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Charlie & Debbie

This Group Of North Carolina Businesses Join To Offer Pre Thanksgiving Meal For Free

Author Debbie Nance

This is the week we take time to remember what we’re thankful for and to feast ’til we burst.  And, a group of North Carolina businesses are joining together to offer a pre Thanksgiving meal for free.  So, it’s happening in Gaston County Monday, November 20 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

According to The Gaston Gazette, Liz and Shirley’s, Tacos Perrones Dona Mary and Meeks Catering are coming together to provide a feast at Gastonia’s Salvation Army.  And, the location is 107 S. Broad St.  Mia Mintz of Liz and Shirley’s said, “It doesn’t matter if you’re homeless or not, it doesn’t matter what your views are and stuff like that.”

The family behind Liz and Shirley’s looks for ways to bring communities together.  And, this event sounds like it will deliver on that front.  Also, the meal is free to those attending.  Plus, they are happy to accept donations in what ever way someone chooses.  And, that might be through volunteering to help.  Or, maybe someone wants to help with hot dog or hamburger buns or monetary gifts.

And, speaking of the food, expect to find hotdogs, hamburgers and the trimmings. So, it’s pretty casual.  Therefore, organizers indicate they hope the event allows folks to come together without any pressure or political agendas.

Liz and Shirley’s Food For The Soul Food Truck’s Facebook page says they serve Gaston, Cleveland, Mecklenburg and surrounding counties.  And, they advertise “great customer service and food.”  Plus, followers on their page rave about the pork chops and overall flavor of Liz and Shirley’s.

Also, in browsing their page it seems they often host “Soul Food Sundays,” as well as other events around the community.  So, make sure you check out their social media announcements to make sure you don’t miss anything!  And, find out more about the pre Thanksgiving free meal in the full story from The Gaston Gazette.  Gobble, gobble!

Food & Wine Says This North Carolina City Has The Best Food Trucks

Love Food Trucks? Who doesn’t? It seems like the entire food truck industry has boomed in the last 10-15 years, at least here in North Carolina. And for good reason. Food truck festivals are perfect for when you want to try multiple things- or perhaps your group just can’t agree on the same type of food. That’s why Food & Wine set out to determine the cities with the best food trucks across the country. And since trying food trucks in every city is a bit of a challenge, they decided to ask the people who know best- their readers! Food & Wine readers voted ten cities the “cream of the crop” as part of the publication’s Global Tastemakers awards. And one North Carolina city made the shortlist.

Food trucks are a great way for aspiring chefs and restaurant owners to test the waters without the high overhead of opening a full restaurant. Plus they have the ability to go where the people are ie festivals, concerts, breweries, etc. And then of course there is the novelty and appeal of food trucks for a lot of consumers. I have to admit though, with prices typically comparable to a sit-down restaurant, I’ll take that option most every time. But I’m in the minority I know! So which North Carolina city did Food & Wine readers say has the best food trucks? It’s one of my favorites!

 

  • Raleigh, NC

    Yep Raleigh made the list. The North Carolina capital city came in 10th on this list. I actually called Raleigh home for around 4 years (college) and still go back to visit 12-15 weekends a year. But outside of college functions and the NC State Fair, I don’t believe I’ve ever really eaten at a food truck in Raleigh that I can remember. I go to every NC State Football game however and Carter Finley Stadium did recently add an area called “Raleighwood” which features several food trucks. I tend to tailgate or hit up a bar before the games however so I haven’t had a chance to check it out yet.

    But which food trucks should you try in Raleigh? These are the ones specifically mentioned by Food & Wine:

    • The Wandering Moose
    • Chirba Chirba
    • Ospresso’s
    • Curry In A Hurry

     

  • Best Food Truck Cities

    Other cities mentioned include Houston, San Diego, San Fransisco, and the winner- Oakland, California. You can read the full list and highlights here.

