This pandemic has stopped a lot of things. One thing it hasn’t stopped? The ability for a handful of fantastic eateries to take to the streets and roll into your neighborhood in food trucks. And now, they’re living by the “we’re all in this together” mantra we’ve all taken up. As of early March, 15 food trucks formed an alliance for the ages. The Westchester Food Truck Association, composed of diverse, local favorites, will have you wanting to call for a (literal) truckload of their food. 

Meet The Trucks: Walter’s Hot Dogs, Gyro Uno, Westchester Burger Co., Longford’s Ice Cream, Put Some Meat on Your Bones, Cibus Latin Fusion, Road Grub Mobile, Pizza Vitale, Leila’s Crepe Station, Sloppie Joe’s, Graziella’s Restaurant, Crazy Taco-Mex, Abeetz Pizza, Poke Motion, Mac’s Meatball Truck 

While the idea of forming this association had been marinating from quite some time, it was Michelle and Angelo DiFeo who put it into action. As the owners of the Westchester Burger Company, this husband and wife duo have been serving their specialty burgers to the tristate area for 10 years in both traditional restaurant style and through their food trucks. So, Michelle took to Instagram to connect fellow food truckers, pitching a plan to meet up as a group to talk business. 

“I was really thinking about getting all the food trucks to get ideas and see how we could capitalize on the tristate area and try to get even more business without being in a competition with each other,” she said. “We can better ourselves as a whole and show people what we can do as food trucks.” 

After a productive 3 to 4 hour meeting, the ball started rolling with the group. They picked March 16 as their next date to meet up. Then, the world went into lockdown. 

With the pandemic-induced quarantine in place, DiFeo and the association’s plans to meet up in person were banned. Regardless of the immense setbacks this lockdown has imposed on the food industry, these trucks haven’t hit the brakes. 

While the events that traditionally keep these trucks afloat have dissipated in the midst of the pandemic, they now serve their beloved food to neighborhoods across the tristate area. After customers provide their information and place orders in advance, the trucks arrive with their freshly prepared meals, all while enacting contactless delivery.

Josh and Andrea Lira of Crazy Taco-Mex are just one couple that travels throughout CT to deliver fan-favorites to customers. While the couple and their team averaged three events a week last summer, life in lockdown has changed what it means for them to do business. Now, they’re delivering to social distance birthday parties, or to any family who simply wants some delicious Mexican food with their tacos, quesadillas, burritos, and more.

Crazy Taco-Mex now has customers text in orders to be delivered straight to their homes. Their fresh food, Josh emphasizes, is prepared by a team who is closely following health regulations.

“We want to make sure everyone is healthy and safe,” he said. “We make sure our customers at the end of the night don’t feel afraid. Everything is alright.” 

Gyro Uno, another eatery part of the association, has been serving Mediterraenan favorites like falafels, wraps, and of course, gyros, since 2016. Another business that thrived off of private parties, summer festivals, and corporate lunches, Mishel Spiri and her team are now catering to neighborhood pop ups.

Though this new type of business entails far more prep before hitting the streets than ever before, Spiri emphasized how grateful she is for this opportunity to continue serving locals. 

“We were really fortunate to have this,” she said. “The people organizing do a great job of rallying up the neighborhood and are very supportive.” 

Spiri also noted how beneficial the association itself has been to business during this difficult time. These 15 trucks can offer neighborhoods a rotation with an incredible variety of foods. From Latin fusion to ice cream and even hot dogs, the Association has an extensive collection of cuisine to offer. 

Though DiFeo and others miss the camaraderie of congregating with other trucks and interacting face-to-face with customers, the group continues to share experiences and tips during these tough times. She, Spiri, and Lira all mentioned the friendly, supportive bond they’ve formed with their fellow food truckers, despite their very different menus. 

“We love that people really appreciate that we’re doing this,” DiFeo said. “I keep in touch with the association everyday. We’re all helping and bouncing ideas off each other still. We wanted to start a good thing for all of us.”