GNY EP.173 | feat. Nick Sanford from The Food Truck Battle

Inside the Syracuse Food Truck Battle: 55+ Trucks, Live Music, and Wood-Fired Pizza with Nick Sanford Host Noah Chrysler interviews Nick Sanford, owner of Toss & Fire Pizza and head of the event committee for the Syracuse Food Truck Association, about the annual Food Truck Battle happening May 8–9 at the Great New York State Fair near Chevy Court. Nick says the event will feature over 55 food trucks offering $3–$5 samples and full menus, two days of live music (including Dangerous Type and Mayday Parade), an artisan village with 50+ vendors, a kids’ zone, games, craft beer, and wine slushies. Attendees can vote for favorite trucks while judges—including local media and the Syracuse Fire Department—award custom wrestler-style belts, including a uniqueness category. Nick shares advice for new food trucks to be visually appealing and unique, highlights items like a vodka cutlet sandwich and Colombian empanadas, and recounts building Toss & Fire from a trailer into multiple locations. He directs viewers to syrfoodtrucks.com for tickets and bookings, and Noah plugs Click Stream Studios’ free marketing plans and sponsor Ads on the Go. 00:00 Tomato Talk Cold Open 00:22 Meet Nick Sanford 00:39 Food Truck Battle Preview 01:41 How Judging Works 02:31 Championship Belts 02:53 Live Music Lineup 03:20 SFTA Origins and Booking 05:10 Food Truck Success Tips 06:06 Must Try Trucks and Samples 07:57 Picking a Winning Sample 09:03 How The Event Evolved 10:25 Chef Movie and Recap 11:42 Toss and Fire Origin Story 12:46 Learning Wood Fired Pizza 00:04 Tomato Varieties Deep Dive 14:08 Kitchen Culture and Service 16:36 Final Plug and Thanks 17:04 Show Outro and Sponsor