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Food Truck

Food Truck Spotlight: I Heart Ice Cream

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Liz & Danny Cortes opened a new mobile ice cream business last week, just in time for a summer of serving up  ice cream around the Miami Valley. You’ll see Dayton’s first-ever rolled ice cream truck, e I Heart Ice Cream, all over town this summer.
A Dayton native, Liz shares she comes from a family of entrepreneurs  and she has fond memories of her grandmother’s vintage ice truck, which inspired their business choice. This husband and wife team are veterans of the food service business and during the pandemic they decided to make plans to launch their own family business.  So they commissioned a 6 x 10 trailer to be built with a 1950’s look to serve a delicious sweet cream liquid based ice cream that  is poured onto a frozen pan and then chopped, mixed, spread and rolled right in front of you!

Danny  says when they were doing research they had a friend in Thailand that told him about rolled ice cream and they where seeing it in other big cities, so they are excited about being something new to the food truck scene in the Miami Valley.   They pour a fresh cream based sweet vanilla  onto a frozen stainless plate, mix it up with ingredients, like oreo’s and chocolate sauce, pressed flat and in a couple of minute it’s pressed out and then rolled into strips of frozen ice cream.
They feature 10 different flavors including vanilla, chocolate, peanut butter, cotton candy, cake batter, strawberry  and they even have a vegan option.  They have a menu featuring a dozen suggestions,
like the Strawberry & Banana Rolls pictured here–  Sweet Cream Vanilla Base + Banana + Strawberry Syrup. Topped with Whipped Cream, Strawberry Drizzle, Strawberry Pocky Stick, Banana & Strawberry Garnish. 
Since it’s a true family business, they’ve used their children, Ezra- 5 years old and Inez – 2 year olds  as taste testers, a job they are very willing to take on.
Here’s where you can find the I Heart Ice Cream cart this weekend:

 5/28 4-8pm Xenia Food Truck Rally
5/31- 2-6pm Idol Swim Club Opening Day
or check their website calendar for future dates.

Zombie Dogz Back to Food Truck Roots

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I can remember having my first ZombieDogz in 2014 in the Lowe’s Parking lot on Wilmington Pike.  It was the CALLING IN DEAD:  An all beef hot dog topped with a creamy homemade white truffle mac & cheese  and finished off with crumbled crackers.  It was my first of many experiences at this truck, which quickly established a cult following at food truck rallies, often with waits of up to an hour for one of their gourmet dogs.

In fall of 2016 they opened up a shop near UD on Brown Street.  But sadly, today on Facebook they’ve announced the store will close:

“Good morning everybody. First and foremost we hope that everyone is staying healthy and handling life the best they can right now.

The past year or so have been trying for us as a restaurant. Sales have been down and we’ve been barely getting by every month. Unfortunately having to shut down for 2 months only made matters worse. So with a very heavy heart we will be shutting the restaurant down permanently.

We will start back with the food truck when we can do so safely. Most of the festivals have already been cancelled for the year. So we will be doing what we can this summer and fall to get out there as much as possible. We will be keeping everyone updated when we know exactly when the truck will start back up again.

We want to thank everyone of you for years of constant support and love. Thank you for everything you have always done for us. We love you all and we can’t wait to get out there and see you at the food truck.”

So now we’ll be on the lookout for their Food Truck out and about.

New Food Truck Debuts Tonight in Miamisburg

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Authentic Laotian Cuisine is what this family owned & operated food truck will serve up. Little Boijon Asian Cuisine‘s first outing is tonight  in the Rosina Neighborhood of Miamisburg at the corner of Rosina Dr. & Alexandersville Rd. from 5-8pm. Saturday night they will be in the Crain’s Run neighborhood  at the corner of Crains Creek Rd. and Myna Ln in Miamisburg for lunch 11am-2pm and dinner 5-8pm.

They  will be taking carry-out orders via Instagram & by phone (937-204-9499). Walk-up orders are will be accepted as well! They accept both cash and credit card.

Here’s their menu:

 

Their signature item: Little Boijon’s Egg Rolls. These are filled with pork and vegetables. Served with your choice of our house peanut sauce or sweet chili sauce.

 

Lo Mein. Your choices of meat are beef or chicken. Available in large or small serving sizes.

Chicken & Broccoli. This dish will be served with a side of white rice. Available in large or small serving sizes.

Food Truck Rallies Become Carryout Events

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With local, state, and federal restrictions being updated on a near daily basis, Yellow Cab Food Truck Rallies were forced to adjust their business model. The rallies’ organizers have developed a solution that provides food lovers with the chance to eat from their favorite food trucks while simultaneously practicing good hygiene and social distancing. Rallies will be replaced by Carryout events with multiple trucks and no on-site seating. 