  • North Carolina's Favorite Food Truck Food Is Unexpected

    Food trucks are showing no signs of slowing down in popularity. And for good reason. There are some delicious street foods that you can get from food trucks, not just your basic food options. Whether it’s an oyster po’boy, lamb curry poutine, or Alaskan reindeer sausage. Yeah, I had to google when that last one even was. Plenty of my friends follow food trucks around, going to breweries specifically to eat from the trucks. This surging popularity led Shane Co. to determine the most popular food truck items. To do this they turned to Google Trends. From there they analyzed search volume across 500 food trucks and 1,500+ menu items over the past year to find the favorite food truck orders and cuisine both by state and nationwide.

    Many of the favorite food truck items reflect the local cuisine. Some are more basic, and others had me scratching my head about how on earth that item was the most popular. Listen I love brussel sprouts but that’s the most popular item in Delaware? I have a hard time believing that. I know one thing I will be participating in these Google search trends trying to find a local vendor for some of these foods. Keep reading to see the most popular item by state including both Carolinas and our neighbors. You’ll also find out the ten most popular food truck foods. Read the full Shane Co. article here.

  • Most Popular Food Truck Item In Each State

    • North Carolina: Fried Shrimp Burger
    • South Carolina: Sauerkraut Hot Dog
    • Georgia: Pulled Pork Sliders
    • Tennessee: Roasted Cauliflower Tacos
    • Virginia: Curry Fries

    Fried Shrimp Burger

  • Second Most Popular Food Truck Item In Each State

    • North Carolina: Honey-Drizzled Pork Ribs
    • South Carolina: Korean Corn Dog
    • Georgia: Loaded Tator Tots
    • Tennessee: Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich
    • Virginia: Oyster Po’boy

    BBQ Pork Ribs

  • The Most Popular Food Truck Eats Across The Country

    **Based on Google search data in the past 12 months**

  • 1. Tacos

    Street Food Business Hit By Coronavirus Effect

    Tacos were one of the two most popular items in 10 states:

    • Alaska (Alaskan salmon tacos)
    • Arizona (Carne asada tacos)
    • California (Al pastor tacos)
    • Colorado (Birra tacos)
    • Idaho (Birra tacos)
    • Ohio (Birra tacos)
    • Arizona (Brisket tacos)
    • California (Shrimp ceviche tostados)
    • New Mexic0 (Carne asada tacos)
    • Rhode Island (Lobster tacos)

  • 2. Sandwhich/Roll

    Food Network & Cooking Channel New York City Wine & Food Festival Presented By Coca-Cola - Chicken Coupe hosted by Whoopi Goldberg and Andrew Carmellini

    There are seemingly endless varieties of sandwiches, so of course, it’s the second most popular item! This includes lobster rolls in New England, Florida Cuban sandwiches, and North Dakota’s favorite Hawaiian pulled pork sandwich.

  • 3. Fries

    Fries

    A conversation the other day led me to the realization that fries might just be my favorite food. So you can bet I’m ordering loaded fries at a food truck. Other popular options include pot roast fries in Arizona and curry fries in Virginia.

  • 4. Burgers

    Giant cheeseburger

    Always a classic. North Carolina loves the shrimp burger, other popular options are the Wagyu beef burger and a falafel burger!

  • 5. Hot/Corn Dog

    Hot dogs

    You can jazz up a hot dog but it’s still a hot dog. But some people love them. Idaho loves its classic corn dog while South Dakota prefers the Sauerkraut dog.

Debbie Nance is the afternoon co-host along with her husband on "The Charlie and Debbie Show" at WSOC, Country 1037 in Charlotte, North Carolina. She has been with the station for 18 years. Debbie is a CMA Award winner for Radio Personality of the Year. And, she has worked in radio for 40 years. Before her current afternoon position, Debbie spent more than a decade as co-host on morning shows in several markets across the Southeast. As a content creator for Country 1037, Debbie writes articles about food, new restaurants in the Carolinas and travel experiences.

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