by Irene Huang Photos by Irene Huang
This past Saturday was the first ever Downtown Frisco StrEATS Festival. It featured 10 of DFW’s food trucks and live music from the School of Rock and musician, Dave Thomas. The line-up included SoCal Tacos, The Butcher’s Son, Easy Sliders, Cajun Tailgators Truck, Zombie’s Food Truck, Ssahm BBQ, Nammi Food Truck, Rockstar Bakeshop, Eat JoDawgs, and the debut of Coolhaus, the specialty ice cream sandwich truck from LA. This was one of the few food truck events north of the Dallas area. A lot of people came out for the event and the space filled up very quickly.
It was a bright and sunny day and there were lines at the trucks before the event even started at 3PM. I was among the first people in line for Coolhaus at 2:50PM, waiting for them to officially open for business.
Within a half hour the entire space was filled with people, waiting in line for the trucks and eating and having a good time. It was hot, and the lines were long but people waited because the food all looked and smelled so good!
While waiting in line at the Ssahm BBQ Truck (Korean tacos) I started a conversation with Kevin from North Dallas. He had already placed his order and was waiting for the food. He told me that he heard of the event from his friend who knows the owners of Ssahm. It was the first truck he lined up for and he had already been waiting for over an hour. His wife, Wendy, says they’ve been to other food truck events around town and this was by far the longest line for Ssahm they had ever seen. I looked around and while the lines for Ssahm and Nammi were definitely the longest, the other lines were not much shorter. It felt like most people took this rare opportunity to come out and eat at the food trucks.
While my friends were all standing in line, I went around trying to talk to some of the truck vendors. It was nearly impossible since they had so much business!
I really wanted to talk to Coolhaus since I’ve been to both the truck and the store front in Los Angeles and I love their ice cream sandwiches. I was very excited they decided to start one in Dallas. Gary and Linda from the Coolhaus truck only had seconds to spare so I was only able to ask them one question. “Why did you choose Dallas as your new location?” Gary said they actually partnered up with the Nammi Truck. Both parties had architectural backgrounds and were able to establish a relationship there. Also, Nammi was looking to expand their reach so a collaboration was ideal. He also added that Dallas’s food truck scene was very new and we totally needed an ice cream sandwich truck so it made sense to come to Dallas. This event was a Coolhaus first appearance and we are happy to have them here. Their schedule isn’t posted on their website yet, but check back often for updates.
I was also able to chat a bit with Fred, the owner of the Zombie Food Truck. It features a completely Vegan menu. Fred was very gracious to talk to me while he took down orders and expedited the food. He started the truck in January 7th, 2012. It is based Ft. Worth but they go all around town. “Why vegan?” I asked. The answer was simple… he’s vegan himself. Although he’s not classically trained, he’s always wanted to start his own business because he loves to cook. It’s also difficult sometimes for vegans to eat out so he finds himself making vegan variations of the foods he couldn’t have. He’s currently working on some new menu items and hopefully we’ll be seeing them roll out in the near future! Follow them on twitter (@EatAtZombies) to see their next location.
By 5:30PM my friends and I were stuffed to the brim. The crowd seemed to be increasing as the lines were as long as ever. I’d say it was a very successful event with the turnout. If they decide to do it again next year I think they would need to find a bigger location.
For details and pictures of the food from the different trucks, check out my blog: CHOMP!
I’d like to come to enjoy this wonderful event with you . it’s never been seen in SH and surely will be a different feeling if it happens here .