Hundreds turn out for Food Truck Friday

Hundreds of people turned out Sept. 11 for the debut of Food Truck Friday at Epworth UM Church.

Ten vendors, serving a variety of food, made an appearance in the church’s parking lot, including Maxie’s Grill, Mr. BBQ, Mojo Loco, Jakarta’s, Mama Mia, The Sea Hogg from Zogg’s Raw Bar and Grill, Sherri’s Crab Cakes, Hot Dogs at the Beach, Vanderwende’s Farm Fresh Ice Cream, and Sno Yo serving Hopkins Farm Creamery ice cream.

The event is a fundraiser for The Food and Love Soup Kitchen and the Epworth Skate Park, and will take place from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the second and fourth Friday of the month through November.

“We used every table and chair we could find,” said Food & Love Soup Kitchen co-manager, Reber Whitner. Set up for ‘Food Truck Friday’ at Epworth UM Church started with five picnic tables, supplemented by a few round and rectangular tables. By the time the crowd was in place, volunteers had commandeered every table and chair that they could get their hands on. Event producers estimated that 700 people attended the inaugural food truck fundraiser. “What an amazing turnout to kick off our Food Truck Fridays,” said Senior Pastor Rev.Vicky Starnes. “So much community support for our mission and ministry here at Epworth, plus we all enjoyed such delicious food. The bonus was that we got to meet our neighbors and new friends,” Starnes added.

Like Truckin’ Tuesdays in Milton, Food Truck Friday was a very social event. People who attended tended to stay and eat, rather than buy their meal and leave. They enjoyed live music provided by local musicians John Inkster, Ian Kaufman, John Barwick and Duncan Leet.

“Our vendors had a really good night,” said Susan Selph, who booked the trucks. Nine vendors came in the form of trucks, trailers and carts. Two things they had in common were good food and a lot of customers. “It was a great event, with a happy crowd,” said Warren Rosenfeld, owner of Rosenfeld’s Jewish Roadside Deli and Rosenfeld’s Jewish Deli in Ocean City, Md. It was Rosenfeld’s inaugural food truck event as well. Lines at the trucks were long, and most of the vendors ran out of at least one thing on their menus. “We will definitely consider increasing the number of vendors. We have plenty of room for more,” said Selph.

A tent at the event offered information about the church’s outreaches and provided a donation box. Patrons donated over $700. Those funds will keep the soup kitchen running for almost a month and help pay for new LED lights at the church’s skate park. As the days get shorter, the time that skateboarders can spend at the park becomes limited. ”Epworth Skate Project would like to change that,” said Kathy Scott, who has been fundraising for the skate park beginning with construction.

The next ‘Food Truck Friday’ will take place Friday, Sept. 25, from 5 to 7 p.m., at Epworth UMC, located on Holland Glade Road in Rehoboth.

For more information go to www.eumcrb.org/FoodTruckFridays.