Johannesburg - They call themselves “Mother Truckers”, humour and all things tongue in cheek being as much a part of the food truck movement as good food.
For instance, one of them calls his gourmet meat roll “Air Wors 1”.
They’ve mobilised together to get city authorities, precinct managers and the public to get behind their roaming restaurants. They have to be seen as a boon for the city, not a nuisance. The organisation has five founding members.
Daniel and Clementine Forsthofer are the duo behind Tutto Food Company, which serves freshly made paella in “must-tweet”-sized paella pans they fire up at food markets throughout Jozi. It’s inspired by street food and Mozambican cuisine, they say of their paella.
They started trading at markets like Neighbourgoods in Braamfontein while also catering for private functions about two and a half years ago. The spectacle of the rice and seafood bubbling away in oversized flat pans in front of patrons was a winner from the start, but the venture remained something of a weekend gig. The duo then decided the next logical step was to take their show on the road.
“We were told about a 1976 VW Kombi with bay windows and we knew it would be perfect to convert into our kitchen on wheels,” Daniel says of their branded yellow-and-black Kombi that’s becoming a regular feature in the office block precincts in Sandton around the stock exchange and in the Parktown food quarter.
“Typically we arrive at a site, set up our cookers and pans on the sidewalk and start cooking for the lunchtime crowd.”
The look and the food are fresh, a combination that has made people willing to fork out a little more, even if it’s essentially a street food takeaway.
Miles Khubeka is the man behind Vuyo’s food truck – and Vuyo’s eatery in Braamfontein. He took the name, and the idea, from a beer advert featuring a “Vuyo” running a wors stand who had “beeeg dreams” of conquering the world.
Khubeka registered the name, and started braaiing. The difference is he is serving up pimped-up boerewors rolls.
Instead of ordering a boerie roll with tomato sauce and mustard, you order an “Air Wors 1” – with a top-secret sauce, of course. There are also boerie rolls with caramelised onion aioli and even boerewors sliders.
“People love the Vuyo’s concept, because everyone remembers the ad,” says Khubeka. “People call me Vuyo, take photos of the truck and of me and, yes, even my mother calls me Vuyo.
“Ultimately it’s about what we serve. The food is about raising the bar and it must exceed people’s expectations. If you hit the mark, people will pay. Power to the hipsters for that.”
Khubeka quit his job in IT to start Vuyo’s, but he soon realised that a food truck had fewer overheads and being mobile meant taking the food to the people instead of waiting for feet to come through the doors.
His bright red truck, a converted 1976 Brazilian-made VW Kombi, has a roof that flips up to reveal a shiny metal kitchen and serving area. It’s a striking vehicle that draws the crowds and also builds his brand, Khubeka says.
He says Joburg is ripe for a street food revolution, like that in Singapore and New York.
The modern food truck revolution is said to have started in the US as the downturn in the economy in 2008 made brick-and-mortar restaurants too expensive to run. It’s a movement that piggybacked on the rise of social media and the hipster generation of moneyed, young, and up-and-coming city slickers. Food truckers tweet or post their whereabouts in the city on specific days and wait for their followers and friends to start queueing.
Khubeka says the formation of Mother Truckers helps food truckers know their trading rights, and act within the by-laws for safe traffic control, food health and cleanliness.
It’s also about exchanging ideas, leaning on each other’s venues and exploiting each other’s social media databases to sell.
As an organisation, the truckers have more clout to negotiate with precinct managers and the city so they are not harassed for trading. They want to be seen as a positive example of how to bring people on to the streets and keep the city vibe alive and engaged.
Bojan Ivanovic and his sister, Lidija, are the duo behind Balkan Burger. It’s their truck that makes the biggest statement to begin with. It’s big and bright red and black and features a giant bead-and-wire moustache in the front.
“The truck is a 1967 Bedford short-body school bus,” says Bojan. “A friend found the truck, we had it restored and custom fitted. It’s a complete kitchen on wheels. The moustache is a salute to our father, who had a moustache.”
The siblings started out with Balkan Burger as a popular option for those who frequented Neighbourgoods market on Saturdays. Their meat patties, made to a Serbian recipe with three cuts of meat minced in a secret way and served on specially baked buns, bring a smile to those screaming for burgers with real bite. They have also bowed to pressure and started serving a vegetarian burger.
It’s part of forward thinking when it comes to food and the ability to meet people’s changing demands, Bojan says.
“Food trucks are a movement. It’s changing the way people eat, what they eat and the way they come together to eat and socialise.”
The siblings’ food truck will even go to weddings to serve guests whimsy and gourmet burgers. - The Star