Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1048886
24 n e w h a v e n B I Z | N o v e m b e r / D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 8 n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m New Haven's food-truck entrepreneurs serve up the American Dream with international fare, and flair By Liese Klein F O O D T R U C K S B y 9 a.m. on a recent Sunday, food truck owner Jose Nuñez was already coping with a crisis. Only minutes before the lunchtime rush started, he had to run out to Lowe's to pick up a new water pump for the sink inside his truck, La Jaltera. Without running water for dishes and hand-washing, the Puerto Rican-food vendor at New Haven's Long Wharf could be shut down by city inspectors. "We've got to have water," Nuñez said, turning on the faucet of the truck's shiny metal sink. New Haven officials closed down all two dozen food trucks at Long Wharf one day last winter when their water lines froze in sub-zero temperatures. e water pump cost $100, another unavoidable expense. en Nuñez set about prepping for the day's customers, chopping vegetables and meat and slicing plantains for Puerto Rican special- ties like mofongo. He and his two employees were hoping for a busy aernoon, despite the fact that rain and cold fronts were thinning the Long Wharf crowds as autumn set in. On a recent blustery day, he took in barely $200, far short of covering his costs. But this Sunday was seasonable and dry, and the sidewalk in front of the trucks was filling with families and all manner of food truck fans — from bikers to cops to college students. "Hopefully today will be better," Nuñez said, his voice nearly drowned out by the sound of plan- tains crackling in the deep fryer. Inside the truck, his employees hustled to fill plates as they chatted with customers at the window in Spanish and English. 'Paradise' for eaters "e summertime is ending," said Steve Fontana, deputy economic development director for the city of New Haven. Fontana and his team supervise the 91 food trucks and carts that roam the city's streets year-round and root for their suc- cess. "ey've done very well this past summer," Fontana said. "We're very proud of all the work we've done." "Food Truck Paradise," as the Long Wharf strip has been dubbed by the city, is New Haven's largest concentration of vendors, mostly purveyors of Mexican, Puerto Rican and other Latin-American fare. About 30 trucks cluster at the location, a popular stop for travelers on I-95. Nuñez said many of his customers come from as far as Providence, R.I. and New York, stopping to eat on their way to someplace else. Meals on Wheels PHOTOS: LIESE KLEIN Manal and Rachid Hmidouch at their Sophie's Cafe Moroccan food cart on Sachem Street near Yale's Ingalls Rink.