I never imagined crepes in my small community, and I didn’t imagine grain bowls and gourmet, wood-fired pizza with pesto and goat cheese.

Both are here. We are having a Food Cart revolution in agricultural Washington County, where people’s eating habits do not change easily.

Our small community seems ready; food carts are leading the charge for healthy and delicious new foods in this area of upstate New York.

. I am no gourmet or food snob, but I need to eat nutritious (heart disease and diabetes) food which is not easy.

Our town is not known for food innovation and experimentation; people always stop at our two new food carts and ask to order hot dogs and hamburgers.

I’m excited. I’ve come to love the food I rarely ate – vegetables, grains, etc. And I can buy them all as takeout and order online!

I have come attached to different cheeses, stir-fries, wheat couscous, nuts, fruit,  brown rice,  every kind of vegetable except eggplant, wood-fired pizza, and salads that are filling, delicious and nutritious. I never dared to dream of crepes.

Last week I wrote about a food cart in Greenwich, our country’s agricultural heart,  called “A Little Paris,” out on Route 29, and today, we drove a mile or so down Route 22, our highway, and found the new home of “Shift: Woodfired,” a food cart that sells pizza, sandwiches, and salads worthy of Brooklyn.

 

(Corey at the wood stove)

They started in the Farmer’s Market a few weeks ago; they moved to a second location right near our house for Friday, Saturday, and ( Sunday (at the Farmer’s Market.)

These are neighbors we are thrilled to have.

The french cart – farther away in a different town – sells regular and savory crepes that practically melt that are instantly addictive. I’ve brought home several dinners.

Even the locals are getting hooked on it.

Dinner for Maria and me came from the Shift cart; tonight was a grain bowl for me,   farro grain, kale, roasted sweet potatoes, sweetened cranberries, and crumbled goat cheese with w/shallot vinaigrette.

This is dream food for a person with diabetes and heart disease who once dined on expense accounts in New York City’s best restaurants. I admit I was somewhat spoiled for life.

Maria and I practically live now on fresh and natural food, grains, and salads.

I’m no food snob, but I miss not being surrounded by restaurants that change with the times because their customers don’t want to change what they eat. Fair enough.

But what can I say about fresh and locally made crepes – the ones at “A Little Paris” is remarkable. So is the wood-fired pizza at “Shift.” Our county is ready for change. Both seem to be booming.

I know I sound like one of those food elitists, but this is good news for us. We had a wonderful meal for $20.

There is still plenty of meat to eat here; I don’t eat any.

I had no choice but to discover vegetables and salads, and I’ve come to love this new food and way of eating. I’ve never been a big meat guy. . Hot dogs and hamburgers are not things I can or will eat any longer.

The Subway workers tell me I’m one of the few customers they have who doesn’t order meat for his sandwiches, just veggie wraps.

Tonight, Maria had a falafel sandwich with hummus, romaine, tomatoes, cucumber, cabbage, and pickles w/ Lemon Tahini dressing in a farm and fresh pita.

Tomorrow I’m going back to the Shift cart (it’s a mile or two away) and getting the Scapegoat, Garlic Scape Pizza, pesto with goat cheese, and fresh tomato. This will be dinner for both of us, two slices each. On weekdays, we cook.

The 10-inch size is small, light, and delicious.

I give Corey Sarah Macmillan great credit for buying aging and decaying old food cards. Carey rebuilt it himself – he is also a famous house painter- and Sarah, a school nutritionist, put the menu and ingredients today.

They work day and night, seven days a week, to get Shift up and to run, and both have two regular jobs with two children at home.

Corey gets up with the sun to start making dough for his pizza; Sarah collects the ingredients, all fresh.

Hard work, courage, and commitment can still pay off in America. I know “A Little Paris” is closing for winter when it gets cold, but I’m not sure how long Shift will stay open. Corey has a warm stove; he could hold out for a while.

 

(My Grain Bowl. I can’t eat the sweetened cranberries)

Except for my time in New York City, I rarely at out of food carts. It makes a lot of sense – no rent, no paid staff, no septic, and other health worries, and you can move your business around anywhere you want.

I had a daydream while I sat outside today, with five or six food carts with all kinds of fresh food heading our way. In the meantime, I’ll give thanks to these two.