Truck Stop

Every Friday through the end of August the Chef's Center in Pasadena is hosting a Food Fair with different food trucks and local food artisans selling their wares. Giving foodies a chance to sample a few different cuisines at one cozy venue. Last week was my second time and the Border Grill truck was defiantly plenty popular. No surprise since it is owned by two master chefs, Mary Sue Milliken & Susan Feniger. They feature an inovative take on Mexican street food, like these two cones pictured above, one featuring a green corn tamale mixture (so good) and the other a Peruvian ceviche. 

While the Flying Pig offered up some yummy asian fusion. I tried the pork belly bun above, a soft steamed bao bun with pickled onions, a crisp slice of cucumber and pork belly with a spicy "special" sauce. Delicious.  

At my first event, it was pretty hot and a little overwhelming. I think I changed lines about 4 times before I actually ordered. I went with straight American fare, opting for these loaded fries from the Meet n' Potatoes truck. Really tasty, hand cut fries topped with pastrami, lettuce, tomatoes and a special sauce. 

There is a nice camaraderie among foodies at these events and complete strangers are nice enough to let me photograph their meals. Which is a good thing since the loaded fries left no room for anything else. I heard good things from those that sampled the India Jones Truck, pictured above a chicken curry and garlic naan bread. 

My friend Karen Knauer gave a thumbs up to this smoked chicken taco from the Flying Pig. Topped with a mango salsa, green curry aioli and honey roasted peanuts. 

We also tried some mini samosas filed with spinach and paneer from the No Tomatoes truck. Surprisingly light, with a nice flaky crust and a good amount of heat.  In this one trip I sampled, Indian, Asian and Mexican with a total cost of about $17. 

Every Friday, through the end of August, new trucks will roll up to this great little spot serving food from 6-9. They also usually invite a dessert truck and  there are tables set up selling tasty looking, locally made baked goods. There are picnic tables for diners and street parking was plentiful. To make it extra easy you can follow the Chef's Center on Facebook or on Twitter.  

all photos & content © Lara Rossignol

Comments

[Kendal Kim]

Yum Yum Yum! So excited to find out about this! I love food trucks and your pics are making my mouth water. I am going to try and hit this on Friday, maybe I will see you there?

[rebecca @ beurrista]

the food looks amazing! wish i lived near a food truck gathering.

[Piewacket]

You just might Kendal!

[Gwen]

Yum! For some reason, my mind was led to Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives with those photos!