City approves new food trucks, Stone Soup to move off-campus during summer
Sabrina Nemis | Fulcrum Staff
Photo by Mathias MacPhee
EATING OUT AND eating well doesn’t have to come at a high price—and it doesn’t have to come from a restaurant.
For the first time in 20 years, the City of Ottawa has approved new licenses for street-food vendors around the city. Eleven trucks and seven carts will hit the streets in May and will serve up a fresh batch of variety to the city’s street-food scene.
The new vendors will mostly occupy the downtown area, and not one of them will serve the typical menu of fries and dogs. Passersby will be provided with a variety of food options, including Korean and Chinese, rotisserie chicken, seafood, and churros.
“Food vendors can be so much more than their current stereotypes,” wrote Councillor Mark Taylor, Chair of the Community and Protective Services Committee in a release. “I’m thrilled to see these diverse and interesting options added to Ottawa’s great existing food culture.”
City Hall asked for applications last fall from chefs wanting to serve up their recipes on the street and received 61 bids for 20 new spots. Two of the chosen vendors passed on the offer because the spots weren’t considered desirable enough, bringing the total to 18.
The University of Ottawa’s own Stone Soup Foodworks is one such food truck chosen to occupy one of the new spots and will move off campus for the summer.
“We will be back. We will not abandon campus—we like it here,” says Jacqueline Joliffe, owner of Stone Soup Foodworks.
The truck—currently located outside of Lamoureux Hall near the campus bus station—will move to Hintonburg, west of downtown, and return in time for the school year.
“We’ll come back in September, because generally in the summer we’re not around here anyway because it’s so quiet,” Joliffe says.
Stone Soup Foodworks has a changing menu that focuses on providing people with local, ethical, and, of course, delicious food choices.
“One of the things I like to try to do is to have a strong understanding of where the food that we’re serving comes from and how it’s grown,” says Joliffe. “We do make an effort to source from a lot of local farms. The meats that we use are always hormone- and antibiotic-free, and we always know the farms that they’re coming from.”
With the new license to work off-campus this summer, Stone Soup Foodworks is expanding its customer base, promoting sustainability, and supporting local food across the city. The food truck will join in on the exciting revitalization of Ottawa’s street-food scene this spring.
There is no cost to set up food carts and trucks on private property (as long as they meet public health standards), but parking on city land requires a permit—which isn’t cheap. Parking a truck in a prime downtown spot on a public thoroughfare will cost a vendor as much as $3,767 annually, while settling on a sidewalk can cost up to $1,614.
Here is the list:
Trucks
- Benjamin Baird: Ottawa “Streat” Gourmet – Fresh, local, and seasonal menu – North side of Queen Street, west of O’Connor Street
- Layne Belcher and Mathew Hinds: Urban Cowboy – Texan street food – East side of Bank Street, north of Glen Avenue
- Peter G. Bowen: Health-conscious, foodie-friendly locally sourced cuisine – East side of Olmstead Street, south of Montreal Road
- Mario Burke: Ad Mare – Fish and seafood – South side of Slater Street, east of O’Connor Street
- Steven Dupras & Glen Galbraith: TURN Rotisserie + Kitchen: Turn yourself on to Ottawa’s best food truck! – North side of Argyle Avenue, east of O’Connor Street
- Mathew Gregoire & York Entertainment: Ragin’ Cajun – West side of Bank Street, north of Clemow Avenue
- Jacqueline Jolliffe: Stone Soup Foodworks – Creative blend of local soups, tacos and sandwiches – East side of Spadina Avenue, north of Wellington Street West
- Jake Thomas: Dosa Inc. – South Indian crepes – South side of Somerset Street West, west of Lyon Street
- Jason Tran: Chow Down – Asia snacks and meals – North side of Byron Avenue at Woodroffe Avenue
- Kin Tran: Asian-Fusion with a twist – North side of Gloucester Street, east of Lyon Street
- Tim Van Dyke: LUNCH – Fresh and local ingredients in wholesome soups, salads and sandwiches – North side of Albert Street, east of Lyon Street
Carts
- Wasi Choudhry: Olive Green – The South Asian food experience – location to be confirmed
- Rodney Cummings: Royi Fruta Bar – Baked empanadas and fruit drinks – East side of Elgin Street, north of Laurier Avenue
- Gavin Hall: BOBITES: Best Organic Bites – Organic baked potatoes with seasonal toppings – East side of Metcalfe Street, south of Sparks Street
- Tarek Hassan: Gongfu Bao – Chinese steamed Asian buns –East side of Elgin Street, south of Slater Street
- Hana Jung: Roan Kitchen – Authentic Korean cuisine – West side of Bank Street between Albert and Slater Streets
- Brian Nolan: SPOON – frozen yogurt – East side of O’Connor Street, south of Sparks Street
- Ulises Ortega: Churritos – Churro (traditional Mexican treats) – West side of O’Connor Street, south of Sparks Street
