Author to dish about food trucks | The Salt Lake Tribune

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On Tuesday, June 26, award-winning food writer John T. Edge, will be in Salt Lake City to talk about America's "flourishing" street food movement.

It's a topic that inspired his new book: The Truck Food Cookbook: 150 Recipes and Ramblings from America's Best Restaurants on Wheels (Workman; $18.95).

The discussion runs from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m across the street from Weller Book Works, 607 E. 500 South (Trolley Square). The event is free, but bring money because several local trucks will be there selling food.

Edge — winner of the James Beard Foundation's MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing Award— traveled to more than a dozen U.S. cities to sample mobile cuisine.

During a recent telephone interview, Edge said he "not only wanted to find great food, but also great stories."

He did, meeting everyone from immigrants cooking the food of their ancestors to chefs who wanted to start a restaurant but didn't have the capital. Through his research, Edge has a unique perspective on how rules and regulation can encourage — or hinder — street food success. Salt Lake City is currently working on new regulations.

"There are cities that recognize the possibilities and realize that street food can be a catalyst for street life," he said.