2013 Manayunk StrEAT Food Festival is all about the strawberries

Last year, it was apples. This year, it’s strawberries.

Jumping from one small, red fruit to another, the Manayunk StrEAT Food Festival takes on its theme of strawberries on Saturday, April 13, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. All participating food trucks and restaurants have been asked to create a dish, drink or appetizer that includes strawberries, if they want to compete for prizes.

Similar to last year, gourmet food trucks will line Main Street for the one-day event which includes a restaurant tour and plenty of shopping at various sidewalk sales and in-store promotions.

Alicia Dietzmann, public relations officer and event coordinator for the Manayunk Development Corporation said the event is geared towards crowd interaction.

“We are really trying to promote the crowds getting involved in voting for their favorite strawberry item,” said Dietzmann. “We have awards for their favorite strawberry item from a food truck, as well as from a restaurant, and we have an award for the best strawberry window display for our retailers on the street.

In addition to the food trucks, farmers markets will be set up for visitors to shop homemade honeys, oils, spices, breads and other items made by local vendors.

Dietzmann emphasized that this event is an opportunity for people to experience something different in Manayunk, noting that food trucks aren’t allowed on Main Street at any other time of the year.

“These special events really allow people that don’t get to try [food trucks] very often to come down and try something they’ve never had,” said Dietzmann. “It’s just a fun thing to do on a spring day with your family.”

Live music will also be playing on Cotton Street throughout the day.

The event officially kicks off Manayunk’s Restaurant Week, which starts on April 14 and runs through April 26. Nearly two dozen local restaurants will offer a special three-course menu at $10, $20 and $30 price ranges during that time. 

For information on the festival or Manayunk Restaurant Week, go to the event’s website.

Alexis Wilkinson and Joseph Van Dusen are students at Temple University. This piece was produced for Temple’s Multimedia Urban Reporting Lab in collaboration with WHYY/NewsWorks.