My buddy Jon spotted the Flying Falafel Brothers at Downtown After Five Friday night. He also noticed this sign.
I spoke briefly to Craig at his food booth. He said he’s working on building out the new food truck, which he hopes will hit the streets of Asheville. Getting food trucks permitted in the city of Asheville has been an uphill battle.
Suzy Phillips, who operates the Gypsy Queen Cuisine food truck, has only recently been out and about after a months-long battle to get permitted. The Asheville Citizen-Times earlier this week had a story updating food truck operators’ fight to be allowed to operate in downtown. From reporter Joel Burgess:
Food truck vendors, who represent a growing trend in the city’s active culinary scene, are trying to change a 25-year-old rule against them operating downtown.
Some vocal and politically connected restaurateurs, however, are pushing back. Joining them are tourism officials who say truck vendors will cheapen the “Foodtopia” brand they have built around local bricks-and-mortar restaurants.
This month, the argument escalated as food truck supporters accused the chairman of the Downtown Commission, Dwight Butner, of “filibustering” a vote on compromise rules.
The commission, a first step on the way to approval by the City Council, was considering allowing trucks, with restrictions on location, time and other operations.
Six of seven City Council members weighed in on the issue Wednesday with three supporting trucks in the city center, one against the idea and two undecided.
Leading the truck charge is Suzy Salwa Phillips, who operates her Gypsy Queen Cuisine at spots around downtown in hopes of one day opening her own permanent restaurant.
Phillips said she has tried for about a year to make the change.
“I was upset from what I was hearing because I thought we were going forward with this,” said the Lebanese immigrant after the May 13 commission meeting.
We’ll keep our eye on this evolving story.