It's official. The rise of the gourmet food trucks is, far and beyond, the best culinary trend to hit the Tampa Bay area in the past year, heck, even the past few years. Food trucks like 'Wicked Wiches, Taco Bus, Burger Culture and many more have invaded the streets of Tampa to the open arms of community residents, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn included.
"But where was the love for St. Pete?", many wondered. Well, if city statutes hadn't virtually banned food trucks from operating in the city, the story might be a little different.
Restrictions eventually loosened a bit and now Fire Monkey Food Truck, a St. Pete native, can now operate in its home town.
Fire Monkey, owned by entrepreneur couple, Cindy and Sam Dudding, is a gourmet food truck specializing in fresh, local flavors with spices from around the world.
Their menu consists of a constantly rotating assortment of fresh, inventive, and affordable fare perfect for a lunch time meal.
Past selections at Fire Monkey have included the Monkey Roll with grilled chicken, fried plantains, cheese, cilantro, and wasabi aoili in a tortilla; Gorilla Balls - risotto balls filled with beef, bacon, bleu cheese then hand rolled and panko breaded and deep fried; and Parmesan Rosemary Fries tossed with rosemary and parmesan cheese.
Fire Monkey divides its time between Tampa and St. Pete stopping at locations like Cigar City Brewing, the Mayor's Food Truck Fiesta when it happens every month in Downtown Tampa, and various locations throughout St. Petersburg.
If you want to know where the Fire Monkey Food Truck is next, check out their Twitter page for daily locations and Facebook page for more information.
