WEDnESDAYS 5:00 PM TO 9:00 PM offerings like burgers, fries, nachos, sliders, chicken, and grilled cheese sandwiches. There are also dessert trucks, specializing in such sweet treats as Crème Brule, frozen custard, doughnuts and cupcakes. You’ll also find many types of non-alcoholic drinks available, each vendor offering different selections. how will you ever decide what to eat and drink with so many options? Well, if you’re like some of the OTG customers we observed, your indecisiveness may lead you to try items from several different food trucks. Most vendors offer a la carte selections ranging in prices from $3 to $5, making it affordable to sample items from several different trucks. Full sized plates, sandwiches or entrees ranged from $6 to $14, with average prices being $9 to $10. If you prefer to stick with one choice for dinner, consider purchasing other items “to go”, and enjoy them for tomorrow’s lunch or dinner. “Off the Grid” markets started in 2010 and are founded for the purpose of bringing communities together through amazing shared food experiences. They currently operate approximately 35 weekly public markets throughout the San Francisco Bay area. Besides the El Cerrito location, which started approximately 2 years ago, Off the Grid is featured in nearby Pleasant hill and San Anselmo, with plans to expand to San Jose within the next 6 months. They are affiliated with a diverse group of 200 food, bar, and amenities vendors that contract for local OTG markets, and some offer full production catering for groups ranging from 100 to 10,000. Some OTG vendors operate exclusively from food trucks, while others have one to several “brick and mortar” locations. While visiting Off the Grid, my guest and I met henley ng, Market Supervisor for the El Cerrito location. henley and other Off the Grid employees are on site throughout the evening to maintain order and monitor activities at the location. They maintain the cleanliness of the area, and interact with customers and vendors to ensure everyone’s needs are met. henley explained that the food trucks are contracted for 6 month durations and rotate bi-weekly in their assigned locations. All vendors must obtain and maintain required permits, and undergo rigorous health inspections before being contracted by OTG. In addition to the food trucks, OTG contracts with local musicians and entertainers for their markets, and these rotate on a monthly basis. Portable restrooms are available on site, and plenty of chairs are provided for guests to sit and eat their food purchases and/or enjoy ChICKEn FLAuTAS PuRChASED FROM ThE CAnASTA KITChEn BuLGOGI BEEF SKEWERS AnD ASPARAGuS FROM SLIGhTLY SKEWERED
Contra Costa Marketplace - July 2015
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