonal additions like sweet corn and fresh cheese. There are always two drinks such as the recent blueberry lemon and cucumber lime variations. The discriminating chef sources his ingredients from the markets that he serves, unless he goes tropical with mango or coconut flavors. Stanley, who travels each year during the winter to exotic locales to work in other kitchens — last year he worked at NOMA in Copenhagen — is always seeking to expand his repertoire within his genre.

“Every year our food gets better,” Stanley said. “This is our fifth year, and it is the most fun yet.”

Eclectic menus, seasonal selections

Food for Thought, the food truck with the thinking cow logo run by Mitch Angle and his wife, Sharyn, offers a creative menu that changes with the season. All the menu items are prepared in the self-contained truck by Angle, who is from south central Pa. and arrived in the area to study science at Penn State. Angle, who worked with top chefs in the area, decided that cooking is more his calling and that “a food truck gives the chef the ability to do his own thing.” The truck has been roving the streets of the borough and the townships for two years and counting.

Seasonal menus that feature “global street food” give Angle plenty of leeway for interpretation and flights of fancy.

“The fish tacos always sell out first,” Angle said, noting that the Korean pulled pork and grilled cheese with mac and cheese are also contenders. Food for Thought is often parked on Beaver Avenue between Pugh and Allen streets, on Friday and Saturday afternoons. During the week the truck provides a quick and tasty lunch to the office workers trapped in the food deserts of Innovation Park and Science Park Road.

World’s Fare Catering is run by Jennifer and Michael Marx, who moved to the area four years ago to connect with Jennifer’s roots in the State College area. Jennifer is the daughter of Cal Shields and grew up in Centre Hall, attending Penns Valley Area High School. The Marxes had three restaurants in Baltimore during the past 15 years and bring Michael’s 30-plus years of culinary experience to the rolling table that is their food truck. A wide range of cuisines is represented on their rather extensive menu. Last week listed everything from soup and sides to sandwiches, wraps and churros and ice cream sandwiches. As much as possible the couple sources locally, minimally processed ingredients and puts their creative spin on the dish. Their menus as well as their locations change weekly so it is best to check out their Facebook page for up to date info.

‘Come hungry’

The North Atherton Saturday farmers market in the Home Depot parking lot is the incubator for two food trucks that started this year, making that particular market a mecca for the carnivore who is interested in traditional meats and over the top meat sandwich creations.

Street Meat, whose name and slogan, “Eat our meat,” makes me realize I have crossed a generational divide, started last spring and regularly offers gourmet meat sandwiches at the Tuesday downtown farmers market and at the Saturday North Atherton farmers market, also serving breakfast items at both markets. The truck is an extension of the Mountain View Farm pastured meat operation and the owner is Susan Smith-Shannon, who was born in Boston but lived a nomadic life with her family, traveling around the world with her father, Vic Russo. She spent 15 years in the corporate financial world in Boston, where food trucks are a way of life. Moving to central Pa. three years ago, and taking over her family farm with her husband, Kerry, she decided to add to the central Pa. food truck culture on her own.

Street Meat manager Quentin Rodriguez mans the bright blue food truck with quiet aplomb. The dedicated foodie also works at the farm and understands fully what goes in to making a product “farm to table.” Confident in his product and delivery, Rodriguez said that there can’t be too many food trucks at a venue; that one generates interest in what others might offer and provides choice for the consumer.

“I hope that one day people say, ‘Let’s go to the farmers market and eat great food and shop for great vegetables and meats to take home so we can do our own cooking later,’ I want us to be a destination,” Rodriguez said.

In addition to many burgers and meaty meat meat sandwiches (one aptly named “The Full Monty” is an Angus burger with sausage, egg, cheese and roast beef for $18) the food truck offers mac and cheese and burgers topped with mac and cheese, milkshakes and fries. Leave your calorie counter at home and do as they encourage on their Facebook page, “Come hungry!”

Rollin’ Smoke is the other food truck devoted to the culinary pleasures of meat present at the North Atherton farmers market on Saturdays. Dessie and Derek Carpenter have been vendors at the market for years and offer a meat and poultry subscription program. Their Dn’D Farm is located in Baker’s Summit, about 20 miles south of Altoona, and they were busy this summer with fairs and festivals throughout the region. Everything that they serve comes from the farm and this is their first year with the mobile kitchen facility alongside their vendor’s stand, all licensed and inspected. Specialties include a quarter pound all-beef smoked hot dog and Pa. Dutch traditional dishes like hog maw. If stuffed pig stomach is not to your taste, they also sell whole chicken dinners and smoked mac and cheese.

