Food Truck Rodeo Rounds Up Wilmington’s Best Eats on Wheels

With every bit as much excitement as kids have waiting for Santa Claus, I got all giddy waiting for the Food Truck Rodeo held this past weekend by the Parks Conservancy of New Hanover County.

Yeah, I know I have a Food Truck obsession but I’m okay with it.

Held at Ogden Park in the midst of some beautiful Carolina weather, the Wilmington Food Truck Rodeo hosted more than 20 trucks from the Cape Fear area and some from as far away as Raleigh. There were so many food truck options that it was not only hard to choose what to eat, but even harder to put down the tacos, BBQ, sno cones, baguettes, fish, French fries, ice cream, ribs, arepas, beer and wine, donuts and even the healthy food options.

If there was ever a question as to whether or not Wilmington has embraced its reputation as a “Food City,” this event was proof that this is “how we roll.” Get it? Food Trucks? Roll? Okay, comedy was never my strong point. Anyway, it felt as though the entire city came out with all their friends, family, dogs and appetites just to enjoy all the food options the trucks had to offer.

As the band Boba Funk provided great music and Mother Nature provided sunny skies and a gentle breeze, foodies from all around the Port City braved the long lines as they flocked to their old favorite (and new favorite) trucks.

The vibe and excitement was almost palpable and apparently I wasn’t the ONLY one who was giddy about the event as I watched hordes of hungry patrons as they struck up conversations with others in line discussing menu options and what each would choose, favorite local restaurants and their obvious happiness that such an event takes place on a regular basis right here in our town. From the sounds of some of the conversations I heard, there might be more food trucks coming soon because on more than one occasion I heard people discussing their ideas for food trucks of their own.

The trucks donated a portion of their proceeds from the Wilmington food truck rodeo to the Parks Conservancy and although I was knee deep in trying to sample just about everything, I looked up from my tacos long enough to see that the event staff did one heck of a job planning and executing the event while the park staff was amazing in how they kept the event clean, safe and fun for everyone.

If you missed this year’s event, no need to fear because most of the trucks at the Rodeo are local and you have an entire year to visit them over and over and over again while you wait for NEXT year’s event.

Note: You can find Wilmington food truck rodeos and regular food truck schedules on Facebook. Food truck stops often change and are updated on a weekly basis. That’s part of the fun!

Contributing blogger: Ed Walsh grew up in Las Vegas, the son of an accomplished chef. Traipsing all over the world to more than 35 countries during a 21 year Marine Corps career allowed Ed to sample and appreciate all types of food from grass hut family dining to Michelin star rated fine dining restaurants. “I know my way around a dinner plate and I just like what I like,” he says. Asked what his absolute favorite dish from all of his international travels was, Ed quickly says it was his Mom’s spaghetti. Ed is single, and loves long romantic walks to the taco truck. He also loves spending time with awesome food – almost as much as he enjoys spending time with his awesome kids.