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Team from Wichita takes first victory in the “Great Food Truck Race”. But the tension is rising.
Utah

Team from Wichita takes first victory in the “Great Food Truck Race”. But the tension is rising.

Marauding pirates were no problem for Empanadas from Argentina, a Wichita-based food truck team that competed in Food Network’s “The Great Food Truck Race: Games on the Gulf,” hosted by celebrity chef Tyler Florence.

In fact, on Sunday night’s episode, titled “Pirates’ Booty,” the team won its first challenge by impressing a band of pirates from St. Charles, Louisiana, with their Surf & Turf Empanada Platter.

The team, consisting of husband and wife Chad Freeman and Carolina Brandan from Wichita and their friend Paola Mentis, were named winners of the third episode of the Contraband Entree Challenge, saving them from elimination.

The show, which airs Sundays at 7 p.m., pits new food truck owners against each other as they race from city to city selling their wares. The team that makes the least sales in a given city is eliminated at the end of the episode. So far, three of the nine teams have been eliminated.

Wichita team at the “Great Food Truck Race” falters in the second episode

Sunday’s episode had a pirate theme because the teams traveled to St. Charles, which has a rich pirate history. Infamous pirate Jean Lafitte is said to have buried his treasure on the shores of Contraband Island in Lake Charles, and every year locals dress up as pirates to honor his legacy.

In the smuggling challenge, the food truck teams were allowed to raid each other’s trucks and steal things from their kitchens. But their trucks were also looted. Argentina’s Empanadas lost some pork and beef, but managed to snatch some Gulf shrimp, avocado, and peppers. They decided to make the surf and turf platter, which included both chicken and shrimp empanadas.

The pirates loved the empanadas, which Freeman told them – in his best pirate accent – ​​was a specialty of “Arrr-gentina”.

“It has a great aroma and great flavor,” said one of the pirates after tasting the food. “I love a great empanada.”

The Pirate Challenge took place in Lake Charles on the first day. On the second day, teams had the option to pause their trucks’ sales to go on a treasure hunt for an unknown item. Wichita’s team, which had already started cooking by this point and had a line of customers waiting for food, chose not to participate. The teams that participated followed a treasure map to a crate full of bottles of Bayou Rum, which they could use to prepare a special dish and win extra money.

When it was time for the elimination meeting to vote on the episode, Florence announced that the top three trucks Wally’s Waffles from Chicago in third place; Bao Bei from Washington, DC, in second place; and Plate on deck from Lakeland, Florida, took first place.

Argentinian team Empanadas finished in the bottom three, but their victory in the challenge earned them an additional $500, bringing their total in Lake Charles to $4,810. They finished fifth among the seven remaining teams.

“Yes!” Brandan exclaimed when asked about the victory. “One of our goals has been achieved.”

The team that earned the least money in Lake Charles was Down to get tacos from Gilbert, Arizona, and that team was sent home.

Wichita’s team has held a solid mid-table position in the first three episodes, but has not yet made it into the top three.

The pressure appears to be weighing on the team in next week’s episode, which will take place in Biloxi, Mississippi. The preview, which aired after Sunday’s episode, shows married couple Brandan and Freeman frustrating each other and engaging in a profanity-filled exchange.

But in real time, everything seems to be going well. The truckers said on their Facebook page that they sold more than ever during their weekend in Wichita, which included a usual Saturday morning stop at the Old Town Farm & Art Market. They sold out of all the empanadas and had to cancel a service at the Stryker Sports Complex today so they could “restart.”

Also: The Argentine Empanada owners spent Sunday night at Hopping Gnome Brewing Company, where they watched the episode live with friends and supporters. Freeman posted a video from the watch party.

PS: I just wanted to mention that I have a Tyler Florence recipe in my permanent collection. I’ve made his pulled pork for many parties and trips to the lake over the years and it never fails to impress. Be sure to make the apple cider vinegar barbecue sauce and the coleslaw that goes with it. You can find the recipe at this link: www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/pulled-pork-barbecue-recipe-1953137

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