Phoenix – Go for the Food

When Twitter and Facebook first began to catch fire, so did food trucks. Mobile kitchens in cities like Los Angeles and New York branded themselves, using social media to gain foodie followers. But the gourmet meals-on-wheels trend was slow to hit Phoenix streets.

Fast forward to 2013 and nearly 60 food trucks belong to the Phoenix Street Food Coalition. Now, some of the city’s food truck operators are trading car keys for tables and chairs. Several brick-and-mortar incarnations have emerged in the past nine months in the desert city’s artsy Roosevelt Row neighborhood. The location stands in contrast to the many popular restaurants scattered across the city and its suburbs, tucked inside strip malls. Besides having built-in street cred, these food-truck-spawned establishments have become great advocates for showcasing locally-grown and purchased food through innovative street eats.

Leading the culinary charge is the Welcome Diner. Chef Michael Babcock and his business partner, Jenn Robinson, were brought in by Phoenix developer Sloane McFarland to revive the long-dormant nine-seat diner. A fixture on historic Route 66 in the 1960s, the roadside Valentine-style diner (a type of diner built like a small box) has anchored a residential block of Roosevelt Street since 1979.

Authored By Terry Tang – See the Full Story at Edge Boston

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