Street Food Chic

It started with the chuckwagon more than a century ago. And with each decade, mobile food purveyors became a little savvier in their operations, upping the features and offerings. By the ’50s, the mobile canteen was a steady business, popping into construction sites for coffee breaks and lunchtimes with their rallying horns signalling, “Put down your tools!” But things have changed. Today’s food trucks have escalated into a global gourmet phenomenon, with prepackaged foods like day-old burgers, fries, and pies being pretty much a thing of the past. The modern mobile canteen has embraced world street foods, providing much more chic and hip offerings. They’re nothing shy of gourmet “pop-up restaurants” featuring some of the best bites you can order. Spotted all around cities, movie sets, markets, street corners, and even weddings, today’s food trucks are typically decked out in outlandish colours with lineups waiting patiently for “Order Up!” There are even “food truck alert” media sites and apps providing details about where your favourite truck might be found on any particular day, plus new menu updates and specials. We experimented at several food truck venues over the season and found that not only are the offerings unique, but they’re also mindful of healthier fare—a far cry from the past when calorie-laden foods were the trend. And just for you, we’ve kicked it up another notch and taken these street foods to even greater heights. From noodle bowls chock full of vegetables to vegetarian tacos and roasted chickpea snack packs, our collection of recipes features healthy mobile options you can make at home in your own cantina.