Off The Grid hosts new Emeryville food truck market

Emeryville Public Market where a new Off The Grid food truck market will launch on Aug. 23. Photo: Public Market Emeryville — Emeryville Public Market where a new Off The Grid food truck market will launch on Aug. 23. Photo: Emeryville Public Market

Off the Grid is launching a new lunchtime market on Saturdays at Emeryville Public Market at 5959 Shellmound St. The first gathering will take place on Saturday Aug. 23, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the parking lot near the Public Market’s main entrance.

It’s the second Emeryville location for Off The Grid. A selection of food trucks congregates on Haven Street and Park Avenue on Wednesdays from 11-2pm.

Off the Grid: Public Market Emeryville will offer eight rotating trucks including: Vietnamese specialist Little Green Cyclo, Indian street food purveyor Curry Up Now, Lobsta Truck, We Sushi, Mayo and Mustard, which offers deli sandwiches, German food spot Little Red Riding Truck, falafel and shawarma truck Sajj, Cluck it Up which serves chicken wings, empanada place El Poretno, Seoulful Korean Fried Chicken, and sweet treat spot Garden Creamery.

A sushi taco from We Sushi, one of the food trucks that will be at the new Emeryville Off The Grid. Photo: We Sushi — A sushi taco from We Sushi, one of the food trucks that will be at the new Off The Grid: Public Market Emeryville. Photo: We Sushi

Off The Grid hopes the new market will appeal to people coming to the Emeryville Public Market, which itself offers a wide selection of mostly ethnic food options, as well as to shoppers visiting nearby Bay Street, Ikea and the East Bay Bridge Shopping Center. In a statement, Off The Grid said it is also partnering with Guitar Center at Emeryville Public Market to “bring local music and educational programming to the event.”

The new food truck market will be located cheek by jowl with pizza restaurant Hot Italian which is located in the Public Market building.

Complaints of unfair competition from brick-and-mortar restaurants in North Berkeley was the main factor that led Off The Grid to pull the plug on its Gourmet Ghetto market in 2012.

Hot Italian owner Fabrizio Cercatore said the thinks the new Off The Grid market will be a good thing, however.

“Anything that will brings a buzz to the Public Market is good for everyone,” he said. “It makes it more of a destination.”

Asked if he was worried that the food trucks would present competition, Cercatore said no.

“I don’t think food trucks compete with a sit-down restaurant. If people want a good pizza they will come to us. We are offering different things.”

The food hall at the Public Market is currently undergoing a significant makeover orchestrated by its new owners, City Center Realty Partners. The full plans, which are slated to be unveiled soon, are said to include the opening of a new 800 sq. ft. restaurant called Chicharon, helmed by Michelin-starred chef Carlos Altamirano.

Mark Stefan, co-founder of City Center Realty Partners, said he believed Off the Grid was a great partnership for Public Market Emeryville.

“The food trucks are a perfect complement to the eclectic mix our vendors offer. We look forward to welcoming some new folks who might not yet be familiar with Public Market, as well as seeing all the Market’s loyal customers.”

The new market will be the tenth lunch or dinnertime Off the Grid in the East Bay. Others include North Berkeley, the first Emeryville market, Alameda, Uptown Oakland, Lake Merritt, El Cerrito, Concord, Pleasant Hill, Hayward, and Pleasanton. Berkeley has proved tricky with OTG deciding to close up shop both in the Gourmet Ghetto and Southside at Haste and Telegraph.

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Tracey Taylor