Food Truck Trend Comes to Irvington

Married couple Rachel Seltzer and Chris Arlotta have lived in Irvington for the past couple of years (before that, they were residents of Dobbs Ferry) and decided to stay local with their new business venture—Rachel's Gourmet Inc.

"About five months ago, I got laid off from my job and this is something both of us had talked about for years," Arlotta shared. "We thought it was great opportunity to start a food truck."

Seltzer notes food trucks are increasingly popular in New York City and said she thought it would carry "less risk" than investing in a restaurant.

Instead, the couple purchased a vehicle from a former Rye Playland food truck owner who was out of business after Sandy severely damaged the waterfront park.

After a few months of research and getting the proper permits from the village—Arlotta notes Irvington officials have been "super supportive" of the venture—Rachel's Gourmet opened for business adjacent to the train station at the bottom of Main Street.

Chef Dan Brown, who connected with the couple trough a Craigslist advertisement, concocted a menu he said is inspired by his comfort food roots. It includes items such as pulled pork with jalapeño corn cake, a burger with pancetta and fried egg and a roasted red pepper Caesar wrap with chicken or steak. All sandwiches are served with seasoned crisp waffle fries or a side salad. Prices range from $7 to $9.

"People are pretty much going through the menu now and figuring out what their favorite stuff is," he said.

The truck is available on the library side of the tracks from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and accepts pre-orders and credit cards. The truck also recently started delivering to the downtown area (call 914-222-1985 to order ahead).

"People like the convenience," Arlotta said.

Click the video above for more about Rachel's Gourmet.