“Small businesses like food trucks generally don’t operate over the winter. By the time spring comes, they have used up most of their reserved resources and need to start making money again.” said Event Organizer Brian Johnson. “By adjusting our model to carryout it will provide an opportunity to support these small businesses.”

Food trucks scheduled to appear at Yellow Cab Tavern on March 20 from 5pm – 10pm include The Wicked Lobstah, Hunger Paynes, The Pizza Bandit, and more to be confirmed. In order to ensure customers’ safety, the following rules will be enforced during Yellow Cab Food Truck Carryout events:

  • Guests should call/text/email orders ahead of arrival if possible
  • Individuals will be encouraged to order for whole families or large groups to prevent such groups from amassing on-site
  • Eating on-site will not be permitted

“We’re doing our best to roll with the punches,” Johnson said. “We are committed to providing incredible food from the area’s best food trucks. It’s a matter of balancing service and safety, and we’ll always err on the side of safety.”

Event Details

Yellow Cab Food Truck Carryout:  March 20, April 17

Third Friday of Each Month from 5pm – 10pm 

700 E Fourth Street in downtown Dayton, Ohio

Thanksgiving Weekend features Rock’n’Roll Reunions at The Brightside

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Dayton’s finest guitarists reunite for an exclusive show at The Brightside on Thanksgiving Eve, Wednesday November 27, 2019

Thanksgiving weekend is a time to reunite with friends and family, from far and wide. It holds true for musicians too! This weekend, some very special reunions are happening at The Brightside over the holiday weekend.

On Wednesday November 27th, the weekend kicks off with a showcase that serves to reunite dozen of area’s finest psychedelic rock musicians and their fans for the ultimate Thanksgiving Jam! Dayton music lovers have been attending Werksgiving for years, so while The Werks are taking a break, lead guitarist Chris Houser has invited his friends for an epic line up featuring Subterranean, Kommunity Service (a super group featuring members from The Werks, Boogie Matrix, Subterranean & Arrows of Neon), and Oh Kee Pa performing a tribute to Phish. My advice? Wear comfy shoes and prepare to boogie!

This rockin’ weekend continues with a Black Friday Special on November 29th, which highlights an exclusive homecoming performance by Dayton native Charlie Tipton. He’s been working on his EP in Tennessee and is excited to perform this material with his hometown family! The night is topped off with high energy Blues Rock from Wolf Moon Revival! It’s going to be an incredible night of original Dayton music!

Bonus – both performances will have the Hunger Force Food Truck on site! Their specialty is comfort food, which is perfect for the holiday weekend. So come hungry for this special weekend of live music and reunions with old friends!

HOW TO GO?

Thanksgiving Jam! 

  • Wednesday, November 27, 2019
  • The Brightside (905 E 3rd St, Dayton)
    $10 advance at SoundValleyDayton.com through Tuesday at midnight
  • $15 day of show price
  • All ages welcome!
  • Doors 7:30pm / Show 8:30pm.
    • 8:30pm – Oh Kee Pa (a Celebration of Phish)
    • 10pm – Kommunity Service
    • 11:30pm – Subterranean (music over approx 1am)

 

Black Friday Special!

  • Friday, November 29, 2019
  • The Brightside (905 E 3rd St, Dayton)
    $10 advance at SoundValleyDayton.com
  • All ages welcome!
  • Doors 8pm / Show 9pm.
    • 9pm Charlie Tipton Solo Set
    • 10pm Charlie Tipton Band
    • 11:45pm Wolf Moon Revival (music over approx 1:45am)

Both shows are also produced by Venus Child Productions.

CO-OP Fest brings Friday night fun, food and music to support Gem City Market!

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On Friday, October 25th, The Yellow Cab Tavern is excited to host CO-OP Dayton for their second annual CO-OP Fest, presented by IUE-CWA. With support from local labor unions and independent, cooperative, and employee-owned businesses, CO-OP Fest is a celebration of Dayton workers and cooperators. It is also a fundraiser for the Gem City Market incubator, Co-op Dayton. The event features some of Dayton’s finest food trucks, bands, poets, worker and cooperative initiatives, raffles, and games!

The musical acts include some seriously funky bands!

6:30pm – Deron Bell Band
8:00pm – Premium Blend Music
9:30pm – Freakquency

There will also be a tap takeover at the Yellow Cab’s bar with Fifth Street Brewpub, Dayton’s own Co-Op Brewery!

