An estimated 2,500 people indulged in great food and fun during the area’s first-ever Food Truck Festival.
     Twenty-two food vendors converged on the grounds of the Big Play Entertainment Center in Biloxi on May 16, 2021, to offer up their menu’s best to patrons with a hankering for only what their mobile businesses can provide.
     “Coming out of COVID, it was important for us to become more engaged with our local audience and create something that would encourage people to get out and enjoy the outdoors, listen to some music, eat some great food and just have some fun,” said Jesse Alvarez, director of sales for SuperTalk Mississippi Media, host for the event.
     Kenny Vest, director of operations for SuperTalk Mississippi Media, was impressed with the turnout for the inaugural event.
     “We’re off to a great start,” he said shortly after the event got underway at 11 a.m.
    The event was free admission and featured live music by Klass Kings, a beer garden, carnival rides and games nearby, a face-painting station, and several other non-food vendors.
     Among them was Amelia Blue Boutique, an online store selling women’s clothing and accessories. The Boutique’s owner, Tiffany Partida, said she was delighted to participate in the festival.
     “We are just enjoying the atmosphere the event has to offer,” she said. “It’s family-friendly so just being able to meet and talk with people and introduce them to the boutique on such a beautiful day is exciting.”

     The event was also a pet-friendly one, with dozens of citizens bringing along their furry companions to join in the fun.
     “We are loving this,” said active duty military servicewoman Dawn Fink of Ocean Springs, who attended the event with her husband George and Shadow, the couple’s 8-year-old Husky/German Shepherd mix. “The food trucks are definitely what brought us out here. And Shadow’s nose is definitely enjoying it.”
     Gulfport resident Marcia Albert wanted to bring her mother, Lita Albert, to the event so she could introduce her to the wonderful flavors of Tin Roof Rd Coffee & Grubb Food Truck.
“I just stumbled across the Tin Roof recently with a friend, and it is so good I had to come back for more,” Marcia said.
     Sticki Situationz Food Stand owner Donielle Easy-Mitter of Covington, La., said she gladly accepted the invitation to participate in the inaugural Food Truck Festival.
     “We are happy to be here to help support small businesses and other food truck operators,” she said. “Plus, we get to serve some tasty food to our customers. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

     While other cities throughout South Mississippi have held similar events, the Food Truck Festival is the first of its kind when it comes to the number of food trucks that participated and just the overall scale and magnitude of the event, according to Alvarez.    
     SuperTalk Mississippi Media has four statewide radio networks, 28 talk and music stations, SuperTalk TV and over 50 affiliates covering every inch of the state. It’s stations have hosted popular local events such as the Gulfport Music Festival and CPR Fest on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
     This year’s Food Truck Festival was put together in about 45 days, said Alvarez, and organizers plan to hold the event again next year and make it even bigger.
     “With the power of our reach and a desire for our radio stations to connect more closely with our local communities, we’re excited to see this event grow,” he said.

On the cover: Mike and Lyn Gill of Biloxi with sons Easton, 6, and Keegan, 11, take advantage of traditional fair food favorites offered up by T&J Concessions during the first-of-its-kind Food Truck Festival that took place just outside Biloxi’s Big Play Entertainment Center on May 16, 2021.
 

Amanda Compton-Ortiz

Amanda Compton-Ortiz holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism from the University of Mississippi. She relocated from North Mississippi to Long Beach in October 2016. Amanda has worked for more than 20 years in journalism, leading and reporting for various community news publications throughout the state. She has received numerous awards for her editorial contributions from the Mississippi Press Association and placed among 224 universities competing across the United States and Canada for Reach, a personally created magazine for women.