New mexican food truck park comes to Santa Rosa
Main entrance of the food park (Photo: Jackson Ruppe, The Puma Prensa)
By Jackson Ruppe, staff writer
Mitote Food Park is a new food truck spot and open air market that opened last July in Roseland. It is dedicated to celebrating heritage and culture through food, music, and arts. It is located in the heart of Roseland, right off of the Dutton Avenue exit of Highway 101, and is also dog-friendly. The park has abundant outdoor seating shaded by colorful umbrellas and is surrounded by food trucks on two sides. Last month, they also installed a tent covering much of the park to accommodate guests during the rainy season.
The park features a rotating cast of food trucks, live music, as well as a weekly farmer’s market. “Because the area of Roseland is predominantly Latino, we wanted to represent each region of Mexico with each food truck, to educate the customer on different kinds of cuisines from different regions of Mexico," said Octavio Diaz, owner and operator of Mitote Food Park. For those that are legal, there is also a bar that offers a wide selection of cocktails, local beers, as well as specialty drinks from Mexico.
The park is also a hub for local artists to showcase their talents. It is surrounded by colorful murals covering the side walls of the nearby stores. Free live music is also frequently featured within the park itself, typically occurring on Fridays or weekends, but also sometimes during weeknights. “There are lots of artists who paint or play some type of instrument in Roseland. This is an area where they can perform and showcase their talents," said Diaz.
Besides the local art and food trucks, there’s a farmer’s market every Sunday from 11AM to 3PM hosted by El Mercadito de Roseland (The Roseland Market). The farmer’s market normally offers Mexican food, fresh produce, as well as other accessories and clothing.
The park has tons of different Mexican food options, with a typical meal costing around $10-15. “I ate tacos from one of the trucks,” said Manny Gaspar, a Latino senior student at Maria Carrillo. “The food was good and my friends also enjoy it too.”
Other reactions have also been positive. “The food was good and the vibes were immaculate," said Harrison Fields, another senior who recently tried the food park for the first time. “I ate a birria quesadilla from one of the trucks and it was really good. It wasn’t too expensive, and the food came out really fast. They also had live music when I was there so that was cool.”
Mitote Food Park is open everyday from 11 a.m.to 11 p.m.. I would recommend that anyone who likes Mexican food check it out.