Lefty’s Silver Cart will participate in Swirl and Slice: Specialty Foods Market on September 6, September 13 and September 20 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Union Square Plaza.

By Cathleen Twardzik

While the City of Somerville contemplates municipal regulations regarding food trucks, a pilot program will begin in Union Square on August 16 to discover the way in which that type of “vending” would affect the community.

Each Thursday night from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. through September 20, one can enjoy Swirl and Slice: Specialty Foods Market on Union Square Plaza. Among additional activities, the event, which is being run by Union Square Main Streets, will feature a food truck that will serve market customers.

The truck from Roxy’s Gourmet Grilled Cheese will participate in Swirl and Slice on August 16, August 23 and August 30.

Roxy’s owners, brothers, James DiSabatino and Mike DiSabatino, have been recognized nationwide for their participation in the Great Food Truck Race on the Food Network.  They have “generated a loyal, local following” because of their sandwiches, which demonstrate that combining countless edible items with melted cheese heightens the taste.  Don’t forget their truffle fries on the side.

Then, on September 6, September 13 and September 20, another food truck, Lefty’s Silver Cart, will be available at Swirl and Slice. Lefty’s is a regular at the Sowa Market, and it offers exclusively vegetarian fare. Sandwiches, various kinds of soup, different types of salad and smoothies, all of which utilize local, organic ingredients, are among its wares.  Their creation, which appears on regular basis on their menu, “The Elvis” consists of Nutella, Fluff and bananas, which are sandwiched between buttery, toasted Iggy’s Pain di Mie.

The most crucial goal of the Food Truck Pilot is “to [demonstrate] current food trucks in terms of offerings, document customer base/community, impact on area businesses, and evaluate needs in the permitting process,” said Mimi Graney, Executive Director of Union Square Main Streets.

Graney believes that the residents who will benefit the most from the trucks’ presence in Somerville at the event will be the “hungry ones in Union Square,” according to her.

At present, a possible start date for food trucks in the city to possibly go beyond the pilot stage is not set.