Image via yumtownusa.com
“If something is delicious, then it takes you to Yumtown,” jokes Andrew Tantisunthorn, Yumtown food truck co-founder.
If it’s local and sustainable, all signs point to Yumtown as well. The truck, which Tantisunthorn and Lanie Belmont opened full time in October 2011, sources the majority of its ingredients from growers throughout the Philadelphia region. Using Common Market, a wholesale consolidator of local farmers’ products, Tantisunthorn and Belmont gather fresh in-season produce and meats and use their experiences as a line cook and caterer, respectively, to begin brainstorming appetizing dishes.
The menu changes with the seasons, but typically offers soups, salads and sandwiches for under $10. Customers can expect to find unique flavorful meals unrestricted to one cuisine at the truck, which is typically parked at 13th and Norris Streets in North Philly on weekdays or at West Philly’s Clark Park on special occasions. Past menu items include sweet potato bisque, a meatball hoagie with basil ricotta, roasted red sauce and baby spinach, and a butternut squash and tofu sandwich. Yumtown usually offers a vegetarian item as well, like my current favorite, the Edgar Allan Potato sandwich. This dish is so bold and delicious that I’m convinced it’s the true destiny of sweet potatoes, onions, hummus, greens, cheddar cheese and tempeh to be paired with sriracha on a crusty baugette from Artisan Boulanger Patissier in South Philly.
Although winter leaves Yumtown with access to only a handful of different kinds of produce, the duo appreciates the limitation.
“It keeps things interesting,” laughs Belmont.
“To give yourself that smaller window of ingredients helps us offer things that we don’t think people have ever had before,” says Tantisunthorn.
With plans to begin sourcing food from urban farms within Philadelphia once the growing season begins, Yumtown proves to be a must-visit for the eco-minded on a budget.
To view a complete list of of Yumtown’s food sources, visit yumtownusa.com.
