Photo: Luisa Barrios – KTSM
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – Foodies had the chance to enjoy delicious local flavors, live music and fun activities at the inaugural El Foodie Market on Friday evening, July 26th.
Photo credit: Luisa Barrios – KTSM Enjoy local produce and culinary education at El Foodie Market
The event, hosted by Southwest University, showcased a variety of local food trucks and market vendors, culinary education activities, live music, a food court area, a car show and more.
KTSM spoke with local food truck owners and market vendors to share their experiences in the business.
Plant Fire Pizza
Photo: Luisa Barrios – KTSM
OJ Hernandez is the owner of a pop-up, all-vegan pizza place that opened in 2021. Though the place specializes in plant-based pizza, Hernandez says they can make “pretty much any kind of pizza.”
Hernandez said the business operates out of markets, festivals, concerts and events in El Paso, as well as a vegan event in Phoenix, “one of the biggest festivals in the U.S.,” and a similar event in Tucson, Arizona.
“The pizzas are made with ‘regular dough.’ We don’t have gluten-free pizzas yet, but we’ve had a lot of requests for gluten-free pizzas. We started out with plant-based pizzas with dairy-free cheeses and plant-based meats — pepperoni, sausage, chicken — all plant-based,” Hernandez said. “Eventually, we diversified in El Paso, because plant-based pizza hasn’t been as embraced here as it has in other big cities.”
Mee Moon’s Pet Treats
Photo: Luisa Barrios – KTSM
Natalie Oregon is a California native who sells natural pet treats. Her journey began in September 2023 when she moved back to the US from Germany with her husband.
Oregon said she found it easier to find better alternatives in Germany, such as single-ingredient pet treats and treats with fewer additives, and she had no problems feeding them to her dog.
“When I moved back to the US last year, it was really hard to find natural treats with very few chemicals or fillers. Even the ones sold in pet stores had a lot of oils in them, so I thought, ‘Maybe I should start my own business.'”
Papasitas Loaded French Fries
Photo: Luisa Barrios – KTSM
Alfredo Frescas, a Juarez native, discovered French fries while traveling and was inspired to start the business in 2021.
Their specialties are “Carne Asada”, “Pastor”, fries with chicken served with guacamole, sour cream, onions etc.
“We go to markets like the downtown market in the city and the Upper Valley Market in West El Paso. We also do events around the city,” Frescas said.
