Tuck in a Truck - the new concept taking Luxembourg by storm

A new food truck is rolling out New York style dining with a Luxembourg twist in the capital, in a bid to create the Grand Duchy's very own “Off the Grid”.

Since launching three months ago, the Food Truck Company has been serving a range of Luxembourg-American style burgers, including the very first “Luxemburger”, three days a week to discerning diners in Strassen. The project has proved so popular people travel for kilometres to bag a special burger, prompting plans to expand.

“It's really surprising. I didn't expect that. For me, it was a few people in buildings. Maybe 50 to 60 per day. But, people are coming from around the city,” Food truck co-founder Kim Conrardy told wort.lu/en.

Kim, a former graphic designer had been aware of the food truck concept in New York for many years.

He forged a plan to launch the concept in Luxembourg in April and, as research, spent a week tasting food from New York food trucks.

“It was hardcore,” he said, adding: “I walked everywhere and actually lost weight.”

Kim realised that American food was not so different from that found in Luxembourg since it reflected the mix of all the different cultures found in the country. That's when he had the idea to create a fusion of Luxembourgish cuisine and American cooking.

He said: “I wanted to bring back some Luxembourgish meals which people don't remember, like “Judd mat gaardebounen”, or pork with white beans. We've put that into a burger- the very first real Luxemburger. It's really a basic, grandmother's recipe, in a burger.”

Other dishes include the classic American burger with imported sauce and pickles, a special veggie burger with Manchego cheese and red pepper in a ciabatta bap and traditional Luxembourgish soup bouneschlupp.

The menu and concept have proved so popular that Kim's team is serving up to 100 meals per day and sometimes have to turn customers away because they sell out.

“I think it's (successful) because they're simple recipes but good stuff. We use fresh, good quality food. I think it's a mix of the taste and the fun factor because it's fun and now it's something different,” Kim said.

To keep up with the demand, the Food Truck is negotiating spaces in Kirchberg and the Cloche d'Or. They've already been booked for a wedding in 2014 and Kim is looking into creating an entire fleet of food trucks.

“We're going to add some different vans, it's a work in progress. For the moment it's unique, we're the first to do it and wee want to stay number 1.”

So, could Luxembourg one day emulate San Francisco's mass mobile food market, known as Off the Grid in Luxembourg?

Kim certainly thinks so. “It's one of the big dreams and we want to work with other companies. If they start food trucks we could work together. The more we are, the better it is,” he said.

Follow the food truck online via www.foodtruck.lu or via Facebook