Foodies unite: Project announces food trucks

TAMPA — The Heights Public Market has announced the names of the first Tampa area food trucks to be part of a rotating stall at the forthcoming development.

The food trucks are Surf & Turf and Empamamas, according to a statement.

Surf & Turf, run by husband/wife team Adam and Beata Browne, has been serving fresh seafood, as well as catering events and weddings, from their truck in Tampa for more than two years. The couple moved to the region after operating a food truck in Philadelphia and New Jersey. Adam Browne has worked in steakhouses in New York City and Los Angeles, and has been featured on Travel Channel's “Food Paradise,” according to the statement.

“We couldn't be more excited to be setting up shop in Armature Works — people are always asking us, where they can find us every day, and this really gives us a home base,” Beata Browne says in the statement. “Owning a food truck is like camping for a million people every day — and it's almost like a vacation for us to be open seven days a week in the same place.”

Tampa native Stephanie Swanz runs Empamamas. The moniker comes from Swanz's skills in handcrafting the homemade empanadas her Cuban aunt taught her to make, according to a statement. With menu items that include Tampa Girl, Cheeseburger In Paradise and Bacon Me Crazy, Empamamas has developed a storing reputation in the past two years, according to a statement.

“So many factors play in with a food truck — weather, property rights, etc. — Armature Works it going to single-handedly create a constant variable for us we haven't before — and it's the first time I can be open when I prep,” Swanz says in the statement. “It not only gives us a home base in the community, but allows us the opportunity to test the waters to be a brick and mortar — which is ultimately our goal.”

Both Empamamas and Surf and Turf will serve wine and local craft beers.

The Heights Public Market is part of the redevelopment of Armature Works along Tampa's Riverwalk.