In Italy, as in the rest of the world, street food has become an unstoppable phenomenon, capable of filling the streets of all cities and attracting a large number of people curious to taste delicious and original dishes. Over the course of its long history, it has managed to reinvent itself to keep up with the times and satisfy a public increasingly attentive to the quality of good food: the modern food truck is a real restaurant on wheels with an elegant and innovative appearance, that takes advantage of the opportunity to go towards gourmet proposals and unconventional dishes.

Chefs who decide to start their own business aboard a food truck are enterprising and ambitious, focused not only on the excellence of the kitchen, but also on building a convincing image for their business. Thanks to all these elements, the world of food “on the road” has managed to exploit new opportunities, and it is increasingly common to come across a kitchen on wheels at corporate events, weddings, or in the outdoor areas of hotels and restaurants. In short, the success of street food seems to have no end and even the most important institutions in the gastronomic field have confirmed it: the Michelin guide, world reference in fine dining, has assigned a star to two kiosks in Singapore; while, on a national level, Gambero Rosso offers a section dedicated to street food.

With StreetFoody’s solutions on wheels, many entrepreneurs have managed to transform the passion for cooking and the indissoluble bond with their culture into a business characterized by high quality standards and rich in history and tradition. Here is the story of the experience of three innovators who, aboard one of our food trucks, have proposed new culinary formats and have earned a place as excellence in the sector:

GRICIAROAD - PRIMI IN STRADA
GriciaRoad was born from an idea of Pietro, a professional designer with a great passion for cooking, especially that of his homeland: Lazio. After having attended numerous training courses and having obtained a specialization as a pasta technician, he decides to start his new business aboard a StreetFoody food truck: in 2014 GriciaRoad – Primi in strada was born! Pietro, together with two historical friends, begins to participate in street food events scattered throughout Lazio by proposing the first dishes of the Roman tradition revisited in a gourmet way. In addition, the experience on board the food truck allowed him to play with the ingredients and flavors typical of Roman cuisine. Their main dish? Ravioli seasoned with gricia, carbonara or amatriciana. The passion for high quality cuisine and innovative ideas are always rewarded: GriciaRoad has earned a place in the Gambero Rosso guide in the “Rome and the best of Lazio” section, for five consecutive years.

NURA - DELIVERY & CATERING
Basheerkutty Mansoor comes from Kerala, the land that gave birth to yoga and Ayurvedic medicine. It is in India that he begins to take his first steps in the world of cooking by carrying out the profession of Manager for the most important restaurants in Varkala, his native town. In 2009 the encounter that changed his life took place: love took him to Italy, but the bond with Indian culture will never abandon him. The lack of the exotic and decisive flavors of his land pushes him to search for them with extreme curiosity, exploring new variations and combining them with typically Italian ingredients.

From the love for India and the desire to share his passion for good Indian food, the association “India at Your Home” was born, with which he made his dishes known to many people on important occasions, receptions and prestigious events. The popularity achieved by the association and the success of its cuisine led him to take a further step forward, and to start a real ‘on the road’ business: NURA – delivery & catering is the first Italian food truck of specific Indian cuisine specific to Kerala, recognized in the Gambero Rosso 2020 street food guide. In each dish you can find all the typical flavors of its land: mint, ginger, coconut, cashews, curry leaves and numerous spices with well-known beneficial effects. The traditional recipes proposed are prepared with all the passion with which he cooked for family and friends, even if now in every catering and street food event there are hundreds of customers.

CIME DI RAPA
The project was born in 2017 thanks to the initiative of the Ulisse Training Agency: the goal is to train young foreigners at risk of early school leaving to integrate them into the world of cooking and agricultural biodiversity. The first two food trucks of Cime di Rapa, with six of the best students on board from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Ivory Coast, Senegal, and Morocco, begin to wander around the Apulian squares on the occasion of events and demonstrations, offering traditional local dishes. The constant collaboration with the Ulisse Cooking School and with chefs and experts in the agri-food sector has allowed the initial project to evolve towards what is now the Cime di Rapa brand.

Their innovative restaurant idea seeks to combine traditional Apulian cuisine with an accessible and fast service. Furthermore, the attention to biodiversity and raw materials at “risk of extinction” has led to the cultivation of various lands scattered throughout the Apulian territory to carry out some tests on dishes to be included in the menu: examples are the orecchiette e ‘Col ‘Rizz, an ancient recipe based on kale from Bari, an ecotype that has almost completely disappeared, and Cima di Cola, the main variety of local cauliflower grown over fifty years ago. Through the recovery of 1600 varieties of seeds, Cime di Rapa offers everyone the opportunity to eat in a healthy and sustainable way, promoting the culture of its territory. The numerous initiatives in the area, the protection of the gastronomic and technological tradition for the conservation of raw materials, and the food education projects make the Cime di Rapa brand one of the most innovative and functional in the world of street food. Their principles and values are also reflected in the cuisine offered on board our food trucks: as if that weren’t enough, Cime di Rapa is the regional champion of Gambero Rosso Street Food 2022 guide.

The stories just told demonstrate that well-studied entrepreneurial and communication strategies can always turn into solid and successful businesses, but we must not overlook the importance of having a high-quality food truck and expert partners capable of guiding customers towards the optimal realization of the project. The StreetFoody team, with over 60 years of experience in the construction of street food vehicles, has helped GriciaRoad, NURA and Cime di Rapa (and many others) to become the recognized brands they are today.
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