Kangaroo, Thai and Shark Bites: Chatting About Lutz's Food Truck Rally

When Jeremy Gomez uses the term food trucks, he’s not talking about something that serves “garbage food for too much money.”

“I really make an attempt to get people to realize they’re not roach coaches anymore,” said Gomez, who runs the event-planning company Generation Food Truck.

Based in Carrollwood, Generation Food Truck is working with the Lutz Citizens Coalition to bring a monthly food truck rally to Lutz. The first event is slated for 6 p.m. Sept. 6. No location has been announced.

The event will feature gourmet food such as Thai One On, which says it offers “not your ho-hum” Thai food; The Flattery, a specializer in gourmet flat breads; Shark Bites, which serves up fresh seafood; and Gomez’s own truck Not Your Ordinary Food Truck, where he says he will be serving wild game such as kangaroo.

“We’re going to have 24 trucks coming,” Gomez said. “Pretty much every (type of cuisine)” will be represented.

The idea of a mobile kitchen is nothing new. Cowboys had their chuck wagons and construction workers have long had their lunch wagons. But food trucks have become quite trendy — and sophisticated food-wise — thanks to shows such as “The Great Food Truck Race.”

Gomez, who previously worked for a competing company before launching Generation Food Truck, is working with the Florida State Fairgrounds to hold The World’s Largest Food Truck Rally EVER there on Aug. 31. The 100-truck strong festival will attempt to break a Guinness world record for largest assemblage of food trucks at one time.

Not So Easy in Tampa

While food truck culture is en vogue, Gomez said Tampa can be difficult. Food truck promoters have a less than friendly relationship and don’t work together, while too many diners prefer eating at run-of-the-mill chain restaurants than trying something new, according to Gomez.

Operating a food truck is not exactly like printing money either. Gomez said a number of folks were lured into the business with Food Network images of hundreds of hungry patrons lining up at a truck. But the hours can be long, and building a following can take time.

“You don’t have a camera following you around to begin with,” Gomez said.

Check Facebook For Lutz Rally Updates

Gomez said there are a few suitable locations for Lutz’s rally but a final choice has not yet been made. In addition to the grub, the Sept. 6 event will include music by a 12-year-old disc jockey named DJ Dela Cruz.

For more information and updates, check the Generation Food Truck and Lutz Citizens Coalition Facebook pages.