COUTURE BRIDAL TRUNK

S

INES DI SANTO EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW OF

OCTOBER 18TH -

19

The Farbman Group has teamed up with the nonprofit Michigan Mobile Food Ven-
dors Association to organize several food truck rallies.

But the food truck concept is
not without controversy. There
have been fights in several
major cities including Houston,
Chicago and St. Louis between
vendors and brick-and-mortar
restaurant owners. Many tradi-
tional restaurant owners who in-
vest millions of dollars complain
the trucks draw away customers
while being exempt from prop-
erty or occupancy taxes. In June,
Grand Rapids lawmakers passed
an ordinance restricting where
food trucks can operate. So far,
those issues do not appear to
have surfaced in Metro Detroit.
On the contrary, the Farbman

Group considers the food trucks
an asset.
"I think the food is very good.
Everything I've tried has been
delicious," says Andy Gutman,
the Farbman Group's chief
financial officer. "Our hope is
to make these rallies a routine
thing. They bring tremendous
value to our tenants and our
community."

Upcoming food truck rallies are scheduled for
Oct. 18 at Nine Mile and Woodward in Fern-
dale and Oct. 30 at Eastern Market in Detroit.
You can also find the Michigan Mobile Food
Vendors Association on Facebook.

IRMI

Ml - 48009

f 248.723.4300

ROMASPOSA.COM

Carty Party

"Cozy and cute" is the way Mark
Hodesh, 68, describes the eight food
carts that make up Mark's Carts in
downtown Ann Arbor. Unlike the
trucks and vendors that take part in
mobile food truck rallies, these carts
stay in one place — on Washington
between First and Ashley — and cus-
tomers come to them.
"It's a community builder and traffic
builder," Hodesh explains. "People are
just streaming to and from the food
carts."
It all started two years ago when
Hodesh, owner of the century-old
Downtown Home and Garden shop
on Ashley, was trying to figure out
what to do with some vacant land and
a building he'd purchased near his
business. He realized food carts were
becoming popular and a new venture
was born.
"I found out the carts needed to
be tethered to a legal commissary
kitchen," he says. "So we put in a
modern, shiny kitchen with a walk-in
cooler, ovens, stoves, a dishwasher
and an ice machine."
Hodesh charges $7,500 rent per
season (March-October) for a place
to park the cart, access to the kitchen
and utilities. The arrangement gives
entrepreneurs like Jordan Ceresnie,
25, of Farmington. a shot at owning a
business. The young Jewish chef co-
owns Cheese Dream with his Muslim
business partner Afrim Ramaxhiku.

www.redthreadmagazine.com

They sell artisan grilled cheese sand-
wiches and soups with pickles and
chips. Other carts in the group offer
tacos and burritos, Asian and Indian
food, wood-fired pizza and other fresh,
gourmet items. There's also a vegan
cart called The Lunch Room with
menu items that include barbeque
tofu sliders, Vietnamese baguette
sandwiches and Mexican hot choco-
late cookies.
"It's this little box. It's not the
mysterious disappearing through
the swinging doors and coming back
out with the food," Hodesh explains.
"We've come a long way from steamed
hot dogs. People can do some very
good cooking this way. It's become a
national phenomenon."
In the short time Mark's Carts has
been around, a few of the vendors
have moved on and opened their own
restaurants. But, Hodesh believes the
outdoor setting is what sets the cart
courtyard apart.
"People are sitting in their cubicles
under florescent lights all day;' he says.
"If they go into a restaurant they're
going to be crammed into a booth.
I think they like to sit outdoors. It's a
social event. It feels good and the food
is good. It's wholesome on so many

Your Day.
Your Way.

At Joe Cornell Weddings, our DJs

create energy through music,
direction and experience.

When its your special day, do it your way.

levels." RT

For more information on upcoming events,

go to www.markscarts.com .

248.356.6000
joecornellweddings.com

JOE CORNELL

We&

1746230

RED TAM October 2012 41

