It’s a million-dollar question — one Xiomara Meeks fields every year: What’s the last day Parkesdale Farm Market will be selling strawberry shortcakes?
Although the exact date is unknown, Parkesdale usually stops serving them when its shipment of strawberries stops, around mid- to late-April. Meeks tries to let people know when the last day will be on the company’s Facebook page.
But this year, Meeks has organized an event to celebrate the closing of strawberry season. She has invited three food trucks from the Tampa Bay area to come to the market April 7.
Rollin’ Zoinks will offer an assortment of chicken, pork, scallops and steak served with sautéed vegetables, such as onions, mushrooms, peppers and green beans.
Maggie on the Move dishes out Mediterranean fusion, with classic greek ingredients, such as hummus, pita, tzatziki and olives.
Renny’s Oki Doki offers Asian-inspired cuisine. Born in Iwakuni, Japan, Renny Braga always wanted to open his own restaurant. He started his food truck with favorites, such as pork spring rolls, stir fried soba noodles and teriyaki.
Meeks noticed that food trucks have been a big trend in the industry in recent years. So, she set out to find some local trucks for her event. She had a list of 10 trucks, but three made the final cut.
“These three trucks come highly recommended,” Meeks said. “I saw pictures of their food they post online or on social media, and it looks really impressive.”
Meeks can’t wait to try food from all three businesses. She’s particularly excited about the Japanese noodles, seared scallop wrap and anything Mediterranean.
With the trucks rolling in from as far away as St. Petersburg, Meeks hopes they will draw their foodie following to Parkesdale.
“We’re hoping to bring out a big turnout, so we can do this every year,” Meeks said. “Not only is it promoting Parkesdale, (but also) it’s promoting Plant City. If people come out for the event, they can also explore the town.”
Besides the tourism aspect, the main reason for the event is to give shortcake-lovers a chance to devour one last dish before they go out of season.
Parkesdale serves the cakes from January until April. On its busiest day of shortcake sales, Parkesdale sold 3,000. On any given day, a line can be seen stretched around the side of the market, resembling a wait for an amusement-park ride.
Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.
FOOD TRUCK EVENT
WHEN: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 7
WHERE: Parkesdale Farm Market, 3702 W. Baker St.
PHONE: (813) 752-0502