Food Truck Nation Presents a Culinary Road Trip at this Year's World's Fair

The USA Pavilion will celebrate the creative culinary revival of food trucks with an edible exhibit serving a rotating menu of iconic & innovative regional American food at Expo Milano 2015

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Friends of the USA Pavilion Milano 2015

Apr 22, 2015, 01:21 ET

WASHINGTON, April 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- With less than 10 days until the grand opening of the next world's fair, Expo Milano 2015, the USA Pavilion is gearing up for an exciting exhibit to represent regional American food entitled Food Truck Nation. Six Fiat Ducato food trucks custom-built by Fiat-Chrysler in different colors and outfitted with kitchens by Electrolux will serve up regional American street foods – both traditional and creative interpretations – with a nod toward wholesomeness and sustainability.

Aerial rendering of the Food Truck Nation exhibit as part of the USA Pavilion at Expo Milano 2015.

The menus – created with input from an advisory board of celebrated food truck operators and experts from across the U.S. – will span such iconic American foods as gourmet burgers, New England lobster rolls, regional BBQ, and cheesecake, along with new favorites such as kale salad. Beer and wine, as well as American-style iced coffee will also be on offer. Week to week, the culinary traditions, regional products, and ingredients of different states across America —supported and curated in part by Brand USA, the national tourism marketing agency— will also be celebrated in this unique Food Truck Nation exhibit, featuring menus inspired by the States' iconic cuisine including the beaches of Fort Myers and Sanibel, Florida (May 22-June 11), Louisiana (June 12-July 2), California (July 6-26), and Oregon (October 2-22).

"The growing trend of food trucks that has taken hold in cities across America represents a convergence of entrepreneurism and innovation, social media and social consciousness, and a celebration of American culinary creativity," said USA Pavilion Chief Creative Officer Mitchell Davis. "As part of the USA's participation in Expo we wanted to present the dynamism and deliciousness that can be found on America's streets every day and we couldn't think of a better way than having American food trucks hit the road to Milan."

Matt Geller, CEO of the National Food Truck Association said, "The mobile food industry is one of the fastest growing segments in food service. The lower cost of entry for entrepreneurs has inspired innovation in cuisines and expanded the culinary landscape of countless cities. With every new mobile food entrepreneur, a city can support small business development and expand consumer choice."

"Many proprietors of these new food trucks pride themselves on sourcing local, sustainable ingredients and using products from regional artisans," Davis added.

Of course, Italy has its own food truck traditions—the famous tripe trucks of Florence are just one example—but even so, entrepreneurs have taken notice of the American trend. Michele Crippa, founder of the Italian national food truck association, commented, "A new food truck opens in Italy every day." The USA Pavilion is excited to present this trend and facilitate exchange between Italy and all of the 145 countries participating in the Expo.

About Friends of the USA Pavilion Milano 2015
The U.S. Department of State has selected the Friends of the USA Pavilion Milano 2015 as its private sector partner to work with the U.S. government to develop and implement an official American presence at the Expo. Friends of the USA Pavilion Milano 2015, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is a collaboration between the James Beard Foundation (JBF) and the International Culinary Center (ICC), in association with the American Chamber of Commerce in Italy, whose mission is to conceive, design, fundraise for, and produce the USA Pavilion and programs at Expo Milano 2015.

Current partners include GE, NUSSLI, Brand USA, PepsiCo, Microsoft, Uvet, DuPont, Boeing, Brooks Brothers, illy, Bank of American, EMC, 3M, Research Frontiers, Dow, Uber, McKinsey & Company, FleishmanHillard, Geox, Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, U.S. Sustainability Alliance, American Hardwood Export Council, Food Export Association of the Midwest USA, Food Export USA-Northeast, North American Export Grain Association, USA Poultry & Egg Commission, USA Rice Federation, U.S. Dairy Export Council, U.S. Grains Council, and U.S. Soybean Export Council.

With the leadership of Commissioner General Doug Hickey and under the auspices of the U.S. Department of State, the Friends organization is overseeing every aspect of the project in consultation with a team of experts across the science, business, technology, agriculture, sustainability, design and other fields. The pavilion's management and programming is directed by President Dorothy Hamilton (founder and CEO of ICC), Chief Executive Officer Charlie Faas, and Chief Creative Officer Mitchell Davis (EVP of JBF). Under their supervision, the USA Pavilion was designed by Biber Architects and the exhibitions were designed by Thinc Design.

For more information, visit: www.usapavilion2015.net and www.expo2015.org/en.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150422/200479

SOURCE Friends of the USA Pavilion Milano 2015