CLEWISTON, Fla. — If you've spent much time in Clewiston, chances are you haven’t seen many food trucks rolling through town.
As Fox 4’s Hendry County Community Correspondent, I work in this area every day, so I heard about a new city ordinance that could bring more food trucks to town. Watch my report here...
On a typical afternoon in LaBelle, the smell of sizzling meat and warm tortillas fill the air as Rosa Silba works her magic in the kitchen of Taco-Riendo.
“We are making some delicious quesabirrias,” Silba said. “This is what we’re known for.”
Since opening last year, Taco-Rriendo has become a food truck staple in LaBelle. But owner Rosa Silba says while they’ve had success at events in Clewiston, setting up there regularly has been out of reach - until now.
“Well, Clewiston’s ordinance was a lot different. It was hard to be able to set up and offer our services to the community,” Silba explained.
However, that could soon change - a recent city ordinance change is opening up opportunities. Clewiston now allows food trucks to park on private commercial or industrial properties - but only on Mondays and Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Silba expressed her excitement for the future, saying, “We would like to expand, and this is one of the cities we’ve been looking into but were waiting to see what doors would open.”
The city says a lot of restaurants are closed on those days, so it gives people a tasty reason to try new places. Silba believes food trucks aren’t just about great food, either - they help fuel local economies and bring people together.
“There’s a lot behind it - it’s people that we can hire, so that opens many opportunities because now as a business owner we can support other people to have a job,” said Silba.
Food truck operators will need to get written permission from property owners and pass inspections for fire safety and wastewater disposal. Plus, Clewiston isn’t stopping there - the city says it’s looking to expand food truck days and host more events in the future.
