By Brandon Smith
Have you ever wanted to hop from food truck to food truck to experience a diverse range of cuisine all at once? Grand Rapids Foodie Fest offers attendees that experience and more. From Friday, June 30, until Sunday, July 2, GR Foodie Fest will be sizzling at Calder Plaza on Ottawa Ave.
GR Foodie Fest offers up a number of different vendors, ranging from pizza slices, barbeque, Jamaican dishes and even authentic tacos. There’s also a number of dessert options, such as crepes, deep-fried Oreos, cake in a jar and mini pancakes. With such a wide variety of choices, everybody can find something to satisfy their cravings.
For some vendors, GR Foodie Fest is an opportunity to gain exposure for their brands. Chefs set up their booths for a chance to interact directly with potential clientele, giving them a taste of what makes their restaurant unique to draw them into coming back. For hungry customers who are sick of the same fast food chains, they can discover local cooks who offer special dishes that can’t be ordered anywhere else.
Shortly after noon on Saturday, Grand Rapids was hit with a short but heavy rain shower. It lasted no more than a few minutes, but as any meteorologist or line cook will tell you, rain and food go together about as well as dogs and firework celebrations. Which is not great. When the surprise shower finally cleared up, puddles were scattered around Calder Plaza, food truck roofs glistened with raindrops and the hot summer air became considerably more humid. One vendor laughed, explaining that the tent over their booth began leaking, but they were able to save their food in a portable warmer.
One would think that it would be agonizing to work among smoking grills and boiling hot deep fryers on such a hot summer day, but the tone from the vendors was excitement. They were happy to talk about their small businesses and explain their meals to anyone interested in checking out what they were serving up.
All-in-all, anyone wishing to visit Grand Rapids Foodie Fest will find a lively atmosphere full of food enthusiasts eager to share their dishes.
Grand Rapids Foodie Fest ends at 10 p.m. on Saturday. It reopens at 11 a.m. and goes until 5 p.m. on Sunday, July 2. Updates can be found on their website or on the official Facebook page.
