This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.
The Food Truck Cup, a fundraiser for Longmont Food Rescue, will take over the east parking lot of St. Vrain Cidery at 350 Terry St. in Longmont on Saturday, April 6th from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Five food trucks, with offerings ranging from eggs to Japanese, Mexican, and Cajun cuisine, will vie for the top prize in the Longmont Restaurant Week event. Cat Jerky and Jackson Cloud Odyssey will provide music.
Each truck will offer a bite-sized taste of their signature dish, along with specially paired drinks from St. Vrain Cidery and Longtucky Spirits. "It's a way to get their name out to the community and have people sample from their truck," said Kelly Mahoney, Executive Director of Longmont Food Rescue. "And it serves as a way to get non-brick-and-mortar businesses involved in Restaurant Week."
Mahoney expects 300 people to attend the event, which will go on, rain or shine. Canopies and a covered stage will provide protection from the weather, wine barrels will be rolled out to stand around, and there will be seating.
Attendees will choose the winner of the challenge by live-vote. The truck getting the most votes will receive a custom-made banner, as well as a ceramic trophy created by local artist Ann Fontenot. "It resembles the Stanley Cup," Mahoney said, "with a food truck painted on it."
The biggest hurdles to staging this year's contest, Mahoney said, were corralling the vendors for a logistical meeting, and making the event green. "We want to be more green and cognizant of our waste" she said. "All the forks and cups will be compostable, and we have rented compost bins from Eco-Cycle."
For now, Mahoney likes the coziness of the parking lot but anticipates growth in future years. "If it works out well," she said, "I can see something in Roosevelt Park. It would be nice to get as many trucks as we can and have a large battle of the food trucks."
All the trucks are donating their food, and net proceeds of the event go to Longmont Food Rescue. The two-year-old non-profit works to fill gaps in food distribution in Longmont, with a mission of reducing food waste and feeding people.
"What sets us apart," Mahoney explains, "is that we don't have a warehouse. All of our donations go directly from donors to recipient sites." The group focuses on fruits and vegetables and hosts a monthly no-cost farmer's market, 'Produce in the Park.' "We bring food to people, instead of people going to the food," Mahoney said. "We have a strict no-questions-asked policy. You're welcome to as much food as you can use."
Tickets to the Food Truck Cup are available for $18.71 (the year Longmont was founded) at longmontfoodrescue.org. Childcare will be available on site, also for $18.71, with those proceeds benefiting Family Village. For those who just want to attend the concert, tickets will be available at the door for $7.
