In addition to asparagus, rhubarb, peas and strawberries, we’ve come to anticipate another spring crop: food trucks.
Here’s a handful of spring food festivals sporting food trucks:
Demarest Food Truck Festival: Sunday, April 30, 1 to 5 pm at 315 Hillside Avenue in Demarest. Presented by Academy of Holy Angels. Early admission, at noon, will be $15; general admission is $5. Tickets for early admission must be purchased in advance. holyangels.org
Toms River Food Festival: Saturday, May 6, 11 am to 8 pm in the downtown area, on Washington Street. Admission is free. Rain date: Sunday, May 7. Featuring local food trucks, arts and crafts, rides for the kids and live entertainment. tomsrivertownship.com
Food Truck and Craft Beer Festival: Saturday, May 6, noon to 7 pm at Skylands Stadium in Augusta. Admission is $5 per person; chi8ldren 12 and under, free. More than 20 food trucks as well as games, live music and a beer garden featuring craft brews from New Jersey. skylandsstadium.com
Kearny Food Truck and NJ Craft Beer Festival: Saturday, May 6, noon to 7 pm at Frank A. Vincent Marina, 277 Passaic Avenue in Kearny. Presented by Kearny Bank. Admission is $5 a person; children under 5, free. Twelve breweries from The Garden State Craft Brewers Guild and more than 20 food trucks will highlight the festivities. See kearnypba.com.
A Taste of Spring: Saturday, May 20, 2 to 8 pm. Sponsored by the Recreation Department of Keansburg, this program spotlights food trucks, beer and a battle of the bands. Admission is free. atasteofspring.org
JerseyFest Food Truck Mash-Up: Saturday, June 3 at the Meadowlands, East Rutherford.This massive festival, which will run from 5 to 11 pm, includes a People’s Choice best food truck contest as well as a beer garden, live music, harness racing and activities for kids. Early admission, allowing guests to enter at 3 pm, is $35 through advance online registration, or $45 at the door. General admission is $5 in advance or $8 at the door. Register at thebigm.com
Atlantic City Food Truck Festival: Saturday, June 3, noon to 8 pm, and Sunday, June 4, noon to 6 pm at Brighton Park, Claridge Hotel, Atlantic City. Admission is $1. Food trucks, a beer garden, arts and crafts vendors and live cooking demonstrations by TV celebrity chefs Duff Bryan from Bar’s Rescue and Meghan Gill from Hell’s Kitchen. acfoodtruckfest.com
A Night Honoring the great Indian chef and cookbook author Madhur Jaffrey:
The India Heritage Center’s Spring Spotlight will be held at the Montclair Art Museum, Friday, May 19, 6 pm to midnight. Celebrity chef and acclaimed author Madhur Jaffrey is the guest of honor. Six chefs representing restaurants from India and elsewhere will offer signature dishes. One of them is restaurateur and author Floyd Cardoz, who lived in Verona when he put the modern Indian restaurant Tabla on the map in Manhattan. His newest restaurant is Paowalla in Manhattan’s SoHo. In addition, there will be a wine bar and disc jockey. For ticket prices and details, visit indiaheritagecenter.org/events
Also of Interest:
Beer BBQ Bacon Showdown: Saturday, May 20, 1 to 5 pm, an all-Jersey lineup of food and drink at Lewis Park, Morristown. VIP admission starts at noon. VIP tickets are $90, general admission $60 until May 6; after that, prices will increase. A panel of celebrity judges will choose the best BBQ and bacon creations; there will be People’s Choice awards for best dish and best beer. njbeerbbqfest.com
On Saturday, May 27 the 4th annual Trenton Pork Roll Festival—presented by Trenton Social, the popular Trenton tavern and community arts magnet—will take place at Trenton Social, 449 S. Broad Street. trentonporkrollfestival.com