COLUMBUS, Ohio — Food trucks, tents and new cuisines are about to take over the Franklin County Fairgrounds on Friday.
The Columbus Food Truck festival runs until Saturday, and the founder said his goal is to give everyone a break from their routine while bringing in some new surprises.
To celebrate the 15th year of the festival, there will be new appearances, including Jordan Faeth from the dating show Love is Blind on Netflix.
“Made some chocolate chip cookies — this is my mom’s recipe,” Faeth said.
Faeth said he’s now exploring a different kind of love, and the festival is allowing him to connect with the community.
“I’ve had a really good opportunity to explore my love for food through social media, would love to be able to continue to do that,” Faeth said. “Whether it’s sharing my own recipes, with cooking videos or getting to meet cool people who do things like the Columbus Food Truck Festival, you know.”
One of Faeth’s current plans is to share his momma’s cookies at the festival.
“My mom will kill me if I give up the recipe,” Faeth said. “But you can come get them, I promise I’ll give you one for free until we run out.”
It’s a festival that’s bringing together the love of food.
For the founder of the festival, Chas Kaplan, food and music feed and heal the soul.
“Your smash burgers, your pizza, chicken wings,” Kaplan said. “There’s a vendor that smokes tomahawk steaks vertically over this wild, interesting smoker Robinson smokehouse.”
And it’s the first time Kaplan said he’s working with kids between the ages of 5 and 12 years old, bringing in the Kids Market.
“Selling anything from, if you remember and I’m aging myself pet rocks to sports cards, whatever little knickknacks they’ve made,” Kaplan said. “Come and support those little kids.”
For some vendors, food carries its own meaning.
Brad Esposite, the owner of Island Noodles, said this is a family recipe from a native Hawaiian.
“I would say the biggest thing is it just brings people together,” Esposite said. “You’ll smell it from outside the gates because the aroma coming off the walks, there’s live cooking action, so we’re cutting fresh vegetables as we make them.”
As for Faeth, he’s ready to take on new challenges.
“I’ll be cooking island noodles with Brad so come see me there too,” Faeth said.
The biggest question: if Love is Blind is the way to the heart through the stomach.
“I feel like I was always the one cooking on the show or I was always the one they showed eating,” Faeth said. “So, I guess you could say that, yeah.”
Dining and Cooking