ANSONIA — Food Trucks & Company offered 20 Valley residents and government officials slider samples to kick off the official grand opening Thursday. The food truck that has been mobile since 2018 has set down roots, opening an eatery, catering, and takeout service at 1 Howard Ave.
Owner Ernie Nieves welcomed members of the community to the restaurant alongside his four employees and family members.
“We certainly have already built a foundation in the valley from our food trucks, Food Truck & Co. and Bloom Kitchen & Co. In the two and half weeks that we’ve been in our soft opening phase and even without advertising, we’ve already experienced 30 to 40 customers just from word of mouth and people passing by,” Nieves said. “Today starts our grand opening and it starts all of the digital marketing and websites. We do believe that there’s a market for what we do.”
The menu (https://foodtrucksandco.com/eatery) holds a wide variety of street food, plant based options, and latin inspired cuisine. Philly cheese steak, buffalo chicken, and crispy cod fish slider samples were passed around to the guests by staff.
Tiffany Nieves said her family’s Hispanic background will serve as an additional bonus to the neighborhood.
“We have a whole latin menu. We use homemade sofrito to make the beans which gives it that extra taste and that makes it feel like you’re in the actual living room of someone of that ethnicity.”
Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce President Bill Purcell and Ansonia Mayor David Cassetti were on hand for the ceremony.
Purcell talked about the outstanding statistics of the food truck industry. He said that in 2020, there were 25,000 food trucks in the U.S. These food trucks had an 8.7% annualized growth rate over the last five years. The market size by revenue is $1.1 billion dollars.
“You know this. You’re living this,” Purcell said, looking at Ernie. “Your business model is really spot on. It’s a bold and courageous business move to make, especially during the pandemic. It speaks volumes about your entrepreneurial spirit.”
