Eclectic eats on four wheels attract foodies

By MICHAEL NUNES
Staff Writer

 Mark Lotitto serves customers of the Prime Kutz gourmet food truck during a food truck night held along West Railroad Avenue in Jamesburg on Aug. 20.  FRANK WOJCIECHOWSKI Mark Lotitto serves customers of the Prime Kutz gourmet food truck during a food truck night held along West Railroad Avenue in Jamesburg on Aug. 20. FRANK WOJCIECHOWSKI JAMESBURG — It took more than the threat of rain to keep local foodies away from downtown Jamesburg.

“The threat of rain didn’t keep people away from eating,” said Councilwoman Coleen Rutsky, who helped bring the Jamesburg Food Truck & Cruise Night to the borough.

Despite the chance of rain on Aug. 20, residents and out-of-towners came together to enjoy music, classic cars and, most importantly, food.

“Somebody just said that this was the best thing we did in a long time,” said Mayor Marlene Lowande, who greeted residents during the event, which was held on a closed-off stretch of West Railroad Avenue in front of the Jamesburg Firehouse.

Food trucks, including Empanada Guy, The Feed Truck, Prime Kutz Gourmet On The Go and Carlito’s Taco Wagon, were among those that treated the crowd to eclectic eats.

 Above and below: Residents enjoy a food truck night held along West Railroad Avenue in Jamesburg on Aug. 20.  PHOTOS BY FRANK WOJCIECHOWSKI Above and below: Residents enjoy a food truck night held along West Railroad Avenue in Jamesburg on Aug. 20. PHOTOS BY FRANK WOJCIECHOWSKI “It’s a great addition to the downtown area,” said Greg Prontnicki, a resident of the borough who also attended the inaugural event last month.

“Both events had a great turnout, and I would like to have it keep going.”

This was the second time this summer the borough bought the food trucks to the downtown. The previous food truck night took place July 16.

At that event, around 1,000 people came to enjoy the fare served up by the food trucks as well as to see the vintage cars, according to Lowande.

“It feels good, it shows that we are a town that not only has ideas but also takes action on them. Because we’re a small town, we are more flexible and we can do what we want,” said Paul Gentile, a resident who proposed the event at a Borough Council meeting on June 17.

“It’s cool to see it go from June, where it was an idea, to July and August where it’s happening and people are saying, ‘Hey, could we add another night sometime?’”

The inspiration for the idea, according to Gentile, came from his own passion as a self-professed “foodie.”

“Me and my wife are foodies. Our friends are foodies. Seeing other towns and cities around the country do it, why not Jamesburg?”

One of the major benefits of the event, according to the mayor, is the amount of people it brings into the downtown area.

“What we need is the walking traffic, so people get to see what other businesses [are in town]. If they don’t find something they like here, they could visit one of the other restaurants in town,” said Lowande.

“We would like this to continue to grow and, as long as the town enjoys it and it’s successful, we’ll keep doing it,” said Rutsky.

The borough is planning another event for late September to correspond with Fire Safety Week, according to Lowande.