To quote Food Network star Tyler Florence: “Let’s get rolling!”
The celebrity chef, who has taken Food Network on the road in his uber popular reality TV series “The Great Food Truck Race,” begins this year’s journey at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Season 17 premieres Sunday, June 30.
Since the reality TV cooking competition made its debut in 2010, Florida has had a lot of screentime on “The Great Food Truck Race.” Over the years, there have been a few food truck teams/contestants from Florida, as well as various “stops” here in the Sunshine State.
The same is true for summer 2024: Florence and his “cheftestants” compete in Fort Myers, then end the race in Miami.
“Nothing says summer like ‘The Great Food Truck Race’ and this season’s first-time route across the Gulf Coast brings our trucks to places we’ve never been before,” Betsy Ayala, head of content for food at Warner Bros. Discovery, said in a news release. “Each time these talented teams roll up to a new location, it’s truly an event.”
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In February 2024, Florence and a production crew for “The Great Food Truck Race” filmed an episode for the Gulf Coast season during a stop in Southwest Florida. The celebrity chef posed for photos with fans in between takes while checking in with the rival food trucks.
That episode is set to air toward the end of season 17’s “The Great Food Truck Race.” (Spoiler alert: Click on this link to read what it was like see Food Network star Tyler Florence filming in Florida for “The Great Food Truck Race,” but beware, there are spoilers in that story link.)
The Food Network show previously filmed in Fort Myers in 2019, as well. While he was in Southwest Florida then, Florence visited local restaurants in Naples.
Star sighting!Tyler Florence and ‘Great Food Truck Race’ rolled through Fort Myers — here’s the aftermath
Who’s competing in Food Network show ‘Great Food Truck Race’ with Tyler Florence for summer 2024?
Here are the competing teams for “The Great Food Truck Race,” season 17, which premieres at 8 p.m. EST Sunday, June 30, 2024, with a special two-hour episode on Food Network and foodnetwork.com.
- Argentina’s Empanadas from Wichita, Kansas with Carolina Freeman, Paola Mentis and Chad Freeman
- Bao Bei from Washington, D.C., with Kevin Hsieh, Cody Hoover and Zakary Keres
- Cooks with Passion from Atlanta, Georgia, with Andrew Bernadine, Terry Jones and Jasmine Smith
- Down to Get Tacos from Gilbert, Arizona, with Karina Wollangk, Kiana Wollangk and Oz Gudino
- Fishnet from Baltimore, Maryland, with Ferhat Yalcin, Uswa McDowell and Keyia Yalcin
- Kalye from New York City, New York, with Rob Mallari-D’Auria, Barry Jacinto and Mark Besanna
- Plates on Deck from Davenport, Florida, with Ken James, Ziomara Taveras and Samuel Jenkins
- SOLA Po’Boys from Los Angeles, California, with Serrano Barnes, Barenese Butler and Randy Butler
- Wally’s Waffles from Chicago, Illinois, with Wally Strzepka, Maggie Strzepka and Joe Caiafa
What is ‘Great Food Truck Race’ reality TV cooking competition series on Food Network?
Food truck teams travel across the U.S. with culinary “rest stops” for a chance to win $50,000. “The Great Food Truck Race” made its debut in 2010 on the Food Network with host Tyler Florence. The show bio states: Each team must prove their culinary expertise, marketing savvy and selling skills in themed challenges to beat their rivals and stay in the race.
What is Food Network show ‘Great Food Truck Race’ 2024 about?
Celebrity chef Tyler Florence, a longtime personality on the Food Network and its sister network, Cooking Channel, welcomes nine food trucks to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, where their epic nine-city road trip for $50,000 across America’s Gulf Coast begins.
According to a press release, “These first-time food truck teams face daunting challenges in the hopes of reaping unprecedented rewards, including award medals that have carryover value in the next city. Tyler groups the teams into squads who must scrap for sales in an all-out selling frenzy, and the bottom two teams must face a shocker of an elimination.
“The race then hits Galveston, Texas, where baseball all-star Justin Turner judges a ‘ballpark bites’ challenge. Upcoming episodes include an all-out food brawl with All Elite Wrestling tag teams The Acclaimed and The Gunns in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and a challenge to serve the crowds at Mardi Gras in Mobile, Alabama.
In the season finale, the last two trucks standing head to the famed South Beach Food and Wine Festival in Miami where Food Network stars Maneet Chauhan (“Tournament of Champions,” “Chopped”), Jeff Mauro (“Food Network Star,” “Sandwich King,” “The Kitchen”) and Aarti Sequeira (“Food Network Star,” “Aarti Party”), and food influencers Owen Han and Toni Chapman help decide which food truck wins the $50,000 grand prize.
In a new twist for season 17 of “The Great Food Truck Race: Games on the Gulf,” the teams are divided into “Stars and Stripes” squads, and the top sellers each week are awarded gold, silver and bronze medals that come with a cash bonus.
The season finale features the renowned South Beach Wine and Food Festival in Miami, Florida, at 8 p.m. EST Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024.
Fans can keep up with the competing teams and find out where Food Network star Tyler Florence likes to eat when he’s on the road at foodnetwork.com/greatfoodtruckrace. If you’re tweeting on social media, use the hashtag #GreatFoodTruckRace.
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network-Florida. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.
