Despite the scorching heat that marked the end of another work week on Friday, outdoor dining lovers found a way to enjoy an evening along the Fox River as North Aurora’s “Cuisine at the Crossroads” food truck festival returned to Riverfront Park.
The event was originally scheduled for May 24th but was postponed due to an impending storm that day.
Temperatures at the time were nowhere near the 90-degree heat of Friday, but officials were confident a large number of hungry tourists would show up.
Natalie Stevens, community relations coordinator for the Village of North Aurora, said there has been a scramble for vendors since last month, but “we still feel like we have a strong lineup.”
“We added another truck, but that vendor pulled out because of the heat, but we still have close to 10 trucks and a good selection,” Stevens said a few hours before the event kicked off on Friday. “We feel we have some of the best food trucks in the area, and it was so well-received last year that we’re hoping to do it again this September.”
Stevens said diners on Friday will see some new names, as fewer than a few of last year’s trucks have returned.
“We’ve partnered with a company called Brew Avenue Events, who puts on a lot of food festivals in the area, and they’ve been reaching out to a lot of vendors to see who can participate, trying to get a variety of cuisines and new attendees and returning customers,” she said.
One benefit of the change in dates, organizers said, is that it will bring a craft fair to Riverfront Park for the first time on Saturday, creating a nearly full weekend of events in North Aurora.
“We love bringing people to our riverfront and facilities, including the Fox River Trail,” Stevens said. “This whole area will eventually become a community hub. Our mayor (Mark Gaffino) is a big supporter of getting people out in the community and the cooking festival is a great fit in that it allows the community to eat together.”
Taco Shop co-owner Sanaa Yazbek of Lombard, who was one of the salespeople on site, said the company’s truck has been “running for two years, but we also have a brick-and-mortar location in Palatine.”
“We do events at the truck at least three or four times a week,” she said Friday. “Sometimes we make 350 to 400 tacos on a night like this. We make a variety of tacos, including vegetarian ones. We came here last year and wanted to come back. The food truck continues to grow because it’s a way for the community to have fun and bring people together.”
Allison Means of Aurora and her family were among dozens who arrived within the first hour of the event, filling the picnic tables and grassy area along the Fox River next to the park.
Visitors to North Aurora’s “Cuisine at the Crossroads” food truck festival on Friday took their food to a picnic table area at the event venue in Riverfront Park. (David Shallos/Courtesy of the Beacon News)
“I love food trucks because the food is good and I get to try things I wouldn’t normally eat,” Means said. “My family loves eating outside, and it’s actually nice and breezy today. Some of the food truck events we go to are too crowded, but this one is just the right size.”
Allison’s husband, Chris Means, said he was looking forward to steak sandwiches and “a really tasty looking Hawaiian pork place.”
“I did a lot of research beforehand, because I have to,” he said with a laugh. “There are a lot of options, and you walk in and you might see something you didn’t expect. That’s the good thing about this kind of thing.”
The couple’s daughter, 8-year-old Haley Means, is not a picky eater and “will eat almost anything,” he added.
“She’ll probably have pulled pork,” her mother, Allison, said.
Alex Negro of North Aurora said when it comes to the food truck festival, “I try to go a few times every summer,” and that his goal on Friday was to visit the Ricobean truck “because they’re from the south side of Chicago and that’s where I’m from.”
“I’m definitely going to get a steak sandwich there,” he said.
From left, North Aurora resident Michelle Negro, her son Alex Jr. and her husband Alex Negro enjoy a moment at the “Cuisine at the Crossroads” food truck festival at Riverfront Park in North Aurora on Friday. (David Sharos/Courtesy of the Beacon News)
Alex’s son, Alex Negro Jr., said he plans to try the gyro.
“Maybe I’ll go to a food truck in Hawaii,” he said. “I’m a pretty good eater.”
Michelle Negro, Alex’s mother, said she normally likes tacos, and that her family loves food trucks for a variety of reasons.
“We usually try to do three or four of these in the summer,” she says, “so you don’t have to cook and you can try a little bit of everything.”
David Shallos is a freelance reporter for Beacon News.
