The grand finale of the Swiss Street Food Awards took place in Winterthur this weekend amid enormous buzz, as the winners will travel to Munich in October to represent Switzerland at the European final.
Last weekend, the finals of the fourth Swiss Street Food Awards took place on Winterthur's Archplatz, where ten food trucks served their best to an interested audience from Thursday onwards. The best of them were crowned by a jury of experts on Saturday.
The jurors were Luna Dober, who owns the Aperolino food truck, chef Stéphanie Zosso, who won the Culinary World Cup in 2022, Tauli Mulaj, a finalist of MasterChef Switzerland 2023, and Larissa Graf, Falstaff editor and co-creator of the Falstaff Streetfood Guide Switzerland. Much was at stake, as the winners of the will go on to represent Switzerland at the European Street Food Awards in Munich this October.
Just like last year, plant-based concepts once again led the field. Spicy Roots took second place with plant-based cuisine from Nigeria, while reigning champion Jaybees Foodtruck successfully defended its title. Jaybee's owner Jeanette Burton, will therefore take another shot at the Euro finals, where her vegan gourmet fare was narrowly defeated last year. Burton managed to source almost all of the ingredients locally, serving a creative interpretation of the motto, "A foodie trip around the world"; her asparagus was also local, which she served as ice cream for dessert – it divided customers but was well received by the jury.
Third place went to Tomakee, a food truck with roots in Switzerland, Hong Kong and Singapore. Featuring East-West combinations such as noodle bowls or bao buns with pastrami – both of which are also available in a vegan version with homemade spiced seitan – the trio also won the "Jury's Favorite" award. The dessert, a refreshing sago pudding with wild berries, was particularly well received. The jury also praised their appearance, noting their "super cute" truck.
The patrons at the three-day event were also big fans of fusion cuisine, as the people's choice award went to the Sushi Dog crew of Solothurn, which served deep-fried sushi rolls which won customers over with their taste and originality. The other finalists can definitely feel like winners too: The jury was truly spoiled for choice, impressed by the high standard of this year's edition. As organizer Andreas Albonico-Seiler put it: "Street food is versatile - from simple to haute cuisine! We're celebrating top quality street food here!"
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