Downtown Mobile was alive with food, music, and community spirit Saturday as the Bay Bites Food Truck Festival, organized by Mobile Bay Keeper’s young advisory council, drew crowds for an afternoon of good eating all in service of a good cause.
The annual festival brings together local food truck vendors to raise funds for Mobile Bay Keeper, the environmental nonprofit led by executive director Cade Kistler that works to protect and defend local waterways. The young advisory council, a group of young adults who help shape the organization’s mission, organizes the popular event.
“It supports our work for clean water,” said Kistler. “Our young advisory council puts this event on to raise funds for Bay Keepers.”
This year’s festival featured a diverse lineup of local food vendors, including Forever Delicious Foods, owned by Brenda Hayes, and Vegan Time, run by Eddie Augusta. Both vendors drew enthusiastic crowds despite facing the pressure of rising food and fuel costs that have squeezed small food businesses across the Gulf Coast.
“With gas, we run off a generator, so that’s affecting us significantly,” said Hayes. “As far as food, because we sell a lot of chicken, a lot of pork, a lot of beef — all of that has gone up tremendously, and then you don’t want to charge too much and then lose your customers.”
Augusta, who uses fresh ingredients daily in her plant-based dishes, said she has had to absorb cost increases carefully. “Sometimes I have to go up when prices go up, but I try to keep it down to a minimum and try not to go up too much,” she said.
Despite the financial headwinds, both vendors pledged to keep showing up at community events like Bay Bites. “I don’t cut back on my food and I’m not cutting back on the quality,” said Hayes. “We are really taking more out of our pockets to make sure our customers stay happy.”
The Bay Bites festival is one of several events held throughout the year to support Mobile Bay Keeper’s mission of safeguarding the region’s waterways and natural resources.