Founded in 2015, Co-op Dayton is committed to incubate cooperative businesses to bring sustainable jobs to Dayton and address Dayton’s food crisis through the Gem City Market co-op.

How to Go?

Friday, October 25th, 2019 at The Yellow Cab Tavern 

Cover starts at 5pm with food trucks and meet & greet

6pm the spoken word performances and live music begin.

$15 at the doors / $10 for Gem City Market co-op members.

Greek Street Food Truck Wins $10,000 Prize

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The Winning Medal

You really could see this coming if you were paying attention.  Greek Street, is one of the hardest working Food Trucks in the Dayton area.  They were coming off a shout out from the Washington Post paper concerning their biscuits and lamb gravy.   For years they have been turning heads with unique spins on Greek food such as “street style gyros.”

This week they hit a huge goal and took home the grand prize at the Springfield Rotary Food Truck Competition.  The reward was 10,000 bucks.

Food Adventures was lucky enough to meet owner Chris Spritos in Fall 2015, as he was putting the finishing touches on his food truck.  A few months later, we got the green light to feature his Greek Street Food Truck in one of our articles.

From brewery stops, to Garlic Fest, to Food Truck rallies, and Americana Fest, we delight in seeing Greek Street out and about often.  Again, they are one of the hardest working Food Trucks in the business.

HOW DID THEY WIN $10,000 ???

The Sauteed Jumbo Shrimp Dish that won the competition !

There were 34 food trucks competing in this event.  Each food truck was asked to enter a dish for the judges to try and also had to serve that on the truck as well.

Greek Street’s entree was Sauteed Jumbo Shrimp.  It had a roasted corn and jalapeno salad.  It was accompanied with an avocado puree,  cumin-lime crema, feta cheese and micro-cilantro.

Five judges with culinary backgrounds judged the competition.  Greek Street’s entry was chosen as the best dish.

 

Chris Spiritos, owner of Greek Street Food Truck

ABOUT OWNER, CHRIS SPIRITOS:

— Chris grew up in a Greek family in Centerville. He went to Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Chicago to hone his craft.

— Chris also studied under the Chef for Oprah Winfrey, Chef Art Smith, while living in Chicago.  He was so well thought of, that Chris was flown to Oprah’s California home to help fix a dinner she hosted for the first graduating class of her school in Africa.

— Chris worked at L’Auberge and as a sous chef at Sung’s Korean Bistro in Cincinnati.  He also worked for the popular food truck,  Zombie Dogz.

Spanikopota is a spinach pie on the menu

HERE’S THE SKINNY ON GREEK STREET FOOD TRUCK:

— The Greek Street Food Truck has a core menu of:
   Gyros
   Greek Fries, 
   Spanakopita (a Greek spinach Pie)
   Hummus

— They use no compressed or processed meats.  The lamb gyros are made using braised legs of lamb.  Other gyro options include shrimp, chicken, vegetarian and on occasion, pork belly.

Shrimp Gyro Street Style – Big Ragu’s favorite item on the food truck…

 

 

 

 

— The menu will feature daily, revolving specials as well

Obviously the SAUTEED JUMBO SHRIMP is a “must eat” that will be featured on the truck, but what else are favorites?   Here are our choices ….

 

GREEK STREET FOOD TRUCK “MUST EATS:

Lamb Gyro

—SHRIMP GYRO, STREET STYLE: Stacked rotisserie chicken breasts slices, piled into a pita and topped with “street style toppings.”  Street style means:  tomato jam, pickled red onions, crumbled feta, fresh herbs, fries, and tzatziki sauce.  Quite honestly, one of the most flavorful and unique gyros we have had.  If you try one thing, this is item to grab.

 

Fresh Baklava

— LAMB GYRO, TRADITIONAL STYLE:  Shaved slices of braised lamb.  This is a throwback to the gyros of the old country with “traditional toppings.”  Traditional toppings are: tomato, tzatziki sauce, onions, smoked paprika and french fries.  This gyro is authentic.  It is like a steak sandwich, no processed meat here. Great food on the “go.”

 

— HOMEMADE BAKLAVA : The recipe is his mom’s, and it is a traditional favorite.  Sometimes they even offer baklava over ice cream.

 

NEWS !!! GREEK STREET LOOKING FOR A STOREFRONT !!

We have some exclusive scoop to end on. Greek Street is currently looking in the Centerville/Washington Township area for a brick and mortar location!  What an incredible sight a “Greek Street” restaurant would be for locals !

