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A new app will help you find your favorite Tampa Bay food trucks

 
Michael Blasco of Tampa Bay Food Trucks says that everyone always asked about an app to help find their favorite food trucks. There is, available for iPhones and Droids.
Michael Blasco of Tampa Bay Food Trucks says that everyone always asked about an app to help find their favorite food trucks. There is, available for iPhones and Droids.
Published July 27, 2017

What's new: Food tech

Local food businesses are embracing new technologies and partnerships to bring us extra deliciousness.

Michael Blasco of Tampa Bay Food Trucks says that everyone always asks if there is an app to help find their favorite food trucks. And now there is, available for iPhones and Androids.

"The hardest thing is to get the truck owners to do all the paperwork," Blasco says. "This app is designed to scrape our schedule, so the issue of people going to a location where a food truck was supposed to be, but isn't, is no longer a thing."

Download the app, then "like" the food trucks you, um, like, and the app will alert you if one of your faves is nearby. You can see the truck's menu and get directions from the app. Tampa Bay Food Trucks works with 120 food trucks in the Tampa Bay area and Central Florida. And now you can know at a glance how many are near you.

Tampa-based Fitlife Foods has just announced the launch of Snack Local, a new project to highlight a variety of healthy snacks that are made here in Florida. Each Fitlife Foods location will now have a designated area selling local snacks, including options from local purveyors. Some of the local products featured in Snack Local include Liz Anthony Protein Bites, Fro Pro Bars and Kiwicha Bars. Fitlife has also partnered with Uriah's Urban Farms, a vertical indoor farm in Tampa, to bring customers fresh greens in a new summer item called the Strawberry Crunch Salad, with a proprietary mix of fresh lettuces. Fitlife Foods' menu prices range from $3 to $13 and feature gluten-free, vegetarian, paleo and low-carb options, with nutritional information printed on the label.

And local chefs are now partnering with Cozymeal, a platform that connects people with professional chefs for cooking classes and unique dining experiences. Think special date night, a bachelorette party, corporate events and such — you can learn to make paella with chef Rhonda, take a Mediterranean class with chef Corey in Clearwater or create a five-course menu featuring Indian cuisine with chef Natasha, with more local chefs coming online regularly. Classes are around $95 per person and locations vary. The San Francisco-based Cozymeal launched in 2014 and is currently available in the San Francisco bay area, Los Angeles, San Diego, Washington, D.C., Seattle, Boston, New York City, Atlanta and now Tampa. Cozymeal will also be launching in nine other major markets throughout 2017. Visit cozymeal.com/tampa-bay-area. The site allows guests to easily search a variety of chefs, menu offerings, price points and venue types.

Local restaurants: Branching out

A couple of our local notables are adding to their empires. The first is, well, Empire. The pop-up oyster bar masterminded by Kevin Joseph at St. Petersburg's Intermezzo Coffee and Cocktails is still going strong every Wednesday through Saturday from 6 to 9 p.m., so you can swing by and enjoy the some of the country's best oysters paired with craft cocktails. And modeled after the St. Pete location, Empire Oyster has just opened in New York City at Megu at the Dream Downtown hotel. The experience is "omakase-style" and features up to 12 varieties of ultra-premium oysters from the United States, Canada, Mexico and New Zealand, shucked live and served on the half-shell with elegant and sometimes surprising accoutrements.

Dig in to Tampa Bay’s food and drink scenes

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And Dan Bavaro, owner of Bavaro's Pizza Napoletana & Pastaria, is finalizing plans to open a location in downtown Sarasota. The Sarasota location will be at 27 Fletcher Ave. in the judicial/business district off Main Street. Plans call for the building to be remodeled to reflect a modern industrial look. It has a total of 2,600 square feet, and a 750-square-foot patio will be added for outside seating. Plans are to open by the end of 2017. Bavaro's currently has locations in downtown Tampa at 514 N Franklin St., 945 Central Ave. in St. Petersburg's Edge District, Airside C at Tampa International Airport, and at 1468 Tuskawilla Road in Winter Springs.