The Chopstick Truck will be re-opening on Apr. 13 for the summer season. The Vietnamese food truck closed for a few months in the winter because of the winter weather.
“We closed down in the winter because it got to cold in Fernie. Some of our pipes were freezing and bursting, it was super uncomfortable to work in,” said Sydney Salvador, part owner of the Chopstick Truck. “We insulated the truck and had a heater. It was still pretty bad since the whole truck is made out of metal. We expected it but just not as harsh. It burst our water pump and a couple drains. Nothing to major to fix, but after that happened we decided to stop so it wouldn’t get any worse.”
In December, Fernie Council enacted a new bylaw that restricts the downtown operation area that food trucks can park in. Food trucks are only allowed to operate in Station Square, on Sixth St. between First and Second Ave.
When asked if the bylaw will impact the trucks business, Salvador replied, “It doesn’t really affect us since we will be based in West Fernie. It is a better location for us and keeps everyone happy. We love it out there and want to add to West Fernie since there are not many food options out that way.”
The truck will spend the majority of its time in West Fernie adjacent to Highway 3.
“That will be our main location all summer. Although we do have some festivals and events throughout the spring and summer as well,” she said.
Salvador hopes to be at local community events throughout Fernie and the Elk Valley and to do a couple events in Alberta.
“We are of course hoping to do Wapiti Music Festival. I do not think they have put out their vendor list yet. A couple Alberta food truck venues too, they are in Lethbridge. The people there are so great and it was really fun. One was Word on the Street and it was at the public library and the other one we did there was the Lethbridge Food Truck Frenzy,” she said. “We will try to get in for Coal Miner days, Wildcat Days, Canada Day and lots of local stuff. We really want to stay local this year and do lots of things in Fernie like bike races. We want to do the Wednesday socials again, those were amazing and we have a bunch of weddings to this summer and those are awesome.”
According to Salvador, the hours of operation will be six days a week starting in the early morning and staying open until the evening, with aims to be open seven days a week with longer daylight hours as the season continues.
“It will be open Tuesday through Sunday and then we will be open later once the summer comes. Right now it will be 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. but it may vary. In the summer we want to be open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week,” she said.
As far as the truck’s best seller goes, Salvador believes it is the vermicelli bowl.
“They are great because they are so light and healthy, but they are often also for kids because it is good to split and it’s super filling. I find a lot of bikers like to grab those as well. It is really light... even though it’s a huge bowl of noodles,” she said.
Salvador’s favourite menu item is the subs but there will be new menu items on offer over the summer months.
“Vietnamese subs, they just have a lot of different flavours in the sub. Super refreshing and they really fill you up, those are my go-toos on the truck,” she said. “We are going to have quite a few new drinks, bubble teas, we will be doing lime-aid sodas, those are a bubble lime maid. It is kind of like lemon-aid but with lime. It is really light and refreshing and the bubble teas are a staple in Vietnamese food and drink culture. We also have some more entrées and appies as well, different dumplings and stuff like that.”