With the return of warm weather, foodies will be delighted to find their favorite restaurants trucks. For those less familiar with this type of restoration, a small return to the past can be useful, especially to note a trend that gradually extends beyond Montreal.
History of street food
The concept of street food, or at least that of mobile restoration, is older than we think. The mere mention of potatoes shack, which appears in the Quebec landscape after the Second World War, is enough to remember trailers with fries, hot dogs and other fast food type dishes. This kind of canteen has even been the subject of exhibitions, like the one that was presented at the Musée de Charlevoix in the summer of 2013.
For cons, the concept of mobile food goes back even further, before the invention of the automobile. By the late nineteenth century, the United States, there was the "chuck wagon", invented by Charles Goodnight to accompany the cowboys who traveled with cattle. mobile kitchen with a Dutch oven, "chuck wagon" especially cooked beans and biscuits leavened.
However, it must wait until the 2008 recession to reveal the restaurants trucks as we know them today. Kogi BBQ, a Los Angeles restaurant, is a pioneer with its Korean fusion tacos. Three years later, the first Quebecois trucks restaurants become reality. But it was from 2012 that their cuisine becomes trendy, especially through First Fridays, an event held every first Friday of the month from May to October, at the Olympic Park.
Street food in Quebec
In order to know the present situation of street food in Quebec, we interviewed Gaëlle Cerf, co-founder of the Association of Quebec Street restaurant (ARRQ), which exists since 2012. His motivation behind the founding of ARRQ? "It was a need to bring together for a united and single voice to be able to put forward the street food," she explains. It is also creating this association it was possible to participate in some events, such as First Fridays or Gourmands lights.
What can a restaurateur expect when deciding to make street food? With more work, says Cerf: "The classic restoration, it's hard, but street food, it is even more difficult. "Among the reasons for this difficulty, there are two: the vagaries of the weather, but also the workspace, more restricted. However, this does not discourage Ms. Cerf convince restaurateurs to embark on this adventure, "The Association of Quebec Street restaurant is keen to recognize this new industry then and understanding as restaurateurs that this is a challenge promotion, marketing and sales which is often interesting and is in high demand. "
Regarding demand, the latter is on the rise. Indeed, for the 2016-2017 season, are 41 restaurants that have been selected by the City of Montreal, including 6 new: Mi Corazon, Burger truck, Pinokio, Europea Mobile, King Bao and Winneburger. While trucks remain popular restaurants in the city, Ms. Cerf admits there is still work to do in the rest of Quebec. Things could move against by Quebec, including a pilot project is expected in 2017. In the meantime, other initiatives will emerge, such as "food bike" La Bouffe and Bécane to a street food festival.
In conclusion: after a flying start in the United States and the rest of the world, street food is actually taking hold elsewhere in Quebec. And you? Do you prefer potatoes or huts restaurants trucks?
