Norwich is a happening place for food trucks: Where to find pizza, BBQ, Puerto Rican food

Food trucks are an increasingly popular option, including in Norwich. As of March, there are at least six food trucks based in the city.

There is a variety of styles among their food, from pizza to hot dogs to Puerto Rican food, to barbeque and even acai bowls.

Business owners may be drawn to food trucks for their mobility and their adaptability and ease of cleaning compared to a traditional restaurant, but finding a place to park and vehicle maintenance can be challenging, according to resturantware.com.

Blazin' BBQ

Angy Gardner, owner of Blazin’ BBQ and Comfort Catering, has operated her food truck since 2011. Because the restaurant business is so volatile, operating a food truck was a way to get the brand out there before opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant, she said.

“We could go to where people were looking for food trucks, like festivals and things,” Gardner said.

Any town can have a food truck scene, but having enough spaces is key. Norwich has a lot of places for food trucks, and the current beautifying and revitalization encourages people to get out more, Gardner said.

“That’s a win-win situation,” she said.

Blazin' BBQ is what Gardner calls “Southern barbeque with a twist.” The truck serves ribs and other staple fare, but she takes other creative approaches. This can range from a brisket and macaroni and cheese sandwich called a “Daddy Mac,” to a rice bowl featuring jag, which is Cape Verdean rice and beans. Prices range from $2 for cornbread to $15 for a half rack of ribs.

Having a brick-and-mortar establishment encourages regulars, and possibly friends, while going to different places to meet different customers and food truck operators keeps Gardner in food trucks. While everyone is competitive, there is still camaraderie and a sense of family among operators, she said.

“When we want to eat barbeque, we don’t want to eat our food all the time, so you get to try other things, and see other things,” Gardner said.

While brick-and-mortar operations are on hiatus due to a fire, Blazin’ BBQ is going strong with two trucks and a lot of catering.

The mobility and variety of food trucks always means there’s a future for them, Gardner said.

“Food trucks have been out since before we thought about food trucks,” she said. “My dad said they used to have the lunch truck come up to Millstone. That was a food truck; they’re just a little fancier now.”

For anyone getting into food trucks, they need to “be committed, be ready to work,” Gardner said with emphasis.

Ta' Deliciozo

Ta’ Deliciozo is owned and operated by Jannette Velez and Anibal Cintron. The food truck itself was converted from an RV that the couple barely used for camping. Velez decided she wanted to a sell A?aí Ice. Cintron had prior experience in a food truck-like venture in U Bartending, where people would pay him to bring his bar on wheels to events. Velez wanted a business that would attract families, so they converted the bar into the food truck.

Ta’ Deliciozo serves A?aí Ice, smoothies, and other fruit-based fare. The business also sources local products when it can, including from Garden of Odin Microgreens in Greeneville and Craftsman Cliff Roasters in downtown, Cintron said.

Despite being relatively new, Ta’ Deliciozo is off to a strong start, as it was nominated by the readers of the Connecticut Post as one of the top five food trucks in the state, Cintron said.

“It’s amazing,” he said.

Norwich is a good area for food trucks because of the beautiful waterfront and the ongoing development. Velez regularly spent time at the marina and on the water when she was younger. Now having three food trucks regularly there helps draw people to the area, she said.

“All we want is more food trucks so we can continue to bring people together,” Velez said.

Despite frequently being next to two different food trucks, it feels more like community than a rivalry, as the truck owners help each other out and make food for each other.

“There’s enough for everybody, and we all get a little taste of everything,” Velez said.

In five years, Howard Brown Park may be full of food truck vendors, with people eating food and enjoying the water, sort of like the Food Truck Park in New Haven, Cintron said.

Working in a food truck requires a lot of love and confidence, but it's fulfilling work. If anyone wants to get into food trucks, they need to put in the hard work, and utilize business resources in the city, including the Norwich Community Development Corporation and the Greater Norwich Area Chamber of Commerce, Velez said.

In the future, Cintron wants to teach a beginner class for food truck operators, he said.

La Boriciosa JP

Peter Barcena, owner and manager of La Boriciosa JP, started a truck with his wife last June. The two of them had sold pastries before and had other food businesses before the food truck. Barcena hopes to open a Puerto Rican restaurant soon, he said.

Norwich has been good to him personally as, “a lot of people like the Spanish food,” including the Puerto Rican community in Norwich. It's also good that there’s a lot of variety among the food trucks in town, Barcena said.

“For a small community, it’s beautiful,” he said.

La Boriciosa serves Puerto Rican food, including Mofongo Salad with pork or chicken, Rice Pork, and a variety of sandwiches. Most meals are between $10 and $13.

Barcena said that anyone who wants to start a restaurant should start with a food truck, as a way to meet a lot of different people, both your customers and fellow food truck owners.

“It’s a good experience,” he said.

Barcena also talks with most of the fellow food truck operators in the area. He likes the family feeling and having a chance to eat other people’s food, Barcena said.

Check out these CT food truck festivals

The popularity of food trucks isn’t limited to just Norwich. Across Connecticut, there are multiple food truck festivals, including the Glastonbury Food Truck Festival on Aug. 3-4, the Connecticut State Food Truck Festival in Trumbull on Aug. 17-18, the Waterford Food Truck Festival on Sept. 28, and the Winter Fest Food Truck Festival in Ledyard on Nov. 2-3.

Windham resident Kyle Goyette is a fan of food trucks, and she takes her children who go to school in the city. Norwich is a good area for food trucks, because they give people a different option, she said.

When the Rose Arts Festival is in town, she’ll often go just for the food trucks, she said.

“If they had more food truck festivals here, it would be better,” Goyette said.

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Food trucks in Norwich CT offer pizza, hot dogs, Puerto Rican, Acai ice