Shoreline Food Truck Festival: Try these 10 dishes from Corpus Christi-area businesses
It's time to add a new monthly event to your calendars.
The inaugural Shoreline Food Truck Festival was held in the parking lot of the First United Methodist Church in downtown Corpus Christi on Saturday.
For the first festival, 10 local food trucks participated with different types of cuisine. Charity Benson, founder of the event, said she wanted to make sure all the vendors offered different menus.
The new food festival will be held at the church from noon to 7 p.m. the last Saturday of every month.
Benson said she wanted to start a new food truck event that will benefit local vendors and bring the community together. Participating businesses give a 20% donation from their profits. Half of that amount will go to the church and the other half will go back to the festival for necessities such as seating areas and portable restrooms.
Benson said she's already thinking of ideas for next month's event, including a photo booth, more vendors and karaoke.
"I'm really excited to bring something new to Corpus," Benson said. "You can come down, try something new from a local business, enjoy the view of the water and mingle with others. I'm looking forward to the next two years of this."
The Caller-Times stopped by the 10 food trucks on site. Here are the entrees, snacks or drinks that each one recommended.
Big J's Fresh Lemonade
Using a family recipe, the Montalvo family has been selling refreshing lemonade since April 2022.
You can find Big J's Fresh Lemonade at local farmers markets in the Coastal Bend, including Robstown and San Diego.
Recommended: Mangonada lemonade
Contact: facebook.com/profile.php?id=100081709040541
Chicago's Cater
The Texas barbecue food truck started in Florida when owner Daniel Peña was working in the Sunshine State.
Now back in his hometown, Chicago's Cater (named after Peña's old nickname, "El Chicago") serves barbecue the correct way, according to Peña — hot grilled.
Recommended: Brisket quesadilla
Contact: facebook.com/chicagoscater
The Dogfather II
The Dogfather II has been running for one month in Corpus Christi, but has roots from The Dogfather at the American Bank Center.
The hot dog eatery's owners, Randy and Tara Spitzer, said they're passionate about making food for their patrons.
Recommended: The Cowboy
Contact: facebook.com/DogfatherII
Fatty's Third Coast
Benson is the owner of Fatty's Third Coast, which opened in 2021.
With the word "fatty" in the business' name, you can expect to find all the food items are deep fried and will satisfy your cravings.
Recommended: Bahn Mi Fries
Contact: facebook.com/361fattysthirdcoast
Gordo's Good Eats
Owners Aaron and Monica Barrios have been running Gordo's Good Eats for nearly a decade.
The food truck specializes in Cuban, Tex-Mex and sandwiches.
Recommended: Cuban sandwich
Contact: facebook.com/bbqgge
Loli's Streatery
Sisters Sabrina Lozano and Sarah Flores started Loli's Streatery two years ago and have coined the phrase "Home of the Original Loaded Corn Bowl."
The food truck specializes in Tex-Mex food, including corn bowls, nachos and tacos.
Recommended: Loaded corn bowl
Contact: facebook.com/profile.php?id=100067253670793
Nanay's Kitchenette
Nanay's Kitchenette is operated by Rochelle O'Donnell-Juarez, a Navy veteran.
The Filipino food truck has been in business for a year, but got into the food truck business in January.
Recommended: Chicken pancit
Contact: facebook.com/Nanayskitchenette1
Odi's Pizzeria Napoletana
The Garza family runs Odi's Pizzeria Napoletana, a pizza food truck that has been in business for one year.
The business is the first mobile food truck in Corpus Christi to serve brick oven pizza.
Recommended: The Pizza Blanca
Contact: facebook.com/odipzza
The SnoBarn Shave Ice
The idea for a shaved ice truck came to the Soliz family in 2016, but it wasn't until five years later they put their plan into action.
Shaved ice not your thing? The SnoBarn also serves root beer floats and ice cream, along with other snacks.
Recommended: Piccadilly Snoball
Contact: thesnobarn.com
Tasty Crepes
Owners Fred and Germaine McNeal started Tasty Crepes, part of their catering business By the Bay, three years ago.
Some other crepes the food truck offers are smoked salmon, cheesesteak and veggie.
Recommended: Banana and strawberry crepe
Contact: facebook.com/profile.php?id=100054280820352
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John Oliva covers entertainment and community news in South Texas. Contact him at john.oliva@caller.com or Twitter @johnpoliva.
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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Shoreline Food Truck Festival: 10 tasty dishes from inaugural event
