17 June 20th-June 26th, 2024 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | Food Fight Roosevelt Row food truck court leaves First Friday after dispute. BY SARA CROCKER T here was a noticeable absence at May’s First Friday festivities in downtown Phoenix. The International Food Truck Court and its 20-plus vendors were nowhere to be found. The departure of the food court, which had set up on Fourth Street for the past two years, left vendors and the mobile eats meetup organizer Food Truck Next calling foul and asserting they were unfairly ousted. “That has resulted in a $53,000 loss, collectively, between all the businesses that were supposed to be there,” says Food Truck Next owner Dalal Abdouni. Roosevelt Row Community Development Corporation, the group that manages First Fridays and vendors at the monthly event, disputes those claims of improper removal. Roosevelt Row CDC board chair Ruben Alonzo says the organi- zation offered an alternative location for 10 of the food trucks, which Abdouni declined. Abdouni hopes to reunite her interna- tional food court downtown — but inde- pendent of the arts walk. She is seeking a temporary downtown location to host the food truck collective through the summer and plans to secure a permanent location elsewhere in the city. “We are working on a permanent space, so the goal is to most likely exit downtown Phoenix completely,” Abdouni says. Vendors aplenty at First Fridays Originally founded and organized by the nonprofit arts organization Artlink in 1994, the First Friday Art Walk has grown from a series of gallery stops to a multi-block festival that showcases art, food vendors and live music. Alonzo estimates that an average First Friday draws 15,000 to 20,000 people and features about 300 vendors, calling it “one of the premiere events in the Valley.” “We want it to be a successful event for all involved — for members of our commu- nity to enjoy, for vendors, business and residents to be proud of,” he says. “That includes a balance of vendors of all kinds.” Food Truck Next hosted its first food truck court on Fourth Street in March 2022. Abdouni curated about 10 food busi- nesses, helmed largely by women and people of color, to showcase an array of international cuisine. The initial kickoff caused some tension, a former Roosevelt Row CDC contractor says, because Abdouni went directly through the city to seek permits to close the section of Fourth Street just south of Roosevelt Street — a right turn lane that also features metered parking spots on one side. The issue, says former First Friday lead coordinator Joe Mehl, was that Abdouni received her own permit, and Roosevelt Row wanted to maintain a singular one for the entire event. Abdouni says that an agreement was brokered with Roosevelt Row CDC to curate the food trucks on Fourth Street. After that, Mehl says tensions seemed to abate. As Mehl worked to activate areas east of Fourth Street, he says that the food truck court was an important connector. “(Abdouni) became a bridge,” Mehl says. International Food Court expands In November, Abdouni expanded the food court. She secured a lease for a parking lot on Fourth Street near Roosevelt Street, which allowed the food court to grow to 20 to 24 vendors between the two spots. Both she and Roosevelt Row CDC agree this addition was outside of their handshake agreement for curating trucks in the smaller turn lane. The expanded food truck court oper- ated in its larger capacity until Food Truck Next was issued a warning in February by an officer with Phoenix’s Neighborhood Services Department. A city of Phoenix spokesperson confirmed that the Neighborhood Services Department received a complaint that month. The lot, the spokesperson says, is not eligible for mobile vending. Abdouni sought possible solutions through the city in March and early April and shuffled trucks to a nearby location for First Friday on April 5. That month, Abdouni received notice from the lot’s manager that they could no longer host because of the zoning issue. Mid-month, Abdouni was then notified by Roosevelt Row CDC’s board that they would not ask the city to close the First Friday patrons lined up to order from vendors at the International Food Truck Court. After losing two locations on Fourth Street, the organizer is seeking a new location. (Photo by Jennifer Goldberg) ▼ Food & Drink Food & Drink Top Dogs Meet the duo behind Roosevelt Row’s new hot dog shop. BY MIKE MADRIAGA I n the vibrant, artistic heart of Roos- evelt Row, two men have combined their love for each other and their passion for food into a thriving pop- and-pop business. On First Friday in February, fiancés Donny Ades and Chris Campbell opened RoRo Dogs, a specialty hot dog store nestled beneath their charming house on the corner of Seventh and Roosevelt streets. “First Fridays are a little chaotic and fun,” Ades says. “While hot dogs are usually served at family barbecues or sporting events where great moments and memories are shared, we wanted to tap into those fond memories and feel- ings of joy.” Those feelings are abundant on Roosevelt Row, as flocks of partiers and celebrants rendezvous at the clubs and taverns. Then, once a month, the First Friday shindig draws thousands of attendees to party and dance to live music, shop the street market at various booths, check out the indoor art galleries and street art and get their grub on. For the latter, RoRo Dogs has visitors covered — their $12 specialty dogs are edible masterpieces. “Donny’s favorite, the Chicago Dog, has caught on with the locals,” Campbell continues. “It’s our best seller.” It’s a smoked all-beef hot dog inside a poppyseed bun with a pickle spear, a tomato slice, sport pepper, Chicago relish, diced onion and yellow mustard. “Oh, and there’s a sprinkle of celery salt like in Chicago,” Ades adds. “Some people from Chicago come in >> p 18 >> p 19 Donny Ades and Chris Campbell. (Photo by Mike Madriaga)
