LR FOOD truck owner serves up Arkansas’ delegate tally.

27 votes go to Biden, 9 to Sanders

At the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday, Little Rock food truck owner Gilbert Alaquinez made a special delivery, offering up 27 votes for former Vice President Joe Biden and nine votes for U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders during the roll call of the states.

Normally, politicians make that announcement. In 2020, the Biden campaign drafted average Americans for it, as well.

“[I’m] still in awe that they actually picked me,” said Alaquinez, 38.

Standing outside the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, he revealed the state’s Democrats’ pick for president. In a pre-recorded video, he also highlighted efforts by World Central Kitchen and the Clinton Foundation to feed the hungry during the coronavirus shutdown.

It’s an effort Alaquinez knows a lot about.

For weeks, he delivered hundreds of meals, picking them up from the Clinton Center and distributing them to people in need.

When he was approached about participating in this year’s Democratic National Convention, he readily accepted.

A speechwriter helped craft the words he spoke, he said.

Two days later, he could still deliver the words almost verbatim.

“My lines were: ‘Feeding people is an act of love, and we can always use a little bit of extra love these days. So we took our food trucks out into the community to feed our neighbors with meals made right here at the Clinton Presidential Center. Even when our leaders let us down, Americans looked out for one another,’” he said.

After that, he said, he delivered one more sentence: “Arkansas casts nine votes for Bernie Sanders and 27 votes for our next president, Joe Biden.”

And that was it.

“Not even a minute,” he said.

His role was a well-kept secret.

“I couldn’t say anything about it to anyone, obviously, because it was going to be a surprise,” he said.

Alaquinez appeared on camera with six actual delegates: Democratic Party of Arkansas Chairman Michael John Gray, Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr., state Rep. Jamie Scott of North Little Rock, Wanda Young of El Dorado, Tamara Hood of West Memphis and Julee Jaeger of Conway.

All six are Biden supporters. All six hope to deny President Donald Trump a second term.

Alaquinez wasn’t the first to jump on the Biden bandwagon. He is fond of Sanders, he said.

But Biden is the “change that we need right now,” he said.

“I know right now we don’t need Trump,” he said. “I just think he’s tearing the country apart.”

“I think Joe Biden can kind of unite people and put us [on] a positive path forward,” he said.

Alaquinez has never held public office, but he’s had plenty of opportunities to interact with elected officials.

He was lead chef at the Governor’s Mansion when Democrat Mike Beebe was in charge. He later served as sous chef and then executive chef at the Clinton Presidential Center.

Democratic officials described Tuesday’s vote as a “virtual trip around America” and a “decidedly unconventional roll call.”

Alaquinez was sandwiched in between an Arizona middle school teacher with cactuses, and two Californians on the beach.

All of them praised Biden. Gray said the party has used its convention to showcase “rising talent” and to emphasize diversity.

“What it shows is we are the party of inclusiveness and different ideas and different people and different backgrounds and different walks of life,” he said. “I think it’s more representative of what America looks like.”