Dash joins Ottawa’s growing foodtruck scene
Of all the problems that Mario Burke anticipated in operating a food truck, one he did not count on was his lobster freezing to its shell.
“It’s definitely been a learning curve,” says Burke, who has had his Ad Mare seafood truck on the corner of Slater and O’Connor most weekdays for the past three years. “If it’s minus-20 outside, it’s minus-20 inside the truck as soon as you open the window to serve someone. Your pot goes off the boil. As soon as I took a lobster out of the boiling water, the meat froze to shell. It’s special.”
Burke, along with 16 other street-food operators who rolled out in 2013, have learned a lot since Ottawa ended its nearly 20year moratorium on new trucks and carts three years ago.
Now, those trucks and carts, along with five new ones that opened last year, have banded together and they want to get on the move and out into the community a little more.
“Everyone has been so supportive of the initiative and now that we’ve all had a chance to gain some experience, it’s time for us to get out of our usual parking spots and move around a bit,” says Burke, who is president of Ottawa’s Street Food Association. “At the same time, it’s important to all our members that we give back to the community in our small way.”
The association has already held two community street food rallies this spring, raising funds for neighbourhood food banks and other community causes. Another is planned for Barrhaven on Aug. 6, as well as an annual Family Services Association of Churches (FAMSAC) fundraiser in Bells Corners Aug. 13.
“Follow us on Twitter @StreetFoodOtt to find out about more events,” Burke says.
The next chance to get a comprehensive taste of Ottawa’s street food scene is Tuesday, when about 20 trucks and carts — from Burke’s Ad Mare, the toprated Angry Dragonz and Merry Dairy to the new Dash Mobile Cookery — will roll into the plaza in front of City Hall from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on June 7.