MICA launches its own food truck

The food truck trend has rolled onto the campus of the Maryland Institute College of Art. Set to debut sometime during the week of Oct. 15, the Artist’s Palate will ply the university's Bolton Hill campus, bringing students breakfast sandwiches, late night snacks and meals in between.

The newest truck in Baltimore’s fleet of mobile vendors is one of the country’s first for a university setting, according to Christopher Bohaska, the MICA’s director or operation services. “A food truck is an idea that we’ve had for a while,” Bohaska said. “It’s a creative solution to our growing campus.”

Although its services will be available to the general public, the food truck is intended as an amenity for the MICA community, “Our students have really unique schedules,” Bohaska said. “They’re sometimes in their studios for six hours at a time.”

A typical schedule would have the Artist's Palate serving lunch near academic buildings, dinner at studio spaces, and late-night snacks near student housing.

The Artist's Palate will be jointly operated by MICA and Parkhurst Dining Services, which runs the university's bricks-and-mortar dining facilities. It will serve a core menu of hamburgers, hot dogs, fresh soups, falafel sandwiches, turkey burgers and french fries.

Mobile food trucks have flourished in Baltimore, which puts fewer restrictions on their movements than most comparable major American cities.

Willy Dely, who heads the 26-member Maryland Mobile Food Vendors Association, said that MICA students have frequently requested visits from food trucks.

“It’s a great idea for them,” Dely said “and it’s a great idea for everyone going to MICA.”


The truck's whereabouts can be followed on Twitter @parkhurst_mica and facebook.com/micadining.

• The Baltimore Sun Food Truck Finder

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