Among the new forms of catering there is one which is particularly developing, namely “food trucks”.

A food truck is a large vehicle equipped with facilities for cooking and/or selling food and drink (Oxford Dictionaries).

The concept is not strictly speaking new. For a long time, “street vendors” have offered food and drink at markets and other venues, sporting events for example.

These trucks sell mostly hotdogs, French fries and other hamburgers of sometimes doubtful quality.

A phenomenon of society

But this is not what it is about. A new generation of food trucks has emerged which currently offers an original and qualitative urban gastronomy. A true social phenomenon, a festival gathered some 120 participants in May 2017 (for the fourth year running) in Brussels Park.

These innovators, real artisans, present dishes made with quality ingredients. Taking a responsible approach, they often work the products of their locality and prefer short cycles respecting the seasonality.

Others take advantage of their mobility to offer different gastronomic cultures to the public that would probably not enter a restaurant proposing Korean specialities or Rongmei Nay, people of north-east India.

A constant, however, is that most present something special, something different that rouses curiosity. You will find them at markets and other public places. They also travel on demand for private parties.

A quality label for food trucks

The concern of the latter is the recognition of the quality of their work, but how to separate wheat from the chaff?

DOLCE, the fine Belgian gastronomic magazine and the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs have set themselves the task of “labelling” food trucks that work according to the rules of culinary art, namely rigorous hygiene, good food and hospitality - precepts that the Chaîne has advocated since its creation. These precepts are perfectly applicable to modern food trucks.

Albert Hankenne, Bailli Délégué of Belgium, and Ilse Duponcheel of DOLCE magazine now have the mission of discovering the quality food trucks, testing them and if appropriate, granting the label “Approved Chaîne des Rôtisseurs”.

To date, a dozen food trucks in Belgium have been awarded this label, which undoubtedly encourages a developing sector to use good practices.

Georges Kinart
Chargé de Missions