Crossroads Farm at Grossmann’s hosted the first Food Truck Rodeo of the summer season last Friday. The event will be every Friday this summer.
Participating vendors included Mr. Flavors Ice Cream, J&J Taste, the Telia Truck and Monarch Foods. Rare Treats also had a table at the event, and Somerset Brewing Company, of West Hempstead, and Barrier Brewing Company, of Oceanside, took part as well.
In addition, there was a bounce house and a face-painting booth for children, and live music. And the farm’s new chickens were out, which drew a crowd of children to the fence surrounding the coop.
Rare Treats, founded in Malverne in 2023 by Stephanie Fitzpatrick, serves dairy-, egg-, nut- and gluten-free baked goods. Fitzpatrick’s son has a gastrointestinal condition, and she wanted to make enjoying sweets easier for him, which motivated her to learn to bake while conforming to his dietary restrictions.
“I baked for him, then friends and family members, and eventually I started catering,” Fitzpatrick said, “which then turned into this business.” Rare Treats is a registered New York state home kitchen.
Fitzpatrick is a board member of the village’s Chamber of Commerce, and chamber businesses have requested her baked goods to sell at their stores. “I built a lot of relationships in the community over these few years,” she said, “and now we’re in Crossroads’ shop and a lot of other businesses.”
Mr. Flavors was also taking part in the Rodeo for the third straight year. Founded in 2022 by Leon Williams and Alexa Saldana, the enterprise was named the Elmont Chamber of Commerce’s Business of the Year in 2025.
Williams said he appreciates the sense of community that operating the truck, especially at the Rodeo, gives him. “The same people always come to the truck,” he said. “There’s a real sense of familiarity.”
He also appreciates Crossroads Operations Manager Michael D’Angelo for reaching out to him before the first year of the food truck event. “Crossroads found us online and offered to have us here,” Williams said, “and it’s been history ever since.”
The owners of the food trucks that took part all share a preference for connecting with community members rather than operating from the back of a restaurant. Walter Acevedo, owner of J&J Taste, started his food truck in 2023, and has been catering events including the Rodeo ever since.
“I was in the restaurant business for 16 years before starting the truck,” Acevedo said. “A lot of owners did not succeed because they struggled with clientele. That’s why I chose a food truck instead.”
Acevedo also wanted to get into a market in which he thought he could succeed. “I didn’t like the paninis served at any restaurants I went to, so I just started my own panini truck,” he said. “We’re not primarily a taco truck, but we serve tacos as well.”
Nick Papadopoulos, owner of the Telia Truck, also decided to operate a truck instead of working in the restaurant business. He was a chef in fine dining for a decade before starting the truck, and, Papadopoulos said, “got bored with it.” He also believed the selection of Greek food on Long Island was limited, and wanted to bring an authentic style to his food. “I wanted to make what I grew up on,” he said.
Papadopoulos appreciates the Malverne community’s response to his food. “One of our first gigs with the truck was the first event in fall of 2023,” he said. “We get nothing but compliments — everyone walks by and tells me, ‘this is the best gyro, souvlaki, whatever, that I’ve ever had.’”
Lupe Gutierrez, owner of Monarch Foods, shares the desire to give the community a taste of authenticity not often found on Long Island. “My goal is to open a taco spot somewhere in Nassau County to show people a taste of authentic Mexican food,” he said. “People are tired of Taco Bell.”
Gutierrez is a relative newcomer to Crossroads: Monarch has only been a participating vendor for a year. Nonetheless, “We’ve been their go-to food truck ever since,” Gutierrez said. His father owned a diner in New Hyde Park for over 25 years, which, he said, was where he developed a passion for cooking.
“When people like my food,” he said, “it puts a smile on my face.”
