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Mobile options bring life to on-the-go eating

Fun mobile food options aren’t just reserved for fairs and festivals anymore, although it’s a veritable part of summer experiences. Food truck rallies and individual pop-ups are happening all the time from April to October—the unofficial food truck “season.” Especially in the Fox Valley, thanks, in part, to the Fox Valley Food Truck Association and their noteworthy weekly Food Truck Rally.

“We’re a collaboration of food vendors,” Kyle Fritz, president of the association and co-owner of On the Fritz Concessions, says. “I’d say 90 to 95% of them are local within 15-20 miles or so of Appleton. But it’s not a requirement. We just like to work with good vendors, that’s what it really comes down to.

“Our founding member was Hawg Tyed BBQ. Dennis Schmalzer and his son kind of loosely organized it,” Fritz explains. “They were looking for an additional outlet to get their product in different hands. They had this vision of a group of food trucks together.”

The response that first event garnered surprised everyone, and exceeded expectations enough to catapult the food truck scene into the booming industry it is today.

“From day one, that day six or seven years ago at Pierce Park in Appleton, it was just huge. Nobody expected it. Obviously it was a pleasant surprise.”

The Fox Valley Food Truck Association was created to streamline the process of bringing food trucks to events and communities for both the food trucks and consumers.

“The one thing that we really wanted to do with the association is we wanted to be a one-stop shop for food trucks in the Fox Cities,” Fritz says. “You can go to our website and in the upper lefthand corner is a tab called Our Trucks. Everybody’s contact information that’s a part of the association is there.”

“Over the past six or so years there has become a closeness with trucks working together sharing events and helping each other out,” Jon Dietzen, owner of Kona Ice Fox Cities North, says. “It has become somewhat of a big family that you look forward to seeing each spring as you pull the trucks and trailers out and head to the events.

“Progress and advancements in the food truck scene is another area that is fun to watch. The advancement in technology on the trucks over the course of the past few years has allowed products to be served that you would never have expected from a restaurant on wheels.”

Join the association for their weekly Food Truck Rally on Tuesdays from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at WG&R Furniture in Appleton from April to October. For more information, visit www.foxvalleyfoodtruckralley.com

There are thousands of food trucks nationwide. And we’re lucky to have some of the most fun, high-quality options in our backyard. From sweet treats to hearty sandwiches and flavorful fare in between, here are a few:

*On The Fritz Concessions

Co-owner Kyle Fritz

What is On The Fritz Concessions? We’re comfort food with a twist. We do hot dogs, brats. We have burgers. Fries. We have some seafood items: perch, shrimp, salmon. Veggie burgers, turkey burgers. Those are our basics.

Most popular offerings: Our twist is our cheese curds. That’s really what we’re known for. We have won a few awards for our cheese curds. We hand beer batter them. We make our own beer batter. We hand dip them. It’s not just a pre-breaded, frozen product that you get from a food service provider.  Absolutely, by far, it’s the favorite.

Where you can find them: Our most consistent event is going to be the food truck rallies that the Food Truck Association hosts on Tuesday nights. Follow us on www.facebook.com/OnTheFritzConcessions/

*Kona Ice Fox Cities North

Owner/Operators Jon and Katie Dietzen 

What is Kona Ice? Kona Ice is a party in a cup. We offer Hawaiian Shaved Ice in over 40 flavors, including dye free and sugar free products so just about everyone can take part in Kona Ice visits.

Most popular offerings: Our Blue Raspberry Kona Ice flavoring.

Why shaved ice, why via a food truck? We chose to start Kona Ice Fox Cities North 10 years ago. The food truck was a simple choice as it allows us to travel around the community helping others out. We built our local Kona Ice on the value of Giving Back to the community. Our motto is “Be Good, Do Good, For Good.”

Where you can find them: We can be found at the Fox Valley Food Truck Rally each week at WG&R in Appleton on Tuesday evenings. Other events are posted on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/konaicefoxcitiesnorth

Caribbean Taste 

Owner Reggie Desamour/Manager Roxanne Adams

What is Caribbean Taste? Caribbean Taste is a food truck that focuses on delicious authentic food, sharing Haitian culture, and a great atmosphere.

Most popular offerings: The best seller is always the Jerk Chicken meal. Our Jerk Chicken has some spice to it… it definitely has a kick, but the chicken is well-flavored and so tender it falls off the bone. Other favorites: Pork Mac Bowl, seasoned Jerk Mac’n Cheese covered with our flavorful Garlic Pork and topped with a homemade Garlic Aioli that we call Rachelle sauce, named after Reggie’s mother.

Why this type of food, and why a food truck? Reggie was born and raised in Haiti so while he is no longer physically there, he carries his culture with him always. In a transitional period of life, he decided to take a chance and turn a hobby into a business. For him, a food truck made sense because it allowed him to travel and connect with people in different communities.

What should we know? Not everything on our menu is spicy! We are happy to talk with you about our menu and help you pick what makes sense for your tastes. We have a large selection of gluten-free options as well as vegetarian and vegan options.

Where you can find them: We update our schedule on our Facebook page every Monday morning. You can find our schedule on Instagram and on our website, www.caribbeantastefoodtruck.com