Make sure to stop at these four trucks during this year's Fox Valley Food Truck rallies
APPLETON - As the weather finally stabilizes with warmer temperatures, food truck season is just around the corner. The kickoff for this year's Fox Valley Food Truck Rally starts on April 16 and occurs every Tuesday until October 8. While the rallies have previously taken place in the WG&R Furniture parking lot in Grand Chute, this year the Fox Valley Food Truck Association (FVFTA) has taken on a more family-friendly atmosphere.
"When we started this organization, going on like eight years now, we did parks and people really enjoyed having the space to roam and having playgrounds on site," Kyle Fritz, president of the FVFTA said. "We've been getting requests over the last few years to move back to a park-like setting."
This year, FVFTA partnered with Van Zealand Nursery & Landscaping, 2600 N. Casaloma Drive, to host the food truck rallies in its space.
"They have a beautiful playground facility," Fritz said. "The nursery is set up with a park and walking trails, there's also ample parking."
The FVFTA is made up of over 35 different food trucks, varying in cuisines from Mexican and Greek to barbecue and more. Food trucks participating will vary each week and the rallies will include live music.
The Appleton Post-Crescent asked Fritz what the association's most popular food trucks are during the rally season. He highlighted these four stops.
Hot Biddy's Nashville Style Fried Chicken
This is Hot Biddy's second year participating in the rallies and in that short time it has become a fan favorite. The truck offers different Nashville-style fried chicken dishes, otherwise known as hot chicken. Co-owner Essa Cole said the Biddy Sandwich and Biddy Bowl were the most popular menu items from last year's rallies. The Biddy Sandwich is made with crispy chicken thighs, topped with slaw, pickles and a signature Biddy sauce on a toasted, branded brioche bun. The Biddy Bowl is made with crispy crinkle cut fries and chicken tenders, topped with slaw, pickles, Biddy sauce and ranch.
This year, the food truck added a new menu item, Dirty Mac, a creamy macaroni and cheese topped with chopped chicken tenders, ranch and Biddy sauce and pickle garnish. A full menu and schedule of events and appearances can be found on its Facebook page.
Kona Ice Fox Cities North
Kona Ice offers flavored, gluten-free, nut-free and dairy-free shaved ice treats with sugar-free and dye-free options. Owner Jon Dietzan said the best part about the food truck is the signature Flavorwave option where customers get to choose their own flavor combination from the 10 most popular flavors. Just as the rally season begins, the food truck has introduced three new flavors; Strawberry Cupcake, Vanilla Colada and Tropical Twist. Fritz said Kona Ice can be found at a majority of community events happening around the Fox Cities area. A schedule of its events can be found at kona-ice.com/events
Tria's Frog Treats
Known for being Wisconsin's first freeze-dried food truck, Tria's Frog Treats offers a large selection of freeze-dried candies and snacks. Like Hot Biddy's, this is Tria's Frog Treats second year participating in the food truck rallies, but it is one of the most popular trucks at the event. Also proclaimed as the largest selection of freeze-dried food products in the state, Tria's Frog Treats offers Skittles, Starbusts, Airheads, Jolly Ranchers, cheesecake and even ice cream. Savory snacks are also available including freeze-dried pickle chips, cheese curds and tomatoes. More information on its events and products can be found on its Facebook page.
On the Fritz Concessions
What started as a hot dog stand that served food to customers after bar close is now a fully established food truck with award-winning menu items. Fritz decided he wanted to move to a larger menu about seven years ago when he was invited to join the FVFTA committee. He started his own food truck with his partner Erin Christopherson, which serves street food "with a twist." Customers can still purchase hot dogs, chili cheese dogs and brats along with burgers, fish sandwiches, chicken tenders, shrimp and seafood baskets. However, the truck is best known for its award-winning beer-battered, deep-fried cheese curds. The menu is also extremely versatile and can adjust and accommodate meals to customers liking. A full menu and its event schedule can be found on its Facebook page.
Other popular trucks include Diablo's Taco Truck, Zoua's Fresh Egg and Spring Rolls, Osario's Latin Fusion and Vincent's Smokehouse.
A full list of all the trucks can be found at foxvalleyfoodtruckrally.com/Trucks. The association's Facebook page will update weekly, letting customers know which trucks will be participating for that weeks rally.
Fritz said a majority of the food trucks are local to the Fox Cities area, not only does the FVFTA host the weekly rallies but the association continues to partner with the community on numerous local events. Fritz said many of the trucks are also looking to hire.
Reach Jelissa Burns at 920-453-5107 or jburns1@gannett.com. Follow her on X (Twitter) at @burns_jelissa or on Instagram at burns_jelissa.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: The four most popular food trucks for 2024 Fox Valley Food Truck ralley
