Purple People Eatery Truck Hits the Streets Saturday

​Last year, Michelle Duncan and boyfriend David Shipman applied for a Pepsi Refresh Grant to make their Oil Spill Kitchen -- a truck that would roll through the South feeding those affected by the BP oil spill -- a reality. They didn't get the money, but they didn't give up on the idea of owning a food truck.

On Saturday, the couple of Le Cordon Bleu grads will hit the streets on their Purple People Eatery, the truck they've been working on since October.

"It's more of like a childhood memory. We used to watch the movie, the Purple People Eater, and we kinda thought of that. It's kinda funky, kinda unique," Duncan said about the name, though she admitted there's another reason behind it that she wouldn't want printed.

The driver's side of the truck was left as an open canvas where Josh Hall from the Miami Artist Connection is painting a mural. The idea is to have a different artist paint that side of the truck every few months, said Duncan.

She describes the chow as "a middle ground between health food and street food" but warns that they're not afraid to fry stuff.

On the menu are blackened buffalo mini burgers with blue cheese, shallots, pickled peaches and barbecue sauce (named Black and Blues). The Mahi-Miami is a battered Mahi taco with chipotle slaw and pinapple salsa. There's also a vegetarian stuffed pita (Club Med), sides such as sweet potato wedges and mac-n-cheese, and daily specials. 

Look out for the one-eyed, one-horned, flyin' purple people eater-Y at LaunchArte (121 NE 36th Street) on Saturday, February 19 at noon and follow it on Facebook and Twitter for its exact coordinates.

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