Look for the fleet of food trucks all over the area and see what the buzz is about. But check Facebook before you go.

El Gringo

Manager: Ben Stanley

Food Choices: Assorted homemade tamales and tacos; guacamole with added ingredients smashed to order while you watch; drinks that change daily, depending on what is available at the markets.

Price: $3 for a taco or tamale, with 3 for $8. Small guacamole is $6 and large is $10. Drinks are $2.

Locations: Pretty standard fixture at the State College downtown Tuesday farmers market on Locust Lane, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. and 2-6 p.m. at the Boalsburg farmers market. New location serving at lunchtime on Thursdays at Innovation Park; State College downtown Friday farmers market. 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and the North Atherton Saturday farmers market at Home Depot from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m..

Track him down: www.facebook.com/ElGringoTacos

Food for Thought

Owners: Mitch and Sharyn Angle

Food Choices: Fish tacos, Korean pulled pork sandwiches, grilled cheese mac and cheese, curried chicken salad wrap, Buffalo chicken sub, smoked Gouda mac and cheese.

Price: $4.75 to $8.75

Locations: Tuesdays (behind the 100 building) and Wednesdays (behind the 328 building) at Innovation Park, Thursdays at AccuWeather on Science Park Road and Fridays and Saturdays between Pugh and Allen streets.

Track him down: www.facebook.com/foodforthoughtfoodtruck

Nomad Kitchen

Owner: Meghan McCracken

Food choices for Crickfest: Coffee-rubbed burgers made with ground beef from Brian Fuhthey’s farm served with peach barbecue sauce, vegan beet burger with pickled green tomatoes, grilled corn on the cob with cilantro lime butter, Thai cucumber salad, fruit salad.

Price: $4 to $8

Location: At Coburn Park today between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. and future locations to be determined. McCracken is not licensed to be in State College or the surrounding townships yet, but can sell food from her truck anywhere else in the state except for Erie. She will be providing in the Penns Valley area, right where she sources her ingredients.

Track her down: Good luck! She has not yet created a social media presence for Nomad Kitchen. Watch for smoke signals if you are out and about in the valley.

Rollin’ Smoke

Owners: Dessie and Derek Carpenter

Food choices: Pulled pork, maple glazed bacon, sausage sandwiches, wings, barbecued chicken, ribs, pit beef, smoked mac and cheese.

Price: $6 to $8 range.

Track them down: www.facebook.com/dndfarms1

World’s Fare Catering

Owners: Jennifer and Michael Marx

Food choices: Change weekly but last week offered gazpacho, chopped salad, pulled pork shoulder topped with Pennsylvania Dutch ham, Philly cheesesteak with Bierly’s meat market’s sirloin steak, spinach pesto marinated chicken breast wrap, traditional gyro, onion rings, fries and sweet potato fries, churros, ice cream sandwiches and fruit popsicles.

Price: Varies from $2 to $3 for sides, $4 or $6 for soup, $5 or $7 for salad, to $8.50 for sandwiches.

Locations: Various, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. (ish) This week’s schedule includes stops at AccuWeather, Minitab, Rahal Honda and more.

Track them down: www.facebook.com/Worlds-Fare-Catering-785832834868044/

Street Meat

Owner: Susan Shannon-Smith

Food choices: Breakfast sandwiches; gourmet Angus burgers with many toppings; beef roast sandwich, steak sandwiches, mac and cheese, fries, milkshakes, pie.

Price: Sides are $3 and sandwiches range from $7.50 to $18, with most in the $8 range. Milkshakes are $5.

Locations: Tuesday downtown State College farmers market and Saturday North Atherton farmers market and at special events throughout the region.

Track them down: www.facebook.com/streetmeatbellefonte/

So there it is, with the disclaimer “to the best of my knowledge.” Best to check on Facebook or Twitter for the latest schedule changes and menus.

This story was originally published September 4, 2016 at 3:38 PM with the headline "On a roll: Central Pa. food truck fleet continues to evolve."