Fresh Sheet

First Friday Food Truck Rally

December’s First Friday art walk will feature a Food Truck Rally.

Six food trucks – Couple of Chefs Catering, The Jamaican Jerk Pan, Bistro Box, Azar’s, King of Tacos and The Scoop – are slated to participate in the rally, which runs from 5 to 8 p.m.

The food trucks will be parked on Wall Street between Main and Riverside avenues in downtown Spokane. Outdoor heating and seating will be available. Entrées run from about $5 to $10.

Fiddlers and carolers will provide entertainment at the event, sponsored by the Downtown Spokane Partnership and the city of Spokane. For more information, call the Downtown Spokane Partnership at (509) 456-0580.

Casper Fry cookery

Casper Fry, in Spokane’s South Perry neighborhood, is gearing up for its next Whole Cookery.

The feast will be at 6 p.m. Dec. 12 and features five courses: garlic pork sausage and braised lentils; peanut soup; kale salad with cherry tomatoes, shredded carrots, cabbage, warm bacon dressing and pork croutons; smoked ribs with grilled corn and bourbon brown sugar baked beans; and peach cobbler with crème fraîche and ice cream.

Guests sit at the restaurant’s large communal table, and there’s room for 15.

The idea behind the dinner – which costs $55 per person and includes one non-alcoholic beverage – is “to bring people together,” said managing partner Ben Poffenroth, who owns the restaurant along with his mother Deb Green and sister Megan VanStone. “It’s a way to meet someone new. It’s a way to bring the community together.”

The first Whole Cookery took place in May. To make a reservation for this month’s dinner, call the restaurant, 928 S. Perry St., at (509) 535-0536.

Local Denny’s owner honored

The owner of three Spokane Denny’s restaurants is a national award winner.

Jerry Fouts was recently named Franchisee of the Year in the small operator category, which includes nine restaurants or fewer.

In addition to the trio of Denny’s in Spokane, Fouts owns locations in Richland, Kennewick, Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls, Pendleton