Fremont Street Eats, Fries and Fridays

Families sit sprawled on picnic blankets munching on fries, as music blasts through the speakers. Nearby, hungry attendees line up for snacks from various food trucks. Located on a street corner by the Downtown Event Center, Fremont Street Eats transforms the block into a bustling gathering place every Friday evening from May through October. Boasting a rich variety of food options, the event offers dishes from cuisines including American, Mexican, Vietnamese, Italian and Japanese through its rotation of around seven food trucks.

Fremont resident Alex Romo was drawn to the event by the variety of offerings. From the spread of items she ordered, her favorite was the birria fries from the Mexican kitchen. She chooses to come here because she finds the location to be especially convenient.

“We wanted to grab a quick bite to eat and it's nearby.” said Romo “It's just a walk away and they always have something new to try.”

Unlike Romo, not all attendees arrived with a plan in mind. Mr. Kasper, engineering teacher at BIF lower school, discovered the event by accident after meeting up with a friend nearby. He saw the food trucks from afar, and thought it was awesome. He sees it as an opportunity for BIF students to introduce themselves to new foods and get involved in the community.

“It's just a really fun evening out on a Friday night after a long, busy week. You can kind of relax.” said Mr. Kasper. “I wish that it was more advertised because I think more people would like to come down here.”

When they launched the event, the organizers had similar intentions of building a comforting space where people and businesses can come together.

“(The goal of the event) was actually two fold:” said Cindy Bonioi, CEO of the Fremont Chamber of Commerce “create a community event and also a fundraiser for the Fremont Chamber of Commerce.”

The event organizers explained how the lineup of trucks is curated in collaboration with the Food Truck Mafia, which coordinates about 60 independent trucks across California. The food trucks they choose are tailored to the event requirements, ensuring a selection of flavors. Alongside the food trucks, boy scout troops, local credit unions and nonprofit organizations set up a total of eight booths providing information, games and fundraising.

As the sun sets over Fremont, couples stroll down the nearby streets lined with shops and restaurants, children run around between booths, while the line dancing group continues to dance to the music. A small food truck event quickly turned into an opportunity to bring a community of people together.

“People need things to do, “said Bonioi” and it enriches the neighborhood and the community when you have different events for it that people enjoy.”