Food nourishes the body and music soothes the soul. The Food Truck & Music festival which took place at VGP over the weekend was a blend of both. The 2-day festival organised by the Chennai Food Guide was the first of its kind in Chennai and witnessed a footfall of over 14,000 foodies. It also hosted a mélange of cuisines, live bands and a few independent musicians.
The organiser, Chennai Food Guide, is an online forum that bridges the gap between foodies and food operators. It conceptualises and organises various food-related events in the city. Karthik, the organiser of the festival was euphoric with the turnout. “The concept of a Food Truck festival is present all over the world. In India, food trucks are a common sight in Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai. However, the concept has only recently begun in Chennai,” he says.
The 2-day festival included 15 food trucks and the unique BBQ Ride, which offers barbeque on a bike. The crowd was a mix of families, college students, working professionals and even a few senior citizens. Children bickered loudly about what to feast on. From chicken in waffles, steaming sizzlers and authentic south Indian food at Southernish by Sathyam Cinemas, the amalgamation of aromas pleasantly surprised the local crowd who rarely get to experience foreign flavours at an affordable price. For desserts, a selection of hand crafted ice creams and creamy pastries left the crowd drooling. The lush green lawn in contrast with the garish colours of food trucks combined with overcast weather provided the perfect ambience for foodies to relax and enjoy their sumptuous meal.
The crowd also embraced the Arabian cuisine at the Arab Station and thronged Chaska, a popular food truck that serves mouth-watering Tibetan cuisine. Rakesh Raj, a.k.a. Rikki, the owner of Chaska explains why his food is unique and such an attraction. At any time, over 20 people were waiting in line at his food truck to indulge in an assortment of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian finger food.
Rikki shares the secret to why his food truck is so successful - spices. He prefers to experiment with various exotic spices before choosing the right one. “I get my spices from West Bengal. The local Chilli powder just does not give you the right flavour for Tibetan cuisines”, he says before jumping back on his truck to get back to his cooking.
As the stalls wind up at 10:30, the evening wind marks the end of another successful day at the food festival. Karthik is exhausted but remains optimistic that more fusions and themes could potentially mark the return of the Food Truck festival next year.