Thanks for reading this week’s Food Adventure feature article.   Visit us each and every week for EXCLUSIVE stories on Dayton’s best foodstuffs.  Join the 8,000 Dayton foodies that follow us on Facebook HERE

Spanikopita

Chicken Gyro Street Style

Congrats to Greek Street Food Truck !

 

 

 

Dayton Porchfest offers free music in a beautiful neighborhood!

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Dayton Porchfest is an annual event occurring the final Saturday of August in St Anne’s Hill. PHOTO BY LIBBY BALLENGEE

Dayton Porchfest is back for a third year! It’s a day where music fills the streets and porches of St Anne’s Hill, one of Dayton’s most charming historic neighborhoods. It’s a free, family friendly event that runs from 1:30-7pm on Saturday August 24, 2019.

​Dayton has a rich musical history and active music scene, which continues today. Dayton Porchfest is committed to reflecting that in its selection of musical artists, from funk and blues to indie rock and jazz, classical and country, to bluegrass and old timey that has deep Appalachian traditions here. The event also celebrates the ethnic diversity of the region, a reflection of our “Welcome Dayton” spirit that has contributed to a significant influx of immigrants and refugees over the past decade.

​Dayton Porchfest is an initiative of The Collaboratory, a civic innovation lab that moves ideas to action. The Collaboratory provides infrastructure for people and organizations to collaboratively develop community initiatives that generate new economic, civic and creative opportunities and value. The result is a healthier, more thriving region. All proceeds from Dayton Porchfest go to support the work of The Collaboratory.

How to Go?

When: Saturday August 24, 2019. 1:30pm kickoff. 2-7pm music. Link to full . schedule – click here or see below

Where: Throughout St Anne’s Historic Neighborhood (E 5th St, just east of Keowee). Link to map – click here or see below

Who: All ages welcome!

Cost: Free (tips for musicians accepted!)

 

Local talent on display at the 5th Annual WinterFolk Festival

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Although it’s considered “off” season for music festivals, wintertime ones are some of my favorites! We’ve all got cabin fever, and just need to get out of the house and have fun! One of the most highly anticipated of those winter festivals is right around the corner: The 5th annual WinterFolk Festival at Yellow Cab Tavern on Sat, Jan 13th.

It’s a spectacular night of  music, art, food, & fun for all ages. This includes a non-stop line-up of best roots and folk musicians from the tri-state area, including beloved acts The Repeating Arms, Tod Weidner, David Payne, Starving in the Belly of the Whale, Kyleen Downes, The Goldberrys, OldNews, Bloody Tambourine, and several more!

It’s also about this time of year, I’m missing food trucks. Come hungry and catch the Drunken Waffle serving food on-site, along with Yellow Cab Tavern’s craft brews and cocktails. This year’s event has expanded, with even more artisans and vendors selling handmade goods. It’s an all around perfect night out!

How did this event come about? Well, it was inspired by a love of music, of course, and also the venue itself, Yellow Cab Tavern. In its infancy, WinterFolk organizers could see the potential in YCT, starting the festival as a fundraiser, which led to the venue’s recent upgrades. This type of collaboration is sign of a true music community! Make sure you stop on out to support these wonderful folks!

 

How to Go?

Where: The ‘Old’ Yellow Cab Building (700 E Fourth St. Dayton, Ohio 45402) is located at the corner of Fourth St and Walnut just outside Dayton’s historic Oregon District. Plenty of FREE parking is available on and off street at the event.

Time / Cost: Doors will open at 7pm and the first performance will start promptly at 8pm. Tickets available exclusively at the door for $10, children 12 & under are free.

You Could Own The Wicked ‘Witch

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What does the Wicked Wich have in store for Friday ?

Katie Marks, owner of the The Wicked ‘Wich of Dayton,an  award winning food truck in Dayton, has announced the truck and the business are for sale.

If you’d like to own it, here’s what you get, according to Katie’s Facebook post:

Turnkey style, ready for fast transfer to operate. Brand, equipment, and usage include (but not limited to):

-ALL recipes that attributed to the truck’s success. This includes the “Lady Marmalade,” which is a two-time finalist for Best Sandwich in Dayton.

-ALL rights to the brand including website, all social media handles, email, and logo

-1982 Chevy P30 box truck outfitted for a mobile kitchen. This includes power, HVAC, plumbing, ventilation, and serving windows, all up to health code for Montgomery County.

-All commercial equipment necessary to perform the operation. From the 2′ flattop with a 4 burner range and 2 oven combo to the turners needed to flip the sandwiches over.

