I have been finding more and more people coming to the food retail or catering business. Many people lost their jobs or found such a lack of work that they needed to recreate. Everyone has to eat, right? In this turbulent economy, having some comfort food to make your heart and soul feel better isn’t such a bad thing. The recreated people I’ve been finding now cook, grill, and fry food for festivals, farmers markets, events, and parties.
Some of the people I met recently were lawyers, contractors, and carpenters. His career industries have not been doing so well. They have chosen to turn to frying and selling food as an additional income or as a total career change. The food retail industry has gone through the roof right now. The west coast of the United States has taken a big step forward with the food truck industry. But the sale of food has spread far and wide in the US and even in Canada. And not just food trucks either. There are caterers, street vendors, food carts, mobile trailer vendors, event and festival vendors.
We are no longer just talking about the typical hot dog truck or coffee truck. The more your fare varies compared to the cart next door, the better it is for you. You want something interesting and tasty. It’s not the same burger and fries. People no longer just use irons and steam trays. There are mobile grills and BBQ smokers, panini and sandwich makers. There are trailer pizza ovens mobilized. Portable outdoor propane fryers have become a great additional kitchen appliance for some vendors. With so many different nationalities and palates in North America, the dining options are endless!
I spoke to a company the other day. They make sausages for festivals. They have decided to add a fryer to their outdoor cooking equipment to generate more business. They will add to their menu some kind of thick fries with different spices.
I know of another company that all they do is fry. They work at a farmers market in Oregon, once a week throughout the season. Empanadas are fried, a kind of meat and vegetable pie.
The owner of a food truck in the Los Angeles area, a New York native, has brought food from his home to the West Coast. She took a traditional recipe for fried dumplings, zeppoles, and made this her main selling fare. She used to rent a funnel cake fryer for each location, but has since gotten her own propane outdoor fryer. In that sense, the fryer will pay for itself in a very short time.
Potato twisters, a spiral-cut potato deep-fried on a stick, have gotten huge. Originating in Korea, where it has become the number one street food, it has hit the streets and fairs of the United States in full force. I saw a show on TV where a vendor at the California State Fair took the twisted potato and pinched it. He first put a hot dog on the stick, then placed the spiralized potato around it before frying it. It sounds weird, but interesting. I would try!
Fish tacos have taken the country by storm. As strange as it sounds, having fried fish in a soft-shelled tortilla is all the rage. Even some of the biggest fast food restaurants have caught on to that.
There are endless ways to make money selling food. Time and effort are involved, but resourcefulness, honesty, integrity, and a little smarts can take you places you never thought you could go. There’s a man who opened a fried food tent at the State Fair of Texas. He fries anything and everything. He keeps people coming back for more. Just to see what they’re frying today. This gentleman earns enough money through the fair to sustain him for the rest of the year. Now, that’s frying for a living!
As I said before. Everyone has to eat. If you’re looking for a way to earn some extra cash and can cook pretty well, maybe it’s time to jump on the comfort food bandwagon. Get a deep fryer and start making fries at local festivals. Take your grill to the farmers market and roast corn on the cob. When the weather starts to cool down, get a turkey fryer or big pot and propane stove and whip up some chili for the apple festival or fall leaf and craft fair. With a great idea and some time and effort, you could be on your way! The American dream starts here!
