Food truck festival coming to Brick Works in Toronto this summer

Torontonians will soon have another chance to chow down on delectable treats curbside when food trucks invade part of the city.

The craze that is sweeping through the U.S., has been slow to enter Canada, but the popularity of past festivals has groups working to organize a fourth event in the city.

Food Truck Eats and the Toronto Underground Market will be teaming up to host a Street Food Block Party at the Don Valley Brick Works on May 5.

And this time, possibly because of previous success, they will be selling tickets.

Food trucks in other Canadian cities

Organizers for the festivals in Toronto expected 750 to show up for the first one and were astonished when 3,500 hungry people arrived.

At the Nuit Blanche food truck festival early last October, scores of people lined up in the freezing cold to taste burritos or grilled cheese and then huddled under a propane heat lamp to stay warm and eat.

The Brick Works festival has only been posted on Facebook for a few hours and almost 800 people have already said they will go.

If you don't want to wait until May some trucks are already cruising around Toronto, although one of them doesn't technically sell food.

"Thunderin' Thelma" began cruising the streets serving up smoked meat from Caplansky's Deli at the end of July. "The licence is restrictive and arbitrary, but when we showed up on Ossington at two in the morning and people started clapping, you realize this is what people want," said Zane Caplansky to the National Post.

Another one is La Carnita, but they sell art, not tacos.

"You pay for the art, and hey, we just happen to give you a loot bag filled with tacos," said OneMethod president and CEO Amin Todai to the Globe and Mail. OneMethod Digital & Design Inc. dreamed up the idea to sell the art.

Food Cabbie is also cruising the Toronto streets serving American comfort food after owner Spiros Drossos moved up here from California. According to Toronto Life, his Canuck wife insisted on moving north.

The main reason Canadian cities seem to be behind the curve is because of city bylaws, not lack of demand. But that appears to be changing as municipal governments wake up to growing consumer demand.

Tickets for the Brick Works festival will go on sale in April and the Facebook page promises vendors will be announced soon.

(Photo courtesy of Street Food Block Party Facebook event page)