Italian food has always been strongly appreciated in London, but locals and tourists have come to increasingly love Italian street food to be bought from specifically converted vans. As La Repubblica points out, in these vans, it is possible to find in all sorts of delicacies, from pappardelle served in parmesan wheels, to Sicilian arancini, panelle, and cannoli filled at the moment, as per tradition. Some young Italian entrepreneurs have chosen to present their offer of street food in converted means of transport that scream their origins.
Eva Fino, from Livorno, brought an Italian 1964 caravan to London with her car and transformed into “That’s s food truck” a cocktail bar that also serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and coffee bringing to Mercato Metropolitano an amazingly friendly atmosphere. Alessandro Bianchetti too decided to bring a piece of Italy to Bicester Village opening his “Buongiorno e Buonasera” Bicester in a converted red Piaggio Ape car in which he installed an oven to cook the original Roman-style pizza, with delicious charcuterie, vegetarian, and vegan options. In his words: “Everything we do is designed to recreate the genuine atmosphere of the ‘Bel Paese‘.”
Fabio Pironti, on the other hand, brought together the quintessential symbol of London, a 1978 red double-decker bus, with the most typical Sicilian recipes revised by his mother in vegan versions. This is how “Just Fab Veg Italian” came to be. A fully functional kitchen on the ground floor and tables and benches on the top floor where to enjoy lasagne, arancini, panelle, tiramisù, and countless other vegan recipes.
Ilona Catani Scarlett