Food Trucks at F1

 Peached Tortilla's Bahn Mi
Bonnie Berry Photography

Austin is buzzing with the new arrival of Formula One.   In a city that rallies over 100,000 at weekly football games downtown, Austinites have been busy preparing for an international audience of nearly triple that amount. So which food trucks are getting involved down at the race track?

I had the opportunity to interview Tom Ramsey, owner of Snappy Snacks Mobile Catering in Pflugerville.  Host to a fleet of 60 trucks, you'll recognize some popular food truck brands within the Snappy Snacks family.  From the Peached Tortilla to Chi'Lantro, East Side King and Fresh off the Truck, several of Austin's favorite food trucks have used the services Snappy Snacks provide

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Snappy has contracted with Formula 1 to provide a variety of 15 food trucks representing multiple different flavors of Austin's iconic food truck scene. 

So who will be participating? Here is the interview with Tom: 

1. How did Snappy Snacks become involved with the food truck court at F1?

Snappy Snacks became involved shortly after the contract was awarded to Sodexo. We began discussions very quickly and invited Sodexo for a gourmet tasting and tour of our commissary facility.  Shortly after, Snappy Snacks was offered the opportunity to work alongside Sodexo for all the upcoming events at COTA.

 

2. How many trucks will be there and who is coming?

Snappy Snacks Team will have a combination of 15 gourmet and standard units representing a wide flare of Austin Eatery’s:

·       Snappy Snacks Mobile Catering

·       Chi’Lantro BBQ

·       Papa J’s BBQ

·       Casa Chapala

·       Lucky J’s

·       Peached Tortilla

·       Crazy Fish

 

3. What is Snappy Snacks' role in food trucks in Austin with regards to large events?

Snappy Snacks services a HUB for gourmet and standard mobile operators, we have a state of the art 20K sqft commissary.  This facility allows our operators to bulk buy and warehouse product to service the largest events such as SXSW, ACL, Fun Fun Fest, Pecan Street Festival and now the F1/COTA event.

 

4. How many trucks do you have in your fleet and where will they be generally speaking during F1?

The Snappy Snacks Team will be servicing three main zones. We will have five units located at the Grand Plaza next to the amphitheater, another five units will be located by turn 11 and we will have another five units deployed outside the COTA facility to support shuttle services.

 

5. How will operations change at Snappy Snacks during F1 to accommodate the larger food orders?

Our Snappy Snacks commissary team is quite familiar with the operational needs for these types of events. We coordinate with Sysco weeks in advance to ensure that the custom orders of our operators arrive on time and have the proper amount of onsite freezer and refrigeration services.

 

6. How much food are the trucks preparing for at F1?

Each member of the Snappy Snacks Team is preparing a minimum of 1,500 units per truck per day. While we are anticipating bigger crowds on Saturday and Sunday, our team members are seasoned professionals when it comes to servicing large crowds.

 

7. Who do you think will win the race?

The fans, they will have great food options to select from while enjoying seeing the fastest race cars in the world and we wish for there to be a safe and fun event for all at that are involved at the F1.

ATX Volume 2 is here!

Photo courtesy of Bonnie Berry
of the Seedling Truck food

Whether you're looking for indulgent treats like the Deep-fried Cinnamon Crunch Muffin with Banana & Nutella from Hey!... You Gonna Eat or What or farm fresh fare like Schmaltz' Pickled Okra, Bufalo Bob's Hoppin John, or Cilantro-Pumpkin Seed Pesto from the Fat Cactus.... or if your palette prefers more gourmet grub like the Polenta Cake with Poached Egg and Kale Pesto from The Seedling Truck or Fusion food such as the Bacon Fried Rice with Fried Egg from Be More Pacific, The Trailer Food Diaries Cookbook Austin Volume 2 provides completely different recipes and histories from the food trucks and trailers here in Austin, Texas.  This volume is trickling in stores now.  Follow updates on twitter at @trailerfood

Come visit me and get your copies signed at Book People on my birthday 11/7, at 7pm. 

Here is an excerpt from the Austin, Volume 2 cookbook: 

Gingerspice Ale
Courtesy of Schmaltz

A citrus fresh tonic that uses cloves, cinnamon and ginger.

Yeild:  4-6 drinks

6 cups water

1 cup fresh ginger root, grated

1 cup sugar

4 teaspoons dried whole cloves

4 cinnamon sticks

1 lemon

1 lime

1 orange

Bring 6 cups of water to a boil. While water is boiling, grate fresh ginger root. Add ginger root, sugar, cloves and cinnamon sticks to a big or bowl and pour boiling water over. Stir and steep for one hour or more.

Juice each citrus fruit and add to your mixture. Strain through cheesecloth.

This tea can be added to kombucha (1:4) for flavoring or to sparkling water (1:1) for a delicious and refreshing beverage.