It was a gloomy and wet afternoon as the Spoon University chapter at University of North Florida anxiously awaited the storm to pass for its first Food Truck Night event on March 1st, 2019. Thankfully, it did, and Ospreys now wait for a second serving of events from Spoon UNF.
The First Food Truck Night
This event was free for UNF Ospreys. Students, and staff, received a free meal from one of the food trucks along with free samples from other vendors, and raffles for a chance for students and faculty to win some prizes.
“This was the first annual Spoon University Food Truck Night,” said Victoria Howsare, Spoon UNF’s Photo Director. “We had two food trucks, Alma Fusion and Wrap It Up in Jax. We also were gracious enough to get Kilwins to give ice cream samples and Good Dough to donate donuts.”
“We started planning this at 2 a.m. in January of 2018,” Spoon UNF’s Editorial Director, Casey Britton, said in regards to her and Howsare. “It was just like an afterthought and then we were like, ‘We could actually do this.’”
Rain, Rain Go Away
After months of planning, Food Truck Night was ready to take place at UNF’s Coxwell Amphitheater on March 1st, 2019, at 5 p.m., but as the beginning of March rolled around, so did the storm clouds and typical Florida weather
“It started raining at about 2:45 and we were supposed to start setting up at the amphitheater at 3:30. I started to freak out at that point. I was like, ‘Is this actually going to happen or are we going to have to cancel?,’” Britton said.
Luckily, the UNF Student Union came to the rescue with its roofed outdoor area.
“We hoped that it would stop raining by 4, but it didn’t,” said Britton. “So then I had to run around and confirm with the Student Union that we could move it and thankfully, everyone was really nice and they were patient and helped make this possible. Everything went really well.”
Let’s Eat
Music played through the speakers while the food trucks, Alma Fusion and Wrap It Up in Jax, sat parked alongside the roof-covered area. Free samples from Good Dough and Kilwins waited for hungry students in the food court.
The field at Coxwell Amphitheater turned to mush and mud, but that didn’t stop students from kicking around the soccer balls outside and enjoying some fresh air.
Ready for dessert? Kilwins and Good Dough treated the crowd’s sweet tooth with tasty samples. Options like minty-fresh ice cream and freshly-glazed donuts pleased both students and faculty.
“Being so close to UNF, it makes a lot of sense for us to come and get to know the UNF community,” said Good Dough Store Manager Anthony Mann. “We figured why not come to the event tonight and share what we have with people.”
“I think considering the rain, it’s actually a really good outcome,” Howsare said.
“This is an awesome event,” said Rachel, a UNF Public Relations student. “I’m very glad it’s happening. AND on a Friday. [It] works out.”
Food Truck Friday was, without a doubt, an unexpected success. What was almost a “mist” opportunity (insert laughter for a terrible weather pun here), worked out into a deliciously pleasant event for students and faculty all around.
About Spoon University
Spoon University is an online food publication run by college students FOR college students—or honestly, for anyone with a passion for food. Spoon University’s UNF chapter is small, but mighty. With its first big event ending in success, it’s safe to say UNF Ospreys will be expecting a “spoon”-ful of flavor in the upcoming years.