The big food news of the past week was the kick-off of spring with a good old-fashioned SoMa Food Truck Second Thursday. The weather was fantastic, the food even more so, and the crowds were out in force — at least one truck, Santa Lucia Pizza, had already run out of food by the time I arrived at 6:30, and several other vendors ran short of food by the end of the night, and these guys don't run out of food easily. I'll have some more pictures after the jump, but I'd like to thank Chef Jeffrey Palsa of The Food Truck for organizing the event, Liz Sanders and theBernice Garden for hosting it, and Sugar Shack Sweets, Southern Gourmasian, and Clyde and Kiddo's Barbecue for bringing their A-games. Lastly, the SoMa event saw the return of Little Rock favorite Green Cuisine, and they showed that they haven't lost a step when it comes to making some of the best food in town. Thanks also to Sally and Rachel at Loblolly, who despite losing co-conspirator Dan Moore to depths of The Food Truck managed to serve up some tasty treats themselves.
Here, now, the news:
*No Kid Hungry: Blogger and chef Christie Ison is back for a third year with her Arkansas Food Blogger Bake Sale to benefit Share Our Strength's "No Kid Hungry" program on May 4. Some of Central Arkansas' best professional and amateur bakers donate goods to this event, so it's a great place to satisfy your sweet tooth in the name of a good cause. We'll have more on it as the date gets closer.
*Jumbo Gumbo: In other "get stuffed for a good cause" news, the annual Jumbo Gumbo Cook-off will be held April 5, 2013. The cook-off is held to benefit the Allen School, which has made it their mission to help children with developmental disabilities since 1958. I'll be a judge at this year's event, along with several other awesome Arkansas foodies.
*More food trucks: Main Street's "Food Truck Fridays" will resume April 5. Featuring a rotating cast of all your food truck favorites, this event proved successful last year — and I know the truck owners are excited to bring their food back downtown.
*Local food: If you've eaten the burger at White Water Tavern, you've probably tasted Youngblood Grassfed Farms beef. Their Facebook page is a constant stream of food news from an Arkansas farm, so check them out.
*Here we go again: Finally, your favorite Eat Arkansas miscreants, Daniel Walker and myself will be appearing alongside fellow blogger Kevin Shalin on The Alice Stewart Show this Friday from 7 - 7:30 a.m. Stewart's show airs on 96.5 The Voice, and I guarantee that the three of us will easily be the sanest thing aired there all day.
SoMa pictures below!
I was upset, but also happy, that the pizza sold out so quickly. Dan pouted like a child for an hour about it, but we fed him a cupcake and all was well.
This St. Patrick's Day cupcake had a Guinness Stout cake, Bailey's Irish Cream frosting, and a thin layer of ganache that had us swooning.
Crowds line up for sandwiches from the Food Truck. Thanks to everybody who came!
Chef Palsa and on-loan-from-Loblolly Dan Moore keep the lines moving fast.
By the time I got these buns from Southern Gourmasian, the chip supply had run dry. I didn't mind it, though, because those beef buns are fantastic on their own. The event continues next month, and every second Thursday through the summer.