With the sun shining on the Royal Easter Show today Neon Alley's I Love Gelato airstream food truck is gearing up for a bumper day.
With Neon Alley already the hottest new food destination at the show, the specially customised air stream I Love Gelato food truck is stocked with neon and traditional gelatos as well as a specialty lemon sorbet that the family behind Neon Alley have imported direct from Italy and are serving in real frozen lemons.
"Like moths to a flame, showgoers have been drawn in by all our bright lights and the wild neon foods. Some of our new world-first foods - like the gummy bear loaded fries - have divided opinion. But that's only till they try them and realise how amazing the sweet and savoury combo is. With the sun out in full force, it feels like the next food star in our Neon Alley line-up will be the authentic Italian lemon sorbet, served in a real lemon. I first tried the sorbet in a lemon on a holiday to the Amalfi coast and I'm excited to now be bringing it all the way from Italy to Neon Alley. I hope today's temperatures keep rising and show goers get to cool down in European style with our lemon sorbet."
The bright yellow lemon sorbet in the shell of a real lemon will hold its own among the kaleidoscope of colour at the immersive explosion of food, lights and sound that is Neon Alley.
While the warmer weather will see the lemon sorbet take centre stage, neon coated dagwood dogs with neon sauces, neon gelato, neon sugar dusted cronuts and churros, neon hot dogs with neon buns and sauces, neon freak shakes, the viral neon gummy bear loaded fries and the Elvis fried chicken burger on Krispy Kreme donuts are just some of the unique glowing foods that are being served from custom made Air-Stream food trucks in a technicolour laneway of more than 500 neon lights.
Neon Alley is the biggest ever food truck installation in the 200-year history of the Royal Easter Show.
"It looks amazing. We've already had thousands of people taking pics with our neon angel wings and within our gorgeous bright alleyway. And we have some of the best food deals at the Show. In addition to the neon foods, we also have show staples like dagwood dogs – including our world's biggest 2ft dagwood dog – that are made using a traditional family recipe that hasn't changed since the 1930s when our family bought the very first dagwood dog to Australia. We don't use any frozen or pre-made dagwood dogs. Ours are all fresh and handmade," said Jade Evans, founder/operator of the new family-operated Neon Alley and Ace Attractions.
The special customised rose gold and silver Air-Stream food trucks that make up Neon Alley include individual 'I love Fairy Floss', 'I love Hot Dogs', 'I love Churros', 'I love Gelato & Shakes' and 'I love Fairy Floss' custom builds that shine bright in the Show food destination.
In addition to the cool sweetness being served from I Love Gelato other sweet treats include the world's biggest, fluffiest fairy floss at an enormous 6ft of neon spun sweetness in strawberry, bubble gum and Unicorn flavours as well as neon Freak Shakes are available at Neon Alley.
Seven generations of the Evans and Foster families, who are running the new Neon Alley, have shared a proud history with Royal Easter Show.
"Our families have been involved with the Show for close to half the time it's been running. For 95 years the Foster and Evan's families have been a part of the Show with food and rides – and this year our kids are heavily involved in Neon Alley. Our sixteen-year-old daughter Ava is running her 'I love Churros' air stream at Neon Alley and seventeen-year-old son Austin will also be running a food truck,' said Jade Evans, who along with her husband Josh, kids and other family members are running the new Neon Alley.
Rounding out the family fun at the Royal Easter Show is the Evan's 11-year-old twin daughters Willow and Faith who are selling old-school Kewpie Dolls on a stick from a stall alongside their parents.
Named in honour of their 'nanna's', who both sold kewpie dolls at shows around Australia when they were young, 'Betty & June's Dolls' will have thousands of hand-made retro kewpie dolls on a stick for sale.
The renowned Evan's family Dagwood dogs were supersized for the Royal Easter Show last year when they offered show-goers the World's Biggest Dagwood dog at a mouth-watering 2 foot long. This year the Evan's dagwood dogs are also available in a neon bouquet for sharing with Jade Evans always sensitive to keep costs as low as they can for families.
"I have a large family with six kids so we're always trying to do the best we can to give families a deal," added Jade Evans.
King of the Dagwood Dogs, Josh Evans - whose family first introduced the show food staple to Australia in the early 1930s - says, "We're still hand making our Dagwood dogs using the recipe my Grandparents bought back from an American fair, along with Australia's first food trucks. Even the neon doggies are made using my grandparents' original recipe. The only slight change is that we're now also offering a gluten-free dagwood dog."
"This is by far our biggest involvement with the Royal Easter Show, and is also our most significant investment since Covid. My husband Josh's family introduced food trucks to Australia, long before they became as trendy as they have in recent years – so it's a proud moment to see the next generation, our kids, so excited to be part of their family history," added Jade Evans.
Sixteen-year-old Ava Evans saved up to purchase her 'I Love Churros' food truck which she's operating from a sleek silver air stream surrounded by neon lights. Ava is serving neon versions of the cinnamon sugar Spanish street food staple as well as Oreo churros and loaded options with toppings such as Bischof and Tim Tams.
The budding young entrepreneur says, "I saved all of the money I made working at shows with mum and dad to purchase my food truck. I've grown up going to the Royal Easter Show and its always great fun but this year it's a whole new level of epic."
Neon Alley is located on Monaro Street behind the woodchopping precinct and opens at 9am running through till the show closes every day until April 17th.
