Sizzling temperatures lingered on Friday as another work week came to a close, but those who love eating outdoors found a way to enjoy an evening by the Fox River as North Aurora’s Cuisine at the Crossroads food truck festival returned to Riverfront Park.
The event, originally scheduled for May 24, was pushed back due to impending storms that day.
While temperatures back then were nowhere near Friday’s 90-degree heat, officials were confident plenty of hungry visitors would appear.
Natalie Stevens, community relations coordinator for the village of North Aurora, said there was some jockeying of vendors since last month but noted that, “I feel we still have a strong lineup.”
“We added another truck and then that vendor backed out because of the heat but we still have nearly 10 trucks and a good assortment of items,” Stevens said a few hours before the event opened on Friday. “We feel we have some of the area’s best food trucks. It was so popular last year we’re thinking of doing another one of these this September.”
Stevens said less than a handful of last year’s trucks were back, meaning that diners saw some new names Friday.
“We work with a company called Brew Avenue Events that do a lot of food festivals in the area, and they reach out to a bunch of their vendors to see who is available and also try to get a variety of types of cuisine as well as new and returning faces,” she said.
One advantage of the rescheduling, organizers said, is that it provided nearly a full weekend of events in North Aurora with a first-time craft fair that followed Saturday at Riverfront Park.
“We love bring people to our riverfront and the amenities we have including the Fox River trails,” Stevens said. “This whole area is eventually going to become a focal point for the community. Our mayor (Mark Gaffino) is a big advocate for getting people out in the community and a cuisine festival is perfect in that it allows the community to eat together.”
Sanaa Yazbek of Lombard, co-owner of the Taco Shop, was one of the vendors on site and said the shop’s truck “has been on the road for two years, but we also have a brick-and-mortar shop in Palatine.”
“We do at least three to four events a week in the truck,” she said on Friday. “On a night like this we might make 350 to 400 tacos. We make a variety of tacos including a vegetarian option. We were here last year and wanted to come back. Food trucks have continued to grow because it’s a way to enjoy and have fun with the community and it brings people together.”
Allison Means of Aurora and her family were among the dozens who arrived during the event’s first hour who packed picnic tables and grassy areas along the Fox River next to the park.
“I enjoy food trucks. It’s good food and you get to try things you don’t normally have,” Means said. “My family likes eating outside and actually today there’s a nice breeze. Some of the food truck events we go to are too crowded, but this one is about the right size.”
Allison’s husband Chris Means said he was looking forward to a steak sandwich “as well as a place with some Hawaiian pork that looks pretty good too.”
“I did scope things out ahead of time – you’ve got to,” he said with a laugh. “You get a smorgasbord of options and you walk and maybe see something you don’t expect. That’s the nice thing about things like this.”
The couple’s daughter Haley Means, 8, said she wasn’t a picky eater, adding that, “I eat almost anything.”
“She’ll probably have some pulled pork,” her mother Allison said.
Alex Negro of North Aurora said when it comes to food truck festivals, “I try to go to a few every summer” and that his goal Friday was to visit the Ricobene’s truck “since they’re from the South Side of Chicago and I’m from there.”
“I’m definitely going to get a steak sandwich from there,” he said.
Alex’s son, Alex Negro Jr., said he was likely going to try some gyros.
“I almost might try the Hawaiian food truck,” he said. “I’m a pretty good eater.”
Alex’s mother Michelle Negro said she usually likes tacos and the family continues to like food trucks for a variety of reasons.
“We usually try to go to three or four of these a summer,” she said. “You don’t have to cook and you get to sample a little bit of everything.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
