It was a great party. Thousands showed up. There were lots of smiles, laughs, and dollars being circulated. There was music on every corner. There was dancing in the street. Businesses were popping up in empty buildings. It was like a Saturday night in a busy and revitalized city. It was Saturday, October 21 in Fresno on Fulton Mall. For a few moments, I thought I was in San Jose, Los Angeles, or San Francisco.
Each month, The Great Food Search travels the Valley to find brave new restaurants and compare culinary categories. Come with me to the world of Fresno’s gourmet food trucks. You might find one near a night gathering spot, or see groups of them at CartHops on the Fulton mall, by the Central Library, or at Gazebo Gardens by Van Ness and Shields. The variety of styles and offerings is astounding. Here is a sampling of Fresno’s wilder street food.
A year ago, Craig Scharton opened a little spot on the Fulton Mall where other businesses have tried and failed. As the chief advocate of downtown at City Hall, he decided to put his money and his life where his words had been for some time and he opened Peeves Public House.
There’s a dirty little sixteen letter word floating around the streets. Sixteen divided by four makes four 4-letter words. It is “re-gentrification.”
Lots of people bristle at the word and the concept and there are class struggles that grow up around it. Those struggles may or may not be necessary or valid and there are well intentioned people with mixed motives on both sides, but I am not a sociologist in this particular hat. I am a stroller out for a stroll on a Sunday afternoon on the Fulton Mall in Fresno. City Council has done its business and now I am doing mine – strolling.
"CArtHop is a series of weekly events that highlight local eats, local music, and local art. We'll have some of the best food trucks in the Valley out at locations all around Fresno, all serving food made with local ingredients."
