Two Steeltown food trucks set to show Toronto the Slow how it’s done

Torontonians have, by and large, gotten used to being behind the times when it comes to street food. But we didn’t expect Hamilton to quietly creep into the forefront of the curbside food revolution. This summer, two new food trucks, Cupcake Diner and Gorilla Cheese, are slated to start prowling Steeltown’s mean streets in search of hungry diners—and we have to say, we’re a little jealous.

This Thursday, sweet-toothed Hamiltonians can look forward to satisfying their sugar cravings with Natalie Ravoi’s cupcakes—baked daily with locally sourced, seasonal fruit, of course. The Star reports:

Ravoi, whose fiancé lives in Toronto, admits she looked at Hogtown first but immediately hit a wall with permits, bylaws and licensing. She found Hamilton’s rules for refreshment vehicles “reasonable and doable.”

The city is so keen on new business, it created the Business One-Stop that brings all the needed departments (like zoning and licensing) into one location. Hamilton already has hot dog carts (including one that’s doing crêpes), French fry trucks, ice cream trucks and catering trucks, and doesn’t restrict the type of food that can be sold.

A month after Ravoi’s pink Dodge Sprinter becomes a Hamilton fixture, Graeme Smith and Scott Austin’s renovated 24-foot Purolator truck is slated to hit the pavement. The cheese-loving duo is planning to offer customizable grilled cheese sandwiches featuring Ontario-produced Jensen cheddar. Smith told us that one of the signature sandwiches (still in development) would be “The Turkey Dinner”: roast turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes and bread, with either gruyère or a medium white cheddar to seal the deal.

We were a little miffed the other week when we were dubbed a “beta city,” but if “The Tortoise and the Hare” has taught us anything, it is that faster doesn’t always mean better. This summer we’re expecting some serious hedonism; not only will Len Senater launch The Depaneur, Toronto’s first permanent pop-up resto (well, we hope so), but Zane Caplansky will also pave the way for Toronto street foodies when he rolls out his very own food truck next month.

• Hamilton’s food truck fever [Toronto Star]