Weekly Food Truck Market Proving Popular In El Cerrito

If you like noodles, they were here.

If you prefer Mexican grill, it was available, too.

So were sliders, Peruvian food, Asian barbeque, Vietnamese Fusion, hamburgers, Korean-Japanese cuisine and a place that served ox tail.

For dessert, there were cupcakes.

This variety of dishes was on display Wednesday evening at the weekly Off The Grid food truck market in El Cerrito.

The market has been serving up dinner since mid-July on Fairmont Avenue between San Pablo and Carlson. It's open from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Wednesdays.

Darrell Olson, the market manager for four Off The Grid venues, said the El Cerrito line-up has worked well so far.

"It's been a really big success," he said.

Olson said Off The Grid, which began in 2010 and has expanded to 23 markets, 
runs the food events much like a farmers market.

The company works out permits and details with the cities. They line up the trucks and collect a fee and percentage of proceeds from each vehicle.

He said the goal of the markets is to provide a variety of food to customers as well as to help local businesses and give people a place to gather.

Olson said they select trucks that serve different foods and also don't duplicate any cuisine at nearby restaurants.

"What Off The Grid is trying to do is bring communities together," he said.

The El Cerrito market has 20 trucks in two groups of 10 that rotate every week. Each truck has a six-month contract with Off The Grid.

On Wednesday evening, a large crowd had gathered even before the 5 p.m. official start.

Pat, a Richmond resident who didn't want to use her last name, said there is a good reason for the early arrivals.

This was her fifth visit to the El Cerrito market and she said things can get crowded later.

"You have to get here early because this is very popular," she said.

Pat works in San Francisco and rides BART. On food truck evenings, she get off at the El Cerrito Plaza BART station and walks over to the market.

On this evening, she was eating the ox tail and grits along with a strawberry/watermelon lemonade. She tries something different each time she comes.

"I like the variety and convenience. I like being able to try different things that I wouldn't go to a restaurant for," she said.

Al Jones agreed. The Richmond resident was in the neighborhood, so he stopped by the El Cerrito market for the first time.

He was eating the garlic noodles he purchased from a truck he's eaten from at other markets.

He enjoys food truck cuisine because of the variety and quality.

"It's street food that takes like gourmet food," Jones said. "You can take a trip around the world in a place like this."

Roland Robles, the owner of the fivetenburger food truck, was also happy.

This was his first night at the El Cerrito market and for the first hour his truck was swamped.

Robles said the location of the El Cerrito event is the "perfect spot."

"There's been a lot of talk among the food trucks that this is a really good spot," he said. "So far, so good."