Article

Hurricane Barry less severe than expected; food trucks already back in service

Food trucks contributed to efforts led by organizations such as World Central Kitchen, which supplied relief kitchens throughout New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lafayette.

July 17, 2019 by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

Hurricane Barry was not as severe as forecasters expected, but parts of the southern Midwest remained flooded this week as the Category 1 hurricane that struck Louisiana Saturday morning moved north.

Since the storm made landfall near Intracoastal City, Louisiana — three hours from New Orleans and two hours from Baton Rouge — thousands were without power and in need of food. The severest flooding was largely in less populated parts of the state.

While food trucks were not as involved serving meals to first responders and displaced residents as they've been in more severe hurricanes, they contributed to efforts led by organizations such as World Central Kitchen, which supplied relief kitchens throughout New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lafayette. 

Excalibur, a food truck in Little Rock, Arkansas, traveled more than six hours to support the Baton Rouge relief kitchen, Tim Kilcoyne, World Central's Kitchen director of communications, told Food Truck Operator. 

Power outages did not last so long that food trucks, being equipped with generators, were needed to serve hot food, said Alex Del Castillo, who operates the Taceaux Loceaux food truck in New Orleans. The flooding did, however, keep his truck out of service for several days since some of his employees had flooding in their homes and cars. 

Food trucks ready to respond

Food trucks in the New Orleans area are ready to assist when needed, said Del Castillo. 

"When these things happen, everyone needs to help, but you have to be organized," he said. Del Castillo gives much of the local organizational credit to Amy Sins, who operates the Langlois restaurant in New Orleans and has coordinated relief efforts since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Sins helped coordinate a donation of 17,000 meals to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana when a national sorority decided to cancel its convention in New Orleans in advance of Hurricane Barry. Second Harvest Food Bank is distributing the donations to shelters serving people in need.

"As soon a there's even a discussion of a storm, my cell is ringing," Sins told Food Truck Operator.

And while food trucks didn't play a big role in the Hurricane Barry relief effort, Sins is excited about a food truck that will soon be available for future disasters. Second Harvest Food Bank will soon have a Ford K 350 van equipped with a kitchen, thanks to a $70,000 grant from the Ford Foundation.

The vehicle, equipped with food preparation appliances, a refrigerator, a freezer and a propane tank, will be more nimble than the pantry trailers the organization has been using in relief efforts, according to Jay Vise, Second Harvest Food Bank's communications director.

"That allows us to be nimble and able to serve," Sins said "We're going to be able to have a food safe condition where we can work (serve food) on site. Food safety is the number one concern when I'm out in the field in a disaster." 

Most food trucks back in service

By the time of this report, most Louisiana food trucks were back in service.

The Kolache Kitchen restaurants in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, which also operate a food truck, closed its three restaurants Saturday out of concern for the safety of its employees, said Rose Collins, general manager. As for the food truck, "We didn't have any orders before the hurricane, so it didn't affect us," she said.

"This hurricane hasn't really been much of a factor," said Chef Johnson, owner of a truck that has participated in relief efforts in the past. Johnson, whose truck goes by his own name, happened to be out of town during Hurricane Barry.

Rollin' Fatties, which serves Mexican and Latin fare in New Orleans, was out of service from Wednesday through Monday on account of flooding, said co-owner Isaiah Daste. Several other food trucks reported similar experiences, including Queen On Wheels, The Big Cheezy and Diva Dawg.

As the storm has moved north, the National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings through Tuesday for sections of Arkansas, according to Yahoo News. The remnants of the storm were also expected to deliver heavy rains on Tennessee, Illinois and Indiana.
 

About Elliot Maras

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Elliot Maras is the editor of Kiosk Marketplace and Vending Times. He brings three decades covering unattended retail and commercial foodservice.