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A long line of people waited outside The Supper Truck Monday night, hungry for some po’ boys, hand-cut fries, and shrimp and grits. Amy Black, the food truck owner, poked her head outside and made the devastating announcement: The truck was sold out of everything. People groaned and sadly accepted 10 percent-off coupons to use at a later date. Some had been waiting for more than an hour and a half only to walk away with an empty stomach.
It’s no surprise that the truck ran out of food at the Food Truck Rumble on Monday. According to event organizer Leo York, more than 600 people showed up over the course of the night. Five Albuquerque food trucks, Dia de los TaKos, The Supper Truck, The Boiler Monkey, The Seasonal Palate and Big Juicy’s BBQ, duked it out to serve the judges the best meal. The Supper Truck won, beating titleholder Dia de los TaKos, which won the first rumble on Dec. 10. York said he created the event because of the increasingly popular food truck culture in Albuquerque.
“I was trying to figure out something to do, and I was like ‘Hey man, what if we did a food truck battle?’” he said.
Judge and KRST radio personality Carmelina Hart said she enjoyed trying different types of food from the trucks, from Mexican to French cuisine. She also said that the event gave the food truck owners an opportunity to expose their businesses to a broader community.
“You assume that they’re taco trucks and that you’re going to get tacos,” she said. “We have had shrimp with grits and smoked Gouda, we have had shrimp po’ boys — it’s not just a taco truck, it’s so much more.”
Dominic Valenzuela, Dia de los TaKos owner, said that the events have encouraged friendly competition between the different food trucks and helped to increase their base of clientele.
“It’s crazy,” he said. “We’re coming up on 1,500 fans on Facebook after only seven months, and we’re just serving tacos. You see restaurants that have been in business for years, and they don’t have as many followers. We have a big cult following.”
Black said that despite the win, she and Valenzuela are still friends.
“I’m not kidding when I say I eat at these other trucks on my day off,” she said. “I eat at Dominic’s truck all the time and he eats at mine, and it’s a lot of fun.”
Valenzuela said many people decide to open food trucks because business costs are lower and the trucks are independent and mobile.
“I’ve been working in this (food) industry for 16 years, and you get tired of working for the man,” he said. “You want to put out your own food.”
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Stay tuned for future rumbles.