-The lease to a beautifully renovated kitchen commissary area, 1500 square feet, that includes a double door reach in refrigerator and freezer, prep tables, commercial slicers, all required hand sinks, wire shelving, garage storage area, 5200w running generator, couch and tv, and more.

-List of vendors for local ingredients so there’s no product inconsistency, list of participating clients that utilize our services, and consultation of truck operation for one month.

-Transparency of sales such as records and tax returns. There is also a template that I created to specially track accounting records for a food truck, of which tracks spending to the penny and let’s you see where to cut costs for profitability.

130,000 firm.  Serious inquiries only, please.

Worth The Wait

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A few weeks ago I met a couple girlfriends at the Yellow Cab Building for the Brunch Food Truck Rally.   Since brunch is my favorite meal of the week, I was geared up to go.  I was properly caffeinated, had cash in my pocket, and my pants had a little stretch to make way for all the yummy food ahead of me.  When I got there I was shocked by the amount of people who had the same plan in mind.  Everywhere I turned the lines were long.  I thought to myself that surely no food that came out of a truck could possibly be worth waiting for, but wait I did.

We landed on the always fresh and delightful Shakery Juice Bar since my friends and I were looking for something light and healthy to eat…but smells of waffle batter and maple syrup kept wafting in my direction.  Where was this heavenly scent coming from…? Of course the truck with the longest line of the day: The Drunken Waffle.

As I practically licked the last of my acai berry bowl, I made a mental note to wait for some waffles the next time.  Fortunately the next time came around much sooner than I had expected.  The Drunken Waffle was parked out back of the Cannery Loft Apartments the very next weekend, so my husband and I decided to give some waffles a whirl.

We ordered two meals and decided to split them.  I went relatively traditional with the “50 Shades of Swine,” a bacon wrapped breakfast sausage cooked into the waffle batter.  It was accompanied by a jalapeno maple syrup that wasn’t overly spicy, but left a nice lingering tickle on the tip of my tongue.  My husband took a left at classic and went with a dish that was full of twists and delicious turns:  The War Pig.  This dish had ham, bacon, Monterey Jack cheese, and a scrumptious herbed mayo sandwiched in between a spicy, 3 pepper waffle.  He also got a side of asparagus that were perfectly seasoned and cooked.  

All in all,  the meal was as whimsical as the names of the dishes, the flavor combinations were spot on, and the portions were not overwhelming.  Most importantly, the waffles tasted good, they were fluffy and flavorful.  I always appreciate when a restaurant (or in this case a food truck) can introduce some creativity into their food without losing focus of the basics.  The Drunken Waffle’s food is fun and exciting while still keeping the flavors at the forefront.

So the next time you find yourself in a long line at a food truck rally asking “How good can food from a truck really be?”  

Trust that it can be really, really good, and yes, it may even be worth the wait!

Where you can find the Drunken Waffle this week:

Wednesday | Air National Guard Base in Springfield (Military access required) from 11am-2pm
Thursday | WHIO (1611 S Main Street in Dayton) from 11am-2pm
Saturday | Home Depot Rally in Centerville from 11am-6pm

Brunch! Food Truck Rallies at the Yellow Cab are held on the first Sunday of every month, through September.

Monthly Food Truck Brunch Kicks Off Sunday

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Everyone loves doing brunch on Sunday morning. Everyone loves going to a food truck rally. Now, Drunken Waffle and Smokin Bee-Bee-Q have come together to present the best-of-both-worlds with Brunch! Food Truck Rallies at the Yellow Cab on the first Sunday of every month, April through September.

“After all of the success of last year’s Brunch! we knew this was something that we needed to do again,” Beth Sparks, owner and operator of Drunken Waffle said. “Jeff at Smokin’ Bee-Bee-Q actually had the same thought and reached out to us. When we were lining up a season’s worth of events we were happy to have his help.”

In addition to The Drunken Waffle and Smokin’ Bee-Bee-Q, these monthly first Sunday rallies will feature a revolving selection of some of the area’s best trucks, all serving up their take on brunch classics.

“We do a number of brunch events pretty regularly and it’s fun to change up the menu with that breakfast influence,” Jeff Stringer, owner and operator of Smokin’ Bee-Bee-Q said. “We’re not the only ones either. It’s great seeing what the other trucks come up with.”

These monthly rallies will offer mimosas, bloody marys and local beer for sale, and featuring free live music.  “Because brunch without breakfast cocktails isn’t really brunch at all,” Sparks said.

For those interested in attending Brunch! Food Truck Rallies, the first event will take place on Sunday, April 2nd from 10am-2pm. More information can be found at https://www.facebook.com/events/984657345003799/