ONE FOR THE ROAD: A delectable meal from The Taco box. Left, Churro (Spanish doughnut) with a toffee dipping sauce from Makoy Food Truck
Dozens of vehicles have been popping up in and around Nelson Mandela Bay, writes Siyamtanda Capa
Pulled kudu, German sausages, pancakes, and artfully made tacos are just some of the delicacies being sold from trucks across the city.
Popular in New York, food trucks are a relatively new concept to Nelson Mandela Bay but one which is taking off with a bang – with almost a dozen being spotted parked anywhere from beaches to fresh food markets.
These mini fast food outlets will remind long-time Port Elizabeth residents of the Wurst Wagen – a mobile van which, for years, has parked at SardinIa Bay offering beachgoers fine German sausages in a flash.
Specialising in a variety of sausage and hot dogs, the truck was established in 1992 by German- born Bay resident Gunther Hardt, 66.
Hardt said he started the truck as a seasonal hobby in Sardinia Bay when he discovered it could not sustain him over the winter period. Although the food truck buzz has taken the city by storm, Hardt said the trend is yet to truly flourish.
“I would not really say it is a growing trend in Port Elizabeth, but definitely in Cape Town and Johannesburg,” Hardt said. In its early days, the Wurst Wagen could be spotted at Sardinia Bay and other beaches in the city.
However, Hardt has since been semi-retired and is permanently parked at Sardinia Bay. Hardt runs a one-man show serving his sausages in rolls along with potato chips and croquets (small breadcrumbed fried food rolls).
For many food truck chefs, he says, keeping the food fresh while on site is a challenge. “Because I don’t have a freezer in the truck, I bring the sausages frozen from home, defrost them and then fry or grill them.”
Because of his nationality, serving German sausages was the obvious option. New kid on the food truck block, Street Cred Chef is still recovering from the silly season’s hangover. Originally from Butterworth, Brad Comley, 30, of Summerstrand debuted his food truck in October last year when he grew tired of working for others.
“I have been in the industry for about 12 years and I just didn’t feel like working for a boss, having someone determine where I live and what I eat,” Comley said.
His food includes burgers, sausage rolls and wraps and when he attends food markets, he goes all out – serving shredded meats and gourmet burgers. The decision to start a food truck was well thought out.
After working in the North West cooking for mine workers and working as a chef at various Cape Town restaurants, Comley cashed in his chips and started a food truck. “The response from the people surprised me because Port Elizabeth people are not used to this type of stuff. At first, people were confused but I suppose they were inquisitive and tried it.”
Because of his love of meat Comley chose to predominantly focus on that but vegetarians have not been forgotten with Comley serving up vegetarian wraps.
The Street Cred kitchen is gas-powered and the food is prepared using a grill and deep fryer. With only three months in the food truck business, Comley is optimistic about the winter season.
From February 8, Street Cred Chef will be parked at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University’s South Campus and will return to the beachfront during weekends.
While getting people to come out in the cold of winter is a primary challenge, Makoy Food Truck owner Dewald Hurter, 40, said obtaining a parking permit was another major challenge.
After years of watching The Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Hurter decided to follow his life-long dream of owning a food truck. Inspired by his passion for food and his desire to meet new people every day, Hurter joined the food truck fraternity in March last year.
“The freedom of being able to make food in different places and not in the same restaurant kitchen every day appealed to me.” Makoy Food Truck offers a range of American street food with a South African twist.
He does this with his signature chutneys. Makoy Food Truck’s pulled pork is served with beetroot and Coca-Cola chutney giving the pork a “South African” feel while his pulled kudu is prepared “stew-style” until the meat falls off the bone.
The chunks of meat are then placed in the bun with strawberry chutney. To add to the Makoy food tr uck’s authentic feel, Hurter creates his sauces from scratch.
With the season over, Makoy Food Truck can be found parked at Cork Wine Garden in Walmer from next month. Julia George, 47, of Central joined the game with her eye-catching, all-pink truck.
She started in September last year driving her Gourmet Girl truck after she noticed the trend in the US and observed the lack of it in South Africa.
“I have always had a vision of having my own food truck but I wanted it to be something simple but special. “I chose the colour pink because it is different. I mean nobody would think of getting a pink truck. Also, pink is my favourite colour,” George laughingly, said.
Her simple treats include French toast, jaffels (a toasted sandwich popular in Australia), burgers and pancakes. With the summer season drawing to a close, she plans on changing her menu and serving soups and other winter foods.
Although she cooks some food in her gas-powered kitchen inside her truck, she prefers to prepare the food at home. “When I started out, I didn’t think I would struggle with the wind but it’s very hard cooking outdoors.
I mean, this is the windy city after all,” George said. Gourmet Girl can be found behind Dischem on Second Avenue and Newton Street in Newton Park during the week and at the beachfront on Saturdays.
Other trucks spotted around the Bay, include Taco Box at Something Good, Wafel Bak seen at the Valley Market and other Port Elizabeth venues, Crafted Deli seen in Newton Park and Jeffreys Bay and a Nathi’s Thai Kitchen truck in St Francis.
This story appeared in Weekend Post on Saturday, 23 January, 2016
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