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The Everson Museum of Art is about to welcome a new type of exhibit to its outdoor plaza, one filled with food trucks, outdoor dining and support for local businesses.

Food trucks will line up outside the museum’s plaza to serve lunch every Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. starting this Friday until Aug. 27. An updated list of the food trucks that will be in attendance will be posted on the Everson’s website and social media every Friday morning, and can be found on the Street Food Finder website.

Kristin Sheehan, the director of communications at the Everson, hopes that the food trucks can provide a fun lunch for those returning to the office and those who work at the vaccination clinic in The OnCenter.

“With all of the vaccination clinics going on across the street at The OnCenter, hopefully we can give all of our medical workers and volunteers and people administering the vaccines a chance to take a break and spend some time on the plaza as they grab food,” Sheehan said.

This Food Truck Fridays event is a collaboration between the Everson and the Syracuse Food Truck Association and has been going on since 2015, said association president Nick Sanford.

Sanford is the owner of Toss & Fire Wood Fired Pizza, a pizza restaurant in Syracuse with a food truck, and will be at the event on Friday. Other food trucks that will be there at the end of this week include Byblos Street Grill, Papa Gallo Taco Truck and The Birdsong Cafe.

“Food trucks are definitely seeing a lot of interest from people being outdoors so it’s exciting to be back downtown,” Sanford said. “I know some of the workforce is starting to come back, and it’s just really exciting to be back down there doing this and maybe some kind of semblance of normal seems to be returning.”

Toss & Fire’s truck menu will include some of its crowd-pleasers such as the ‘Cuse Salt Potato Pizza, which has salt smashed potatoes with mozzarella, romano and cheddar cheese and applewood smoked bacon. Toss & Fire also offers vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options so that there’s something for everyone, Sanford said.

Bri Petrocci, the food truck manager of Papa Gallo Taco Truck, said the truck has been a part of Food Truck Fridays ever since the event was created in 2016. Papa Gallo offers street tacos, nachos, burritos, taco salads and quesadillas.

Some of the vendors this year will include PB&J’s Lunch Box, Oompa Loompyas and Nikki’s Cupcake Creations. Courtesy of Kristin Sheehan

“We love bringing awareness to the Everson Museum and the beauty the community space has to offer,” Petrocci said over email. “Even during a global pandemic!”

This year, customers can place their orders online ahead of time with the Street Food Finder website or app to avoid lines. In the coming weeks, PB&J’s Lunch Box, Oompa Loompyas, Nikki’s Cupcake Creations and many other food trucks will join the Food Truck Friday events.

“We think it’s a great and safe alternative to dining indoors, and we are just happy to get people back out and about and supporting downtown,” Sheehan said.

Published on May 5, 2021 at 8:55 pm

Contact Sydney: sabergan@syr.edu