Food Truck Nation Rolls Out At Boston’s 1st Food Truck Fest
Hospitality Honcho And Former Dry Cleaning Boss Hit The Road To Feed Boston, One Truck At A Time
08.12.2010 – Boston, MA – Food Truck Nation creators Todd Saunders and Ron Sarni rolled out their new business venture, a fleet of concept food trucks, with an appearance at Boston’s 1st Annual Food Truck Festival on Sunday, August 8. The event, hosted by Sowa Sundays and Citysearch Boston, was attended by Mayor Thomas Menino, Boston City Council President Mike Ross and Edith Murnane, who was recently appointed as Boston's first-ever Food Czar.
Saunders and Sarni - who spent time in California observing, absorbing and consuming the flavors and frenzy of West Coast food truck culture - believe Boston lags behind other major cities in the concept food truck trend. They plan to change that by partnering with local chefs and restaurants to help them transform their hot-selling menu items to portable street food.
“It will be enormously satisfying to showcase Boston's premier and aspiring culinary talent," says Ron Sarni, co-founder of Food Truck Nation. The former owner of Sarni Cleaners, who was also trained as a professional chef, is already in talks with several local celebrity chefs.
"We want to change the public perception of food trucks from old 'roach coaches' to sparkling, stainless-steel gourmet kichens that roll right to the people," says Todd Saunders, CEO of Food Truck Nation. "In the process, we hope to build a movement of socially and environmentally-conscious culinary citizens in Boston and its neighborhoods."
Food Truck Nation made its debut at Boston's 1st Annual Food Truck Fest in a retro, stainless steel plumber's truck that was converted to a dry goods and cold storage gourmet food truck. Serving off the truck was local celebrity chef Rachel Klein of The Seaport Hotel, who treated a throng of festival goers to chili caramel popcorn, "shots" of chilled vegan carrot and coconut soup and Jamaican jerk chicken. Also on board was former Boston Globe food writer Alison Arnett who stocked the truck’s pantry with gourmet foods from the popular North End groceria, Salumeria Italiana.
A grilled cheese truck is scheduled to hit Boston's streets by Labor Day.
