With the fun of Twilight — the hairpin turns, the beer gardens — there will be good food.
The Twilight Food Court will go all weekend, allowing spectators to buy and eat food similar to the fare of state and county fairs.
For those who will experience their first Twilight, most restaurants will be open, but extremely crowded. The food court, instead, will offer several savory and sweet options.
While people will be watching the events of Twilight, there will be a number of food carts in the area providing meals for spectators. FILE/The Red & Black
The food vendors pay a fee for the space and they keep what they make, said Ashley Travieso, director of marketing.
“We only have so much space to fit vendors downtown,” she said. “Most vendors have done it at least one year.”
Sunny Byars, from Sunshine Concessions, will serve its batter mixed, hand-poured and cooked-on-site funnel cakes, topped with powder sugar.
Popsicles by Melissa Fontaine through her business Hip Pops, created from a game of making up popsicle flavors after hip-hop stars, also offer fare to satisfy a sweet tooth.
Like several of the vendors that will be present, Byars’ funnel cakes have made a previous appearance.
“Every year that she’s worked with it, there’s been a food court,” Travieso said.
Out of the list of vendors for this year, some already have restaurants in the Athens area, such as Kelly’s Jamaican Foods and Buffalo’s Café, while some others work predominately for the festival scene.
Kelly’s Jamaican Foods has not only participated in the Twilight Criterium, its food stand has also frequented AthFest.
Kelly Codling, owner and chef of Kelly’s, enjoys the experience.
“Just the customers,” Codling said. “Selling food to customers. I just enjoy cooking and selling. This is about my 10th one, really. I’ve been here since 2001.”
Vendors come back — so do customers.
“Every year I see repeat customers,” Codling said. “They come to the Twilight, but they also come to enjoy my food. They might get Jamaican food where they are from, but it may not be this kind of food.”
Returning vendors and customers of this Twilight focus not only on the thrill of sports, but also on the quality of the food.
“I serve mostly everything,” Codling said. “They love the jerk pork and jerk chicken and the cabbage. I love cooking everything special. I’ve learned lots of my cooking from my mother and my grandmother.”
VENDORS
Rollin’ Chopsticks
Kelly’s Jamaican Foods
Chick-fil-A
Buffalo’s Café
Finger Lickers
Sunshine Concessions
Biggums Bar-B-Que
Chocolate & Spice Eatery
ALEC
Hip Pops