Food trucks are gaining popularity and for good reason. On-the-go restaurants offer new types of cuisine and culinary experiences streetside. 

Fort Collins is paving the way for these new foodie hangouts by offering a weekly food truck rally held every Tuesday night on Sheldon Drive at City Park now until Sept. 25. 

The event starts at 5:30 p.m. and goes until dusk. Live music starts at 6 p.m. 

In case there are a few who are not familiar with this city’s food truck scene, below are just a few of the many mobile munchies to check out.

1. Scratch 

Scratch offers a wide variety of burgers and also cater to gluten sensitivities as well as vegetarian/vegan options, serving gluten-free bread or fresh greens with any of their burgers. 

Nate Say established Scratch in 2017 when it made its debut at Big Thompson Brewery in Loveland.

Say has always had a passion for food and people. After high school, he obtained a degree in culinary arts from Le Cordon Bleu in Pittsburgh.

“With a passion for the outdoors, I headed to Colorado after graduating,” Say said.

After 3 years as an executive chef, Say started to feel the burnout, so he decided to open his own restaurant and work on his own time. 

Scratch just added the Bacon Onion Jam Burger to their lineup, and it has been a major hit. There will be new menu items coming this fall when the weather cools off.

“We have something new in the works for this fall and winter, so be on the lookout,” Say said. “It might be another food truck, it might be a brick and mortar, or it could even be a helicopter that airdrops tasty burgers onto your front porch. Who knows.”

Contact:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ScratchTruckLoveland

Email: scratchtruckloveland@gmail.com

“We have something new in the works for this fall and winter, so be on the lookout. It might be another food truck, it might be a brick and mortar, or it could even be a helicopter that airdrops tasty burgers onto your front porch. Who knows.” -Nate Say, owner of Scratch burger truck.

2. Umami 

Umami is Asian fusion cuisine with a heavy Thai influence.

Sara Gilman bought Umami from Bryan Martin in 2014 from Craigslist.

“I was looking into starting my own business and was considering a food truck, so when I found Umami on Craigslist I knew it was meant to be,” Gilman said. “We have been killing it ever since.”

In addition to a weekly appearance at the FoCo Food Truck Rally, Gilman loves to take her Umami Ninja crew to music festivals like Sonic Bloom in Rye and the Arise festival in Loveland. Gilman takes Umami to as many local events as she can, but the FoCo City Park Food Truck Rally is her favorite.

“It’s a really fun event that gets the whole community together and it’s good to see everyone and feed a lot of people,” Gilman said.

Gilman usually has four steady employees, or “ninjas,”  but she bulks up to a staff of seven for festivals.

Umami can accommodate gluten allergies, dairy allergies and vegan lifestyles.

Sara recommends the Ninja bowl for a gluten-free and vegan dish which consists of tofu (optional), veggies, seasoned rice and either spicy peanut sauce or curry sauce.

 “We love our local support from our ninjas (community); we wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the people of Fort Collins,” she said.

Contact:

Web: http://www.umamifoodtruck.com/

Email: umamifoodtruck@gmail.com

3. The Tramp About 

Tim Meador and Brandon Spain worked together for Jax Fish House as cooks before running a food trailer for a summer. This is where the inspiration for The Tramp About came from.

“It gave us the experience and know-how to motivate us to go out on our own,” Meador said.

Meador and Spain opened the Tramp About in 2014 after building their food trailer from scratch. Three years after opening their trailer, they opened the full-size truck that everyone sees today.

The Tramp About makes its rounds regularly to breweries in Northern Colorado as well as the City Park food truck rallies in the summer.

“One of the best feelings is getting people to travel for our food to a brewery or place that they have not been before and being able to give them a different experience while having the same consistent dish,” Meador said.

The Tramp About has a rotating food menu that varies upon what the cooks want to eat.

“We generally have a new menu each week and different specials all the time as well,” Meador said.  “We have such a diverse set of skills and experience among our crew, which allows us to be very creative with our menu items.”

The truck always has a vegetarian option and can accommodate vegans as well. They are always able to accommodate gluten-free and dairy-free.

Right now The Tramp About has a tasty vegetarian option that seems to be quite popular; a beet and quinoa burger topped with goat cream cheese, lettuce, tomato, aioli and a carrot honey relish.

You can find The Tramp About regularly at Odell Brewing Thursdays and Sundays (11-8), New Belgium Brewing on Fridays (11-8) and WeldWorks Brewing on Saturdays (12-8).

Contact: 

FaceBook: www.facebook.com/thetrampabout/

Email: thetrampabout@gmail.com

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A full list of vendors and music guests can be found at www.focofoodtruckrally.com. 

Collegian reporter Sara Graydon can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com or on Twitter @Sara_Graydon.