Food Truck 'Revolution' Hits Winthrop

Her husband a former member of a rock band, Candy Gomez now spends her time with him on the road, in a truck, promoting food trucks at events and festivals throughout the Tampa Bay area, including at the Winthrop Pole Barn in Riveriview last night, April 26.

There, as part of a Yelp festival, Gomez talked about her family's Not Your Ordinary Food Truck and their subsequent launch seven months ago of Generation Food Truck, a promotion, booking, festival coordinating and consulting business for food-truck operators.

The aim is to impress upon the masses that "The Food Revolution Is Here" while working with area businesses, charities and non-profit organizations to stage marketing and fundraising events, festivals and promotions.

Generation Food Truck, founded by Jeremy and Candy Gomez, aims to "get the word out" so that "Tampa can have a food truck revolution boom like they have in other cities."

"My husband was in a rock band and that was going well but not good enough to support a growing family, with a baby on the way," Candy Gomez said.

Her goal was to put on the road a soy ice cream truck, but researching exotic fruits yielded results for exotic meats, which the couple determined would be a better business draw, she said.

About five months after launching their truck a year ago the couple started a second business, Generation Food Truck.

"The saddest thing out there is people still have the misconeption food trucks are roach trucks and they are far from that," Candy Gomez said. "They are gourmet, they have gourmet chefs working in them, serving all types of foods from all over the world to choose from. And they can bring those foods to a street corner near you."

Generation Food Truck works with about 50 food truck vendors in Central Florida, from Orlando to Gainesville, Gomez said.

"We only charge the food trucks for a booking," she added. "We never charge the vendor who wants us to be there."

Provide the venue, the land, and determine the size and focus of your event and the food trucks will be there, for marketing and promotion events and for fundraising festivals, large and small, Gomez said.

To wit, Cypress Grand Fine Apartment Homes in Tampa, at 8134 Colonial Village Drive, is hosting a Generation Food Truck food festival today, April 27, from noon to 5 p.m.

Also upcoming, a food festival at Heroes' Haven on Saturday, May 4, for Free Comic Book Day. The event, from noon to 5 p.m., is at 4339 Gunn  Highway in Tampa.

One week later, another food festival, at Ben Hill Middle School in Tampa, at 5200 Ehrlich Road, runs from noon to 5 p.m.

In all, Generation Food Truck works with around 50 food trucks, a list that continues to grow, Gomez said.

On hand at Winthrop were business cards from some of the participating food trucks, including Dub & Jimbo's, featuring executive chef Jimmy Johnson of Brandon. Other food trucks represented: Hott Mess, Whatever Pops, Graffeaties, The Dude & His Food, The Killer Samich Truck, The CuppinCake Truck, Destination Grill, Cupping Cakes, Rollin' Zoinks, Pao!, Enjoi Sweets & Company and Holy Crepe!

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Visit Generation Food Truck online. Call: 813-562-9599. Email: generationfoodtruck@gmail.com. Also, Generation Food Truck on Facebook and Geneation Food Truck on Twitter, at "GenFoodTruck."
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Are you a food-truck aficionado? A part of the "food revolution?" Tell us about it in the comment box below.
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