Food Truck Festival coming to Long Island Marathon weekend

On your marks, get set, eat!

That’s not quite what the runners in the NEFCU Long Island Marathon will be told at the starting line, but there’ll be lots of good food for participants and others to enjoy at some point during the event’s weekend that begins Friday.

This will be the first year the marathon-related events will feature a Food Truck Festival at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, with more than a dozen vendors from Long Island and elsewhere, and a large variety of international foods including vegan offerings expected, according to organizers.

“It’s the first year we’re going to have any food there- it’s a big deal,” says Corey Roberts, co-founder of Race Awesome, the company directing a new running course layout for the marathon. “If you were a spectator [in previous years] ...you couldn’t get a cup of coffee while you were standing around for three or four hours.”

Roberts says about 15 vendors are expected to sign up for the Food Truck Festival, which will run from 3 to 8 p.m. on Friday,  10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday. Foods will range from cheese steaks to French crepes.

“People will be able to get a great sandwich standing in the middle of Eisenhower [Park],” Roberts adds. The 26.2-mile course for the Sunday race will begin and end at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow- a change from the former route that started near the Nassau Coliseum on Charles Lindbergh Boulevard.

David Glicker, of Huntington, is proud of the “35-foot kitchen on wheels” that he’ll have at the food festival – NY Strip - which will feature his “signature” grilled prime New York Strip Steak sandwich with sautéed onions and mozzarella cheese on a toasted garlic panini.

“The kitchen’s bigger than those of many small restaurants,” Glicker says. He describes his fare as “familiar, quality comfort food.”

Hayk Mendikyan, of Huntington, will offer sweet and savory goodies from his truck Crepes & Bakes.

Mendikyan notes he knows “a little bit” about the real deal when it comes to crepes. He was born in Leon, France, and owned the now-closed Village Creperie Cafe in Huntington Village for 14 years.

“I think it’s a great idea to have food trucks at the marathon and it’s going to generate some buzz,” Mendikyan says. “People will love it. They’ll be experiencing different foods.”

Here’s a sampling of the food you can get from the various trucks participating in the NEFCU Long Island Marathon Food Truck Festival:

NY STRIP

— Grilled steak sandwiches with sautéed onions and mozzarella cheese on a panini

— Hamburgers

— Hot dogs

— Regular and sweet potato fries

— “Dressed Tater Tots” with different toppings

— Chicken tenders

CREPES & BAKES

— Apple crepes

— Honey, walnut and banana crepes

— Nutella crepes with strawberry and banana

—Goat cheese and spinach crepes

— Ham and cheese crepes

— Chicken and cheese crepes

MAMA’S CUBAN KITCHEN

— Cuban sandwich

— Roast pork sandwich

— Rice bowl of rice, beans, roast pork and sweet plantains

— Beef or chicken empanadas

— Yuca fries

— Tres leche cake

TASTY TAXI

— Hamburgers

— Hot dogs

— Hot soft pretzels

— French fries

— Quesadillas

— Chicken nuggets

BIG BLACK FOOD TRUCK

— Gourmet grilled chicken cheese sandwich with four cheeses, sautéed mushrooms and arugula

— Fried Chicken and Ribs

— Chicken and waffles

— Catfish tacos

— Fried peanut butter, banana and Nutella sandwich

— Fried cheesecake

GREEN STREET FOOD TRUCK (ALL VEGAN)

—  Thai bowl with raw zucchini noodles, grilled tofu, steamed broccoli, shredded carrots, chopped peanuts, cilantro, Thai peanut sauce and a lime wedge.

— Plantain tacos

— Barbecue Jack Fruit (a vegan version of pulled pork)

—  Nachos

—  Rainbow cookies

—  Twix bars

BELLE’S SMOKE HOUSE

—  4 ribs and a side (sides include corn-on-the-cob, macaroni and cheese, French fries, baked beans and coleslaw)

—  3 brisket sliders and a side

—  3 pulled pork sliders and a side

—  3 southern fried chicken sliders and a side

—  Soda

—  Gatorade

CHEEZY PETE’S

— Grilled macaroni and cheese

— Philly Cheese Steak Egg Rolls

— Pulled pork and pineapple tacos with Asian Slaw

— Crispy fish tacos with Asian Slaw

— Cuban sandwich

— Caramel-stuffed churros

UNCLE GUSSYS

— Chicken, Souvlaki and zucchini pitas

— Gyros

— Greek salad

— Greek fries