Local Dining: Follow That Food Truck!

Food truck dining is taking the Triangle Area of North Carolina by storm. Foodies make a game of finding new and exciting food trucks. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and late night options are flexible and fun while the prices are reasonable. The Parlour Ice Cream truck parked behind the Chirba Chirba Dumplings Truck. At MotorCo in Durham. Roving diners search out trucks for simple fare, the unusual or to satisfy sweet cravings. Want a homemade pimento cheese sandwich with a side of tomato soup? Find the Grilled Cheese Bus. Got a thing for caramel? Try a caramel apple cupcake at Daisy Cakes followed by salted butter caramel ice cream from The Parlour! Chirba Chirba Dumplings Truck. The best thing about dining from a food truck? These are LOCALLY owned and operated. In fact, my husband and I were so impressed by the many young adult owners and operators. If these folks were trying to establish a bricks-and-mortar restaurant, the cost and risk would be high. This new trend is an affordable option for breaking into the restaurant business. These friendly entrepreneurs conjure up beverages, pizzas, sliders, ethnic foods and more. Young culinary artists craft their food with a passion for quality. The results are delicious! The long lines that form outside the trucks are proof of popularity of this new food scene. The epicenter of food trucks is Durham, located west of Raleigh and north of Chapel Hill, between Interstates 40 and 85. While it is easy to find these cities on a map, the trucks are always on the move throughout the entire Triangle area. They often show up in smaller towns such as Hillsborough, Carrboro and Pittsboro. To find the names of trucks to follow on Twitter® use the search term “Durham food trucks.” As food trucks are quickly gaining popularity across all of North Carolina, check Twitter for trucks in the cities where you live or visit. The trucks typically “tweet” their location several hours or days ahead of schedule. Most maintain regular stops, but schedules are subject to change as museums, farmer’s markets, local events and private parties invite the popular food trucks to serve their attendees or guests. If you’re lucky, you may find a “food truck rodeo” or “roundup” where multiple trucks gather at the same place. There is camaraderie among the truck owners who cheerfully recommend other favorite food trucks. The trucks sometimes organize their menus around a theme, such as chocolate! Do you want a spicy, sweet chili chocolate crepe? Really. Parlez-vous Crepe did that! Parlez-vous Crepe was in Carrboro during our visit.  A Sampling of Triangle Area Food Trucks on Twitter®: Bluesky Dining @blueskydiningnc Bulkogi @ncbulkogi Chirba Chirba Dumplings @ChirbaChirba Bike Coffee @bikecoffeedrm Daisy Cakes @daisycakesnc Dang Good Dogs @DangGoodDogs Don’s Classic Ices @donsclassicices Farmhand Foods @farmhandfoods Grilled Cheese Bus  @grilldcheesebus   Indian Food Truck @IndianFoodTruck KoKyu BBQ @KoKyuBBQ Locopops @locopops Onlyburger @onlyburger Parlez-vous Crepe @parlezvouscrepe Pie Pushers @piepushers Slippin Sliders @slippinsliders The Parlour Ice Cream @parlourdurham Valentino Truck @valentinotruck Will and Pops @willandpops Not all Food Trucks are trucks. Bike Coffee set up at Motor Co in Durham. They are going to be pedaling a bike! I received no free food, pay or incentives for writing this story. However, I dined well!  Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel.  All company or product or patented names mentioned are registered trademarks, copyrights, or patents owned by those respective companies or persons.