On Wednesday, a ribbon-cutting ceremony made the launch of Tampa Bay’s latest mobile kitchen official. And what better way to formally welcome the Bean Mobile than with Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn at his monthly Food Truck Fiesta downtown?
The Bean Mobile is the brainchild of Artistas Café, which previously operated inside Mercedes-Benz of Tampa. A program of the 11-year-old Autism Shifts nonprofit, the cafe continues to staff its kitchen-on-wheels with people diagnosed with autism, offering them training, internship and employment opportunities.
Iced coffee, fruit smoothies, snacks and “Magic Layered Lemonade” — freshly squeezed lemon juice atop floral tea — are among the food truck’s menu items.
Next stop for the Bean Mobile? Skatepark of Tampa’s A.skate Clinic, an autism-friendly event at 10 a.m. Saturday that encourages autistic youth to partake in skateboarding lessons from another nonprofit, Boards for Bros, in a relaxed setting. Interested participants should register online.
Locals can book the Bean Mobile for other upcoming events through the cafe’s website.
This article appears in Sep 6-13, 2018.
