They said it couldn’t be done, but Fork on the Road did it – it gave Adelaideans something to celebrate and enjoy beyond the festivals of February and March. Fork is a travelling festival in its own right; it’s apparent spontaneity belying the carefully choreographed preparations that underpin each event. South Australian produce is to the fore, naturally, but here it is celebrated as it should be: on South Australian plates and for South Australian palates. Why should restaurants in Melbourne and Sydney have all the fun? We’re the producers; we should be the cooks and consumers too. And what cooks! A truck for every chef, with each their own interpretation of a cherished food on display. I say ‘food’ and not ‘foods’ because these mobile kitchens hold no court with the multi-page menu; a truck does not afford the space for more, which, by perk of its design, only leaves room for the best!
Each Fork grows in terms of its offering, patronage, attractions and design. It’s almost two years of age now and there are no signs of its popularity abating. It is absolutely Australia’s biggest food truck festival, and may well be its biggest food festival full stop (certainly that case could be made if one were to combine its impact across time). And nobody really seems to know it yet… Nobody, that is, save for the dozens of purveyors and thousands of consumers that continue to pass through its figurative doors. And perhaps therein lies the secret to Fork’s success: it’s not until you’ve actually attended a Fork event that you really ‘get it’. It’s transient, mobile, spontaneous and delicious; both a pleasure-seeking passenger and maverick driver of Adelaide’s renewed social landscape.
