If one of the highlights of music festivals and carnivals for you is the unique array of specialty and whacky foods, Langley’s newest festival just might become your favourite.
On June 4, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Douglas Park will host the Fraser Valley Food Truck Festival — a free admission event that will include 25 different food vendors, live music, a local artisans market and face painting.
“Come hungry and ready to try a bunch of different foods,” said organizer Laine Ogilvie. “We have every different ethnicity: Jamaican, Mexican, Malaysian... Basically everything you can think of. It’s a one-stop shop for all the different taste buds.”
Similar events have been going on in the region for years but this is the first time in the City of Langley. Ogilvie said it was the City that approached her with an interest in becoming a host.
The vendors — which include poutine, baked potato, and pierogi trucks — are encouraged to offer sample platters and snack-size portions, to allow patrons to try a good variety of offerings.
“We always encourage people to bring lots of friends and share,” said Ogilvie.
Jason Faria, known to many as the “Corndog King” will be selling four varieties of corndogs at the event. They including a churro-stuffed Oreo corndog, as well as a classic corndog, which uses the same recipe created 57 years ago by Faria’s stepfather.
Faria said he has seen Vancouver and other cities embrace food trucks as an alternative to fast food but has yet to see his hometown do the same.
“Langley seems like a sheltered area that hasn’t really experienced the food truck craze yet,” he said. “When you go to Vancouver and Surrey, that’s everything right now. Everybody goes to food trucks.”
Faria said they work with local delis, butchers and farms in sourcing high-quality ingredients.
“We want to bring awareness that food truck food is not just your run of the mill, average $6 (fast food) burger. Food truck food is good food. People spend days, hours, weeks getting this stuff ready. [For] each food truck festival, two days goes into preparation for five hours of work.”