Building 11 transforms into a Food Plaza
2016-07-19
Order up! One of the hottest tickets in eating out is the gourmet food truck, and Starport is now bringing Houston’s best gourmet food trucks to the parking lot outside the Building 11 café.
Beginning July 18, the service will be available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every day (except Flex Fridays).
“The (previous) food options offered in Building 11 have been primarily ‘grab and go,’” said Starport Food Service Manager Gregory Della Longa. “The food trucks and vendors will offer fresh and novel food options.”
Some of the new culinary cuisines include beef-sausage hot dogs, specialty sandwiches, Asian fusion, barbecue and seafood. The initial food trucks will include Yummy Dog, Curbside Sliderz and Cousins Maine Lobster, but employees can expect new additions on a regular basis.
Although the food trucks will start outside Building 11, the idea is to periodically distribute them to areas around the center that may not have easy access to café services.
A schedule will be available on the Starport website (accessible only within the JSC firewall) to inform the community about which food trucks and cuisines will be available from day to day.
Employees at Ellington Field haven’t been forgotten. A food truck will offer lunch alternatives every other Tuesday from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the parking lot outside Hangar 276.
The Starport team is working diligently with additional food vendors to fulfill its vision of transforming Building 11 into a “micro-market with nationally known vendors,” said Exchange Operations Manager Rob Banfield.
Building 3 will continue to offer traditional cafeteria service, and beginning Aug. 1, the Food Plaza will have a variety of vendors serving breakfast from 7 to 9 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. inside Building 11. The anticipated vendors who will serve cuisine inside the building will provide options such as barbecue, Italian and Indian food and sandwiches.
The Starport team—Banfield, Della Long, Stephen Williams, Jeremy Pierre, Lisa Villarreal and Leslie Glenn—has worked tirelessly to secure interested food trucks and vendors. They’ve already met with Center Operations, Safety and Mission Assurance and Occupational Health, and are completing tasks to organize and facilitate sites tours, develop innovative agreements and establish detailed processes and logistics to ensure a safe and satisfying variety of dining experiences.
“Starport's primary objective in the revamping of Building 11 is to offer alternative food service options that increase service to the JSC community,” Banfield said. “Any revenue generated as a result of the Food Plaza will be utilized to further promote any initiatives to enhance the well-being of the JSC community.”
Where you can find the food trucks outside Building 11.
Jaira Pereznegron
NASA Johnson Space Center
Beginning July 18, the service will be available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every day (except Flex Fridays).
“The (previous) food options offered in Building 11 have been primarily ‘grab and go,’” said Starport Food Service Manager Gregory Della Longa. “The food trucks and vendors will offer fresh and novel food options.”
Some of the new culinary cuisines include beef-sausage hot dogs, specialty sandwiches, Asian fusion, barbecue and seafood. The initial food trucks will include Yummy Dog, Curbside Sliderz and Cousins Maine Lobster, but employees can expect new additions on a regular basis.
Although the food trucks will start outside Building 11, the idea is to periodically distribute them to areas around the center that may not have easy access to café services.
A schedule will be available on the Starport website (accessible only within the JSC firewall) to inform the community about which food trucks and cuisines will be available from day to day.
Employees at Ellington Field haven’t been forgotten. A food truck will offer lunch alternatives every other Tuesday from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the parking lot outside Hangar 276.
The Starport team is working diligently with additional food vendors to fulfill its vision of transforming Building 11 into a “micro-market with nationally known vendors,” said Exchange Operations Manager Rob Banfield.
Building 3 will continue to offer traditional cafeteria service, and beginning Aug. 1, the Food Plaza will have a variety of vendors serving breakfast from 7 to 9 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. inside Building 11. The anticipated vendors who will serve cuisine inside the building will provide options such as barbecue, Italian and Indian food and sandwiches.
The Starport team—Banfield, Della Long, Stephen Williams, Jeremy Pierre, Lisa Villarreal and Leslie Glenn—has worked tirelessly to secure interested food trucks and vendors. They’ve already met with Center Operations, Safety and Mission Assurance and Occupational Health, and are completing tasks to organize and facilitate sites tours, develop innovative agreements and establish detailed processes and logistics to ensure a safe and satisfying variety of dining experiences.
“Starport's primary objective in the revamping of Building 11 is to offer alternative food service options that increase service to the JSC community,” Banfield said. “Any revenue generated as a result of the Food Plaza will be utilized to further promote any initiatives to enhance the well-being of the JSC community.”
Where you can find the food trucks outside Building 11.
Jaira Pereznegron
NASA Johnson Space Center
Food trucks kick off outside the Building 11 café with a good crowd of potential customers. Image Credit: NASA