For the next two weeks, various local food trucks will be parked outside of Josiah’s starting at 6 p.m. each night.
The new schedule began yesterday with Gnarly Vines Farm serving “farm to table Brazilian/American food,” according to an Instagram post from Brown Dining Services. Among the other vendors advertised are Incredabowls, Saugy’s, The Ish and Championship Melt. Food trucks will continue to sell in Vartan Gregorian Quadrangle every night from Feb. 15 to 27.
“I’m excited that we’re being offered a different sort of food that we wouldn’t normally get and that we can get it with a meal swipe,” said Morgan Jones ’24, who visited the Gnarly Vines truck and ordered cheese pastels, which are savory pastries “similar to an empanada,” according to the food truck’s website.
“It’s really cool,” said Daniel Newgarden ’25. “I ordered feijoada for myself and my partner … I’m very excited to try it.” Feijoada is a bean, pork and beef stew that is Brazil’s national dish, according to Ester Bishop, the owner of Gnarly Vines in Tiverton, Rhode Island.
Newgarden said that he had heard of the truck from word of mouth and would like to see more advertising for the dining event.
Bishop said that the Gnarly Vines food truck came to campus following an invitation from the University through PVD Food Truck Events, an organization that runs various food truck events throughout the state.
Gnarly Vines had visited the University before, Bishop said. They were “very popular with the students” in the past, he added, which was part of the reason they were invited back. Barring any scheduling changes, the Gnarly Vines truck will not return to the University in February, but Bishop said he hopes they can come back later in the year.
Students can purchase a food truck ticket inside Josiah’s dining hall with a meal swipe or Flex Points and then use it to order a meal at a truck. The University compensates Gnarly Vines Farms based on the number of food tickets sold inside Josiah’s, Bishop said.
On Tuesday, the truck saw plenty of business. “We have served well over 100 people already,” Bishop said at about 9:00 p.m. She added that the most popular dish was feijoada. In addition to events and catering, Gnarly Vines serves food in the truck at the Mount Hope and Tiverton Farmer’s Markets weekly.
Bishop said she loves coming to Brown. “I love how diverse it is. I see a lot of people from Brazil who come to eat the Brazilian food. I love coming here,” she said.
Born and raised in Brazil herself, Bishop said she enjoys sharing her culture’s food and hopes she can continue to do so in the future.
