Hampton hosts Food Truck Day every other Wednesday

The lamb gyro was fantastic.

So reported Hampton resident Shane Cowoski after he and his wife, Millie, enjoyed dinner from the eatery Pittsburgh Halal. And they didn’t have to venture too far from home.

From 3 to 7 p.m. every other Wednesday, Food Truck Day is featured in the side pool parking lot at Hampton Community Park, held in conjunction with the weekly township farmers’ market.

“It’s nice to have these types of vendors in the local community,” Shane said. “We were just saying, it’s nice to come down only a few minutes from the house and have this option.”

Others must think along the same lines, as customers kept Pittsburgh Halal’s truck busy on June 29 with orders for the likes of chicken and lamb gyros, falafel, hummus and pita, and baklava for dessert. Next to the truck, Abdul Brooks served lemonade, a popular choice for a high-temperature day.

Speaking of beverages, Leaning Cask Brewing Co. of Springdale will be at Food Truck Wednesdays throughout the season.

“We always look for opportunities to get our name out to customers we haven’t reached yet,” Josh Lipke, who co-owns the brewery with wife Stefanie, said. “It’s also supporting the communities.”

This year marks Leaning Casks’ second for the Hampton event.

“It really helps when the food trucks are here and different vendors show up,” he said. “It takes a farmers’ market from just a few stands and gives you a whole event, versus just coming and picking up groceries from some local places, and it ends up being really nice.”

Greeting customers on the final Food Truck Day of June were Rylee O’Hara, serving single cans on site and four-packs to go, and an exceptionally friendly pooch named Groot.

“We normally bring four varieties, and we rotate it based on what we have,” Lipke said. “We’re always rotating our beers. We make pretty much any style you can think of, so there’s always something new. And we try to bring something different each time we come here, too, in case we have people coming back a second time.”

Hampton’s next Food Truck Day is on July 13. Scheduled along with Leaning Cask are Hoshi, a hibachi-style truck serving Japanese cuisine, and Stuntpig, which specializes in smoked-meat sandwiches.