Food truck park with Petaluma style is in the works

No doubt you have heard, seen, or been gobbled up by the recent food truck craze. With roots dating back to the chuck wagons and big city lunch carts of the late 1800s, food trucks have experienced an evolutionary explosion over the past decade. Gourmet meals on wheels have replaced the “roach coaches” that once littered the streets in front of construction sites and manufacturing facilities.

So good are their culinary contributions that instead of roaming the streets searching for customers, modern food trucks usually find a convenient location and let customers come to them. Using social media and smartphone applications, gastronomes can stay current with their favorite food truck’s menu and location, track multiple food trucks at once, or simply find the food truck closest to them.

A few years ago the food truck round-up/rally was born. On certain days, multiple food trucks converge at a predetermined location, where organizers supply tables and chairs, and occasionally musical entertainment. The Food Truck Crush (Larkspur Ferry Terminal) and Off the Grid (Fort Mason) are popular Friday night round-ups. Nevertheless, the food truck’s transient nature leaves these rallies without a sense of community, which often puts cities at odds with the food truck movement.

The logical next step in the food truck evolution is a permanent site, with regular hours. Food truck parks (or pods), offer the best of both worlds, bringing patrons a plethora of ever changing food choices at a static location. Instead of foodies chasing down the trucks, the trucks come to the foodies.

The Block is one such park, and is planned for the vacant lot behind the Washington Street AutoZone. But in true Petaluma fashion, The Block’s founder, Charles “Cody” Hildreth, strives to take his park one step further.

“Petaluma is all about the community,” says the lifelong Petaluman. “I want to offer a great variety of cuisine, but also a space where people will want to gather and socialize. I’m from here and I think Petaluma is the right place to do this.”

The Block has received overwhelming support through its Facebook page and has piqued the interests of several local food purveyors, who hope to set up kiosks at the new location.

“The sky is the limit, but right now we are simply trying to get through the city’s approval process. This is a brand new idea so there are a few things to hash out, but overall the city’s feedback has been extremely positive,” says Hildreth of his April 9 meeting with city planners.

Concerns about traffic safety, food safety and a lack of restroom facilities that normally plague curbside trucks are all addressed by The Block’s off-street location. Traffic safety is a non-issue, and its static location makes it easier for the health department to track down these normally nomadic food trucks for inspections. There are plans to remodel the on-site building, so restroom facilities will not be a problem either.

However, no food truck discussion is complete without mention of the potential effect on local restaurants. But Petaluma is not like other cities, and our restaurant owners do not view each other strictly as competition. Hildreth’s desire to enhance the community distinguishes his plan, and has already earned him some local fans, including several downtown restaurateurs, because he is looking to do more than simply capitalize on Petaluma’s current culinary celebrity. Many see The Block as the perfect way to incorporate food truck cuisine into our downtown food scene. Most restaurateurs go into business not only because they like to create, but also because they like to eat, too. Food trucks offer dining options that might not necessarily work in a brick-and-mortar location, but can still help elevate Petaluma’s food profile, which is good for all the downtown restaurants in the long run. Industry experts also point out that food trucks usually draw a different clientele than restaurants, and often lure patrons from their homes on nights they might otherwise not have eaten out.

The Block will have off-street parking, plenty of outdoor seating, a play area for children and adults and a communal fire pit. Hildreth may add a kitchen for guest chefs that do not have a food truck of their own. And although the trucks may not all be local, Hildreth plans to offer a wide selection of local craft beers, wines, and if all goes well, cheeses, meats and other local products.

Sitting in the shadow of the iconic downtown grain elevator and silos of Dairymen’s Feed & Supply, The Block promises to be a community gather spot. Locals and visitors alike can meet, socialize, and try a wide variety of different cuisines all at one table, while also enjoying much of what the local farms, breweries, and wineries have to offer.

To learn more about The Block and when a grand opening will be scheduled, visit theblockpetaluma.com.

(Visit Houston Porter’s blog at http://rivertown.blogs.petaluma360.com)