By Melissa Wagoner
Despite a stormy night, the atmosphere is festive beneath the glowing blue and white striped tent over LC’s Outdoor Market – the newly opened food cart pod in downtown Mount Angel.
“At this point we’re just creating the atmosphere,” Kirk Deignan who, along with his wife, Mary, owns From Russia with Love – a chain of five food carts dispersed throughout Oregon.
Initially opened for business during Oktoberfest, the Market’s vendors hit the ground running, with crowds of hungry patrons lining up to indulge in the popular Mos-Cow peroshki and beef pelmeni at From Russia with Love and the scratch-made Reubens at Fire Side Grille.
“We never stopped going,” Mary said.
Unfortunately, those long lines were short-lived as – with the festival over and the stormy fall weather rolling in – patronage to downtown Mount Angel dropped off. It’s been challenging, getting the word out that these food trucks – unlike those of the festival – are here to stay. But the Deignans are confident it can be done.
“It’s doing good,” Mary said, “but we need music, we need a beer truck and we need something warm.”
To that end, the Deignans are currently researching options for beer, wine and cider as well as heaters for the seating area inside the tent.
“We’re going to keep growing and make sure this is a very nice, family-friendly atmosphere,” Mary enthused. “We want people to be able to eat, drink and listen to some music. I think if we make this an atmosphere, it’ll do well.”
In the meantime, the challenge is to get the word out to those living in and around Mount Angel about this new option for dining in or ordering out.
“You can call us and we can run it out to you,” Mary said, explaining that one of the benefits of dining via food cart is the option to call ahead or order online and have the food delivered to your car.
“I have a Google number so it’ll come right to my cell phone,” David Moran, the owner of Fire Side Grille, verified.
Because all of the food truck owners, even the newest to join the fleet, Montree Navan – owner of Zen Thai and Sushi – are eager to make LC’s Market the go-to spot for dining in Mount Angel.
“We’re trying to be the future of food,” Navan said. Their revolving menu hosts a bevy of sushi rolls, warm curries and a popular pineapple rice. “This time of year, it’s raining but we need to keep open and in business until summertime.”
Because, though Zen Thai and Sushi has only been at LC’s Outdoor Market since the beginning of November, Navan has already begun to feel at home.
“I love this town,” he said. “It is very small but very good.”
LC Outdoor Market
235 NMain St., Mt. Angel
From Russia with Love
503-999-2499
fromrussiawithloveor.com
Fire Side Grille
971-772-1136
firesidegrilles.com
Zen Thai and Sushi
503-979-1051
