World’s Largest Food Truck Festival Ever, Part II, March 29 and 30…Tampa

Press Release: From chowder to cherry cheesecake, gourmet macaroni to 3-mile salsa, slushies to blackened salmon and everything in-between, foodies from all over Florida will find that and then some in the way of culinary creations at the World’s Largest Food Truck Festival Ever, Part II, March 29 and 30 at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa.

In addition to taste-tempting treats, food truckers’ entrepreneurial spirit and creativity will be on display. This year’s event expects to see participation from over 200 food trucks with delicacies from throughout Florida and the U.S. Last year, the festival broke the record for the largest food truck parade with 100 trucks participating. This year, an official GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS representative will record and verify the event.

Below are highlighted some of this year’s Food Trucks and some of their menu items:

Macarollin’ – Since late 2012, this perky pasta truck has been the brain-child of Peter Causyn of Rochester, NY. It’s not your grandmother’s mac and cheese. The menu includes gourmet Lobster Mac and Cheese, Bacon Mac and Cheese, and Greek Mac and Cheese. This will be his 85th “rodeo,” and specifically for this food truck festival he is working on adding a new, local fare: Alligator Mac and Cheese.

With a background in business, Mr. Causyn is no stranger to the food truck business, as he had been building out and customizing food trucks for six years. “I taught several hundred people how to be successful in the food truck business when I thought, why don’t I have my own truck?” said Causyn.

He says that the decision has paid off. On his very first trip to Florida in February for the Florida State Fair, in addition to selling food to hungry fairgoers, he sold a Macarollin’ franchise.

Causyn identifies three main factors for the success of a food truck menu: 1) identify foods that appeal to a lot of people, 2) put a twist on it and take it to the next level, and 3) choose foods that allows speed

of service. “You’ve only got nine hours to serve people and make a profit,” states Causyn. “People are always in a hurry, and you don’t want to disappoint them.”

Wine Not – This truck, the second creation of owner Peter Causyn, serves unconventional vino sweet treats that are cool for the Florida climate. Menu items include Black Cherry Merlot Ice Cream, Kahlua Express Ice Cream, Peach White Zinfandel Ice Cream and Rasberry Chardonnay Slushies.

Causyn notes that it is customary for Food Truckers to have a “secret” menu item, not posted on the menu board. Those in “the know” simply ask for the secret item, which is often the most interesting fare on the truck. He also says the World’s Largest Food Festival Ever! Part II will be his “selling debut” for franchises of the Wine Not trucks.

Curbing Your Appetite – Laurie Foster, a relative newbie to the food truck industry, was looking for a plan to take her to retirement. With over 12 years experience cooking in “the bush” for the government workers in rural Alaska, she thought a food truck would utilize some of her highest and best skills and experience. As a self-taught cook, she loved to travel back and forth from Alaska to Florida and ended up settling in Palma Ceia, FL. She always gravitated toward trying new seafood recipes, hence the menu items on her truck.

At the festival, Foster plans to offer Blackened Wild Alaskan Salmon, Conch Ceviche, Beer Battered Fried Snapper, and her ever-popular Crab Cakes. She also plans to serve a rich Crab Bisque filled with blue crab meat.

Charlie’s Bakery – A fourth generation baker, Gary Hawks had been creating confections at the family-owned bakery in Avalon Park, FL since he was in high school. His grandfather had travelled the Caribbean Islands as a baker, and his father was a pastry chef at the original, World famous Woolfie’s on Collins Avenue in Miami Beach. In fact, the bakery and food truck name is a tribute to Hawks’ late father.

With recession business being unpredictable, Hawks was looking for a way to reinvent his bakery. “I loved the idea of a mobile bakery and all the exposure it would allow,” says Hawks. “Scratch bakers are a dying breed, but this is what I’ve been doing for 42 years.” Now with 120 festivals under his belt, the World’s Largest Food Truck Festival Ever! Part II will be his first in the Tampa area. He says with the price of sugar leveling off and his food truck at the festivals, the business is now seeing a profit.

Charlie’s Bakery menu items include Chocolate Ganache cake, Double Ganache Mousse cake, and Rasberry Cheesecake. Hawks plans to introduce his new Snicker’s Cake at the festival.

Au Naturel Juice and Smoothie Bar – With both her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Economics from the University of Central Florida, Amanda Silvestri had worked in Government Finance for a number of years. At the same time, juicing fresh fruits and vegetables became more and more enjoyable. She began more research and reading about health and nutrition, and the potential benefits of juicing. She saw the popularity of juice bars in her hometown of Orlando and in urban hubs all over the US.

Feeling unfulfilled in her finance positions, in the summer of 2013, Silvestri took the leap and the wheels of her food truck venture began to roll. She purchased a step van and outfitted it for her food truck. In September of 2013, the Au Naturel Juice and Smoothie Bar food truck was born. “I’ve been juicing for over five years now,” stated Silvestri. “I’ve done over 50 shows in six months, and since January of this year, I’m really making a living.”

At the World’s Largest Food Truck Festival Ever! Part II, she will be serving her popular Green Drink (Kale, Apple, Celery, Cucumber, and Lemon), the Orange Drink (Carrot, Apple and Ginger), the Pink Drink (Pineapple, Kiwi and Strawberry), and her PB-C Smoothie (Peanut Butter, Cacao, Banana, Almond Milk and Yogurt).

A single day event that began last year with a vision to break the previous food truck parade record in Miami, and provide positive entertainment to local patrons, turned into whopping success with 100 participating food trucks and attendance topping 18,000. This year’s two-day event attendance is expected to exceed 35,000.

Based in Tampa, Florida, Generation Food Truck is a promotional company run by gourmet food truck owners. The company promotes, books, consults and coordinates food festivals, and is known for hosting the Next Gen Gourmet Food Festivals at various locations throughout Tampa Bay.

Operating under the direction of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and its Board of Directors, the Florida State Fair Authority, located on the fairgrounds’ 330 acres in Tampa, Florida, strives to create positive entertainment experiences through the annual State Fair and variety of year-round events and quality competitive programs. The FSFA is committed to agriculture, education and community service with a focus on new opportunities. The Florida State Fair Authority (FSFA) operates strictly from revenues generated from the annual State Fair and other events throughout the year. Although the FSFA is an instrumentality of the state of Florida, it does not receive any annual tax appropriations from the City of Tampa, Hillsborough County or the State.

The Festival is still accepting Food Truck and vendor applications. For more information about the event, visit www.floridastatefair.com or call 813-627-431.