![\"Paul](\"http:\/\/www.cusjc.ca\/capitalarts\/wp-content\/uploads\/foodtruck-W13-photo4.jpg\")
\nPaul Bergeron at his eye-catching \u201cRelish\u201d truck: a rotating gourmet menu so popular that he\u2019s often sold out before 3 pm.<\/p>\n
Ottawa\u2019s street food scene has seemed lacking for enthusiasts like Kathy Ferguson, an Ottawa-based blogger for Eat Street<\/em>\u2019s website, who has eaten at more than 110 food trucks across North America. It\u2019s no surprise, she said, that Ottawa\u2019s conservative nature has kept it from fully embracing the trend.<\/p>\n In the last few years, however, trucks like \u201cRelish,\u201d \u201cStone Soup Foodworks\u201d and \u201cTrailer Pork Boys\u201d have opened, providing Ottawans a convenient taste of both the staple and gourmet food options. Many of these gourmet food trucks were at the time required to open on private property, due to the city\u2019s prior restrictions on street vending. But the newly authorized spaces will allow trucks to do more business on city property.<\/p>\n Paul Bergeron, owner of \u201cRelish\u201d \u2014 a food truck parked at the University of Ottawa campus whose offerings range from gourmet macaroni and cheese to chimichurri beef hamburgers and even gluten-free fare \u2014 said it\u2019s not surprising that people are interested in street food. In fact, he said, in many cultures, especially in Asia, street food has always been the best way to eat.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone else has known that for hundreds of years; it\u2019s just taken Canada a little longer,\u201d said Bergeron.<\/p>\n The trucks themselves are as bold as the food they serve. \u201cThe Feisty Jack,\u201d a truck in Toronto that offers updated classic British food, is covered in the image of a Union Jack (with teeth!) and boasts the slogan \u201cKeep calm and aim for the mouth.\u201d<\/p>\n Part of the draw, according to Ferguson, is the personality of the vendors themselves, and their passion for food \u2014 something that shines through in Bergeron\u2019s ever-changing menu.<\/p>\n \u201cI just want to put out a good product.\u00a0 And I like to see the reward that I get usually instantly,\u201d said Bergeron. \u201cThat\u2019s what keeps me going.\u201d<\/p>\n Good food, fast<\/p>\n \u201cThe compelling nature of street food is kind of the same thing that compels people to go to festivals and fairs,\u201d Councillor Taylor said. \u201cPeople, especially the younger generation, want to be wired in and hip, and they want to feel connected to their community in entertaining and integrative ways.\u201d<\/p>\n A major goal is that Ottawa food trucks will act as a draw for tourists, Taylor said. Having good, unique, immediate food available will tie into a mindset of being able to venture out for a day in the city without having to worry about food. Many of Ottawa\u2019s trucks operate year-round, but thrive during summer festival months when tourism and foot traffic peak.<\/p>\n <\/strong>The reality is that food trucks do not have a single audience; they appeal to anyone looking for good food, fast. Both of the trucks on the University of Ottawa campus cater primarily to the student population, while trucks like \u201cChef on Wheels\u201d or the hot dog cart at Bank and Laurier sell mostly to the business people in the downtown core. Trucks operate throughout town, appealing to all sorts of demographics: late-night snackers or just anyone rushing for lunch at noon.<\/p>\n Social media are part of the trend. Bergeron keeps fans updated on his truck\u2019s daily menu via Facebook and Twitter and has even expanded into photographing his food with help of his iPhone and Instagram account. In some other cities, followers can download iPhone Apps which direct them to the nearest mobile vendor based on their own GPS location.<\/p>\n According to Jennifer Demarre, co-owner of Ottawa\u2019s \u201cTrailer Pork Boys\u201d (a food truck serving classics like pulled pork sandwiches), a social media presence is just as important as a great menu.<\/p>\n As to why Ottawa has lagged in the food truck phenomenon, Demarre blames a number of prohibitive laws. For example, until 2007, hot dogs were among the only things allowed to be sold on city streets. Further, due to space restrictions, most Ottawa trucks are stationary all day, while trucks in U.S. cities often are allowed to follow the crowds.<\/p>\n Furthermore, says Demarre, weather conditions here differ from those in Portland and Los Angeles. In the end, harsh winters that reduce foot traffic and complicate truck maintenance may yet prove too much of a barrier for any real street food community.<\/p>\n ‘Please, sir, can we have some more?’<\/p>\n The 20 new spaces will be awarded through a selection process wherein a panel (including Councillor Taylor, an Ottawa Public Health representative, a Canadian Culinary Federation member, a local restaurateur, and others) will judge prospective vendors. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be kind of a talent contest,\u201d Taylor said.<\/p>\n The city received 61 applications for the new spots (45 applications for trucks, 16 for carts) and will announce the recipients in early 2013. Vendors are being judged based on business plan,\u00a0 \u201cunit design,\u201d vendor experience, \u201coverall readiness\u201d and \u201cmenu diversity and innovation,\u201d Taylor said.<\/p>\n Prior to the council vote, there have been 69 food trucks operating in Ottawa, of which only 19 have been allowed on city property. Many trucks, like \u201cRelish\u201d and \u201cTrailer Pork Boys,\u201d operate on private property. The new city-property spots are located throughout town, some near Sparks Street Mall, Confederation Park, and Dundonland Park, as well as in the St. Laurent mall area and in Stittsville. Notably lacking are spots in the ByWard market.<\/p>\n The hope is that the initiative will emulate Vancouver\u2019s highly successful 2010 pilot project (see sidebar).<\/p>\n Critics of the selection process say it\u2019s unfair for the city to regulate applicant-vendors\u2019 menus and that just because someone might lack food-industry experience doesn\u2019t mean he or she wouldn\u2019t thrive with street food. But the goal, Taylor said, is to encourage a variety of different food options and a little ingenuity, to add spice to Ottawa\u2019s stale street scene.<\/p>\n However, Councillor Rick Chiarelli was firm in asserting that it is not the city\u2019s place to determine vendors\u2019 menus. The city, he said, shouldn\u2019t try to outguess the business people \u2014 they know what their customers want. Chiarelli explained that the city would never try to regulate a restaurant\u2019s menu, so why meddle with an applicant-vendor\u2019s menu?<\/p>\n The panel\u2019s criteria will not affect existing vendors, but the hope is that such criteria will encourage a more diverse range in available street food.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t always stay the same; it\u2019s got to change,\u201d said Terry Scanlon who has been selling hot dogs and sausages on the corner of Bank and Laurier Streets since 1982. \u201cThis is a good time for it to change, especially in the capital city.\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n The street food industry provides a unique opportunity for vendors, as it does for patrons, Scanlon said. As compared to opening a restaurant, starting a food truck or cart business requires much less investment and risk, while providing great potential for creativity and an entr\u00e9e to the culinary scene.<\/p>\n So, will street food prove to be Ottawa\u2019s ticket to a new life as Fun City? While people like Ferguson are hopeful, Chiarelli maintains it\u2019ll take more than a few gourmet hamburgers to reinvent Ottawa.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re looking for fun,\u201d Chiarelli said, \u201cthe city government is not the place that\u2019s going to provide it.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"The](\"http:\/\/www.cusjc.ca\/capitalarts\/wp-content\/uploads\/foodtruck-W13-photo3.jpg\")
\nGreen machine: Stone Soup Food Works is open Monday to Friday, serving grateful students at the University of Ottawa.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"http:\/\/www.cusjc.ca\/capitalarts\/wp-content\/uploads\/foodtruck-W13-photo2.jpg\")
\nFresh off the truck: Stone Soup Foodworks makes all its soups, sandwiches and tacos with local and organic ingredients.<\/p>\n