The Food truck map

In Paris, whether it be hot or freezing cold, on one bank of the romantic Canal du Midi or in front of a cinema, the queue in front of Le Camion qui Fume is a constant: for the past 3 years, the first food truck in France – launched by Californian but French trained chef Kristin Frederick – conquers nose and palate with its irresistible hamburgers served with French fries, coleslaw and cheesecake.

In London, now that Pitt Cue has abandoned the South Bank to move with barbequed meat and bourbon between four walls in Soho, the match is open to conquer the title of "best gourmet food truck in town". In the USA, where this phenomenon was born and special websites such as www.foodtrucktalk.com are whooping it up, there’s something to suit everybody’s fancy: from junk food to quality ethnic cuisine, not forgetting the New York truck completely dedicated to desserts or the imposing Del Popolo, that, with an artisanal oven made in Naples on board, offers, in the San Francisco area, very esteemed “Neapolitan” pizzas.

And how about Italy? After the brilliant performance of Mauro Uliassi's food truck, which was created by the chef together with designer Mirko Gabellini, magnificently opened during the Salone del Mobile and then moved to events across Italy, something – forgive the wordplay – is finally moving here as well. The protagonist of the "food truck Italian style" is almost always the Ape Piaggio, that is to say its food restyling designed by architect Andrea Carletti from La Spezia. This is, in its original design or in its imitations, the design and tool customised format on which our Italian food trucks are based and are being born a little everywhere across the peninsula: from the Milanese Ape Bistrot evoking, with its retro style, the atmosphere of an old French bistro, to the all-white of the Aperitivo Napoli, launched by young chef Vincenzo Russo – who you can otherwise find in the kitchen of the Neapolitan restaurant Casa Alfonso – to offer unusual aperitifs just after a wedding celebration, whether it be sushi or the typical o’ per' e o’ muss (pork feet and head) depending on taste.

A little Ape-car painted in pink with polka dots has been scampering across the streets of Rome from some time (a second one will arrive soon), that of Pizza & Mortazza, the mobile version of one of the most popular street foods in the capital, made, in fact, with “white” pizza (baked in one of 4 trusted bakeries, depending on the neighbourhood) and Mortadella di Bologna IGP or – slightly more posh – prosciutto. On board, there’s a meat slicer and little more, in order to bring back on the Roman streets a traditional product which is today difficult to find unless you make it yourself. This is the idea behind the entrepreneurial mini-adventure of Adriano Antonioli and his partners, which has soon obtained a great success thanks also to an efficient communication on social networks and the web.

Nevertheless, just a few days ago, traffic wardens forced the mortadella-Ape-car to move from its spot in front of the university La Sapienza, leaving the many students waiting for a delicious and accessible (location and money-wise) meal empty handed. «We have an itinerant peddler license – Antonioli explains – and we can’t stand in public areas. But we’re obstinate and we move on. We have now launched a home delivery service: clients call us and if we’re in the area we go to the agreed address». It appears, in fact, that the obstacles to the spreading of food trucks in Italy are mostly bureaucratic and logistic, since creativity and raw materials are certainly abundant. We will talk about it tomorrow, with Stefano Callegari, Mauro Uliassi’s favourite partner on board, with his genial trapizzini.