From a distance, it almost looks like a shiny, metallic birthday present: one delivered to the western end of University Avenue last week, and set down next to the Studley gymnasium.
Dalhousie Food Services certainly hopes that the campus community likes what they find inside.
鈥淲e鈥檙e pretty excited about it,鈥� says Derrick Hines, director of Dalhousie Food Services. 鈥淒al is the first Canadian university to have a mobile food truck, and we鈥檙e eager to be open for business.鈥�
The truck鈥檚 main host is My Three Cousins, a new dining option on campus featuring Turkish, Greek and Lebanese dishes for students and staff on the go. Last week, the restaurant hosted a small sampling event, serving up a few of its main dishes: the 'cousin' (a halal dog on pita), the beef kebob, the chorizo sausage pita and a side-dish of hummus.
Other menu items will include a platter dish, falafels, and Greek fries, which are topped with lemon, feta, garlic sauce, spices and Tzatziki sauce for dipping. My Three Cousins will start serving customers this week, gradually expanding its menu day-by-day until it鈥檚 fully operational. (Right now, the truck is running off of its propane generator, but that鈥檚 only temporary until a proper power source gets installed this fall.)
Locally sourced, internationally inspired
Greg McGuire is one of the My Three Cousins鈥� chefs, sporting a black chef鈥檚 uniform with the cheeky slogan, 鈥淵ou wanna Pita this?鈥� on the back.
鈥淭his is a brand new menu for me, but it鈥檚 really exciting food,鈥� he says, having been brought to Dalhousie聽 specifically to help run the food truck. 鈥淭his cuisine is great to work with. It鈥檚 so flavorful, and we鈥檙e using all local ingredients. People can come and get a rich, flavorful meal when they鈥檙e on the go.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檝e brought this to campus in response to survey results from students, who indicated that they were looking for more variety, particularly ethnic foods,鈥� adds Mr. Hines. 鈥淭he name comes from my own experience going to middle eastern restaurants and finding that they always seemed to know their customers like family. And we wanted something that recognized the bringing together of the three cultures鈥擳urkish, Lebanese and Greek. It just seemed to fit.鈥�
While the food truck will feature the My Three Cousins menu when it鈥檚 parked at its home base by the Studley gym, the vehicle鈥攚hich contains a fully-featured kitchen inside with sinks, commercial ovens, a preparatory fridge and more鈥攚ill be able to switch it out for other dining options when it鈥檚 on the move (for example, serving hamburgers and hotdogs at Dal sporting events). Its colourful design is courtesy of Dalhousie鈥檚 Creative Services team.