EASTON, Pa. — Patrons sipped on wine and fresh lemonade, while snacking on homemade empanadas, tacos, pork sandwiches and sundaes.
For foodies, the first-ever Easton Street Eats was a tasty way to spend the Saturday.
The event was organized by the Easton Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce.
For the dozens of food truck owners, the day proved to be even more beneficial.
A profitable day for food trucks
Attendees at the foodie fest formed a line to try Ecuadorian-inspired dishes from Couchpota.doh Kitchen, based in Bethlehem.
Owners William and Marylou Seixas were joined by their two children, who helped the couple whip up delicious dishes like coconut battered shrimp, chicken and rice empanadas and potatoes filled with meat and vegetables.
“A lot of times people see the name couch potato and they that we only serve french fries or baked potatoes, but once they try it, they are blown away."
The Seixas (who also own a restaurant that is temporarily closed) recently made some upgrades to their truck, including installing a new wrap and banner where they display photos of their eats, and space to hang an Ecuadorian bandera, or flag.
The spring and summer months are the most profitable for them.
"Our company is small and family-owned, but growing as you can see. Before we just had a tent,” William Sexias said.
“All of our followers, everyone comes out to events like this, which is what we love. This is what we were, we've always been about with the truck.”
Educating the public about bees
Anthony Kofi Essiem poured samples of his tomato and cranberry flavored meads.
The meads, an alcoholic beverage, contain honey produced by bees at his family farm in Cresco.
Along with the sales, Essiem, who hails from Ghana, loves meeting new customers and educating them about the importance of protecting pollinators.
“The honey that comes from the bees is really good because of all the variety of berries that I grow. It actually gives the mead a really nice taste,” Essiem said.
Mom's day off
The day before Mother's Day, Hayla Snyder was in charge of running her mom and aunt's ice cream truck, Mon and Mel's Sweet Scoops.
Food truck season, which typically runs from May through autumn in the Lehigh Valley, is a busy time for any food truck, Snyder said.
As she created a milkshake topped with Cinnamon Toast Crunch (her favorite), she beamed when asked if she was proud of her mom, who co-started the business in 2017.
“It's fun to work with your family, I've learned a lot from my mom,” Snyder said.
