Families in Columbia who can’t make a unanimous decision on what to eat need look no further than the 25 food truck spread at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center’s second annual Food Truck Fest on Sept. 12.
The event, which will also have a series of entertainment acts, will go on from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. In addition to food trucks, the event will also highlight small businesses in the area and give shoppers the chance to meet the people behind the products.
The Food Truck Fest is free to enter and boasts myriad fun activities for adults and kids including a bounce house, airbrush tattoos, painting, massages and balloon animals. Only service animals are allowed inside the event, according to its Facebook page.
Here are a few of the food truck options that you can expect to see at the event.
Tru Jerk Jamaica
This Jamaican food truck has oxtail, fried fish and jerk chicken. It got its start in 2019 when owner Carol Hamilton decided to start planning for her retirement.
“I am currently a Nurse Practitioner and, when I retire, this is where I want to be,” Hamilton said on the food truck’s website.
Currently, the food truck does not have a set location, but you can find it most weekends on Longtown Commons Drive in Columbia from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.
Paella South
This Spanish-inspired food truck serves, you guessed, it paella — the traditional rice dish from Valencia, Spain. Its menu includes items like squid ink paella, chicken paella, seafood paella and crawfish shrimp paella. The food truck, run by husband and wife Anna and Pedro Figueredo, is constantly testing out new flavors. You can track where they’ll go next on their upcoming website.
The Noodle Lady
The Noodle Lady is a food truck serving authentic Chinese cuisine with artisan noodles. Signature menu items include pork and chive dumplings, pepper steak noodles and spicy beef noodles. You can check out where it’ll be next on Instagram.
Donut I Love You
The dessert food truck is a family-owned business that pairs freshly-brewed local coffee with its signature gluten-free donuts. Menu items include powdered cane sugar donuts, strawberries and cream and American pie donuts. In addition to its efforts to support other local businesses like local coffee roaster Black Powder Coffee, a portion of Donut I love You’s proceeds will go towards purchasing protective vests for police dogs, according to its website.
strEATS by France’s Catering
The strEats by France’s Catering food truck delivers restaurant-style food on wheels. The catering business was started in 2009 by Francie Bridges, who has over 30 years of experience and studied at the Culinary Institute of South Carolina, according to the food truck’s website. Menu items include a jumbo shrimp wrap, slow-cooked pulled pork sandwich and your choice of a peach or blueberry cobbler.
Sofia Sanchez is a breaking news reporter at The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette. She reports on crime and developing stories in Beaufort and its surrounding areas. Sofia is a Cuban-American reporter from Florida and graduated from Florida International University in 2020.