The owner of a local food truck wants to bring convenient, restaurant quality food to the USF St. Petersburg campus and form a connection between the food truck community and the university.
Ramzy Andary, 39, owns Pitas on the Run, a food truck that has been in business for three years in the bay area. The mobile restaurant sells homemade Mediterranean-inspired items, such as hummus and pita chips, and focuses on two things: good food and quick food.
“The good thing about the food truck is that we keep a simple menu that creates very short window times; 2 to 4 minutes,” Andary said. “Pass by the truck. Grab some food. Off to class.”
What really makes Andary’s truck special is this: he donates 10 percent of his profits to a charity chosen by his host. Here’s the kicker– he’d like to sell his grub at USFSP and give that 10 percent to the university to help raise funds for clubs and activities.
Andary has sold his food on campus to USFSP students in the past, but he wants to create a more permanent bond with the university. He plans to create a midweek food truck rotation with other local trucks, like Latin Lunchbox, and post the times and weekly specials on a specific USFSP food truck Facebook page to keep students informed.
“Having a rotation of food trucks is like having a different chef three days a week at your college, which is fantastic,” Andary said.
Pitas on the Run is the culmination of Chef Andary’s culinary arts education and a passion for cooking passed on to him by his family.
Andary and his uncle had the idea of opening a food truck using family recipes, and Andary convinced his uncle to come down from D.C. and start the business in Florida, where he felt the weather was best.
Amid planning out the business venture, Andary’s uncle passed away. To keep his uncle’s dream alive, he paired up with his cousin and opened Pita’s on the Run.
The menu is based on recipes passed down multiple generations to Andary’s mother and uncle. The dishes are made with a lot of love, according to Andary. His must try item? Lebanese fries.
Lebanese fries.
The chef describes the dish: “We take seasoned fries and put tahini, (sesame seed sauce) lemon and garlic, and then add tabouli. It’s not dairy at all –tabouli is like a pico de gallo, it just adds color and flavor to the fries.”
The best part? No animals were harmed in the making of these fries. Lebanese fries are 100 percent vegan.
Although Pitas on the Run is not established at USFSP at this time, foodies don’t have to wait to flock to this mobile eatery. The truck circulates the downtown area, and is frequently in front of All Children’s Hospital on Thursday and Friday afternoons, which is a short walk from campus.
If getting there for lunch isn’t an option, Pitas on the Run also sells their nosh at local watering holes.
Information:
Look out for Ramzy Andary and his truck in front of the school on Tuesday, Sept. 1, and Thursday, Sept. 3, from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and at Green Bench Brewing Company on Friday, Sept. 11 from 5-10 p.m.
Mention this article to Ramzy while the truck is on campus to get a free side of pita chips and hummus!
Want to see more of Pitas on the Run on campus? Let your administrators know!
