Foodees Festival kicks off with large crowds enjoying tasty foods and shopping

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• The Georgia Foodees Food And Culture Festival opened Friday in downtown Augusta with a large turnout.
• The festival features a wide variety of food trucks, including BBQ, African cuisine, and even lemonade stands.
• In addition to food, there are also over 60 artists and crafters selling their wares.
• The festival continues through Sunday and admission is free.

It didn’t long for crowds to grow after the Georgia Foodees Food And Culture Festival opened at 1 p.m. Friday in downtown Augusta. By 2 p.m. lines were forming at many of the dozens of food and beverage vendors lining the walkways between the levee and Reynolds Street.

Brian Israel, of Smoker’s Delight BBQ from Southern Maryland, made short work of a large brisket that had been in a smoker for 16 hours. He gave a short demonstration of his slicing technique before sending the meat to be sold to the customers waiting in line by the food truck.

Israel said he’s been cooking briskets for more than 20 years, first in restaurants and now with his mobile unit with Foodees.

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“It’s fun. You’re in a different city every weekend,” he said while rewrapping the brisket in foil to keep it warm.

Along with dozens of food trucks, 19 dessert trucks, and nine beverage trucks, there are more than 60 artists and crafters who set up shop for the Artisan Market that’s part of the festival.

Savannah Osborn, the social media coordinator for Foodees, travels with the event year-round. She said she’s hoping to exceed the 100,000 attendees who were estimated to have attended last year.

At the House of Quarshie African Cuisine truck, Ezzat Youssef sliced the tough skin off green coconuts and plunged them in an ice bath. Customers buy a coconut, he drills a hole in the top and inserts a straw so they can drink the juice inside.

Around the corner, Max Navarro and Robert Wilson from Seville, Tenn., were showing off their Capuchin monkeys who pose for photos with patrons. One particularly friendly girl, Sasha, was very interested in a visitor’s earrings and found a way to slip it off her ear. Navarro said that when Three Monkeys Photo Circus isn’t touring with Foodees, they often take them to camps for children with cancer and their families.

There was even a truck selling large baby bottle-like containers filled with lemonade.

The festival continues Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission is free.

When planning a visit, remember that the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade begins at 2 p.m. Sunday on Broad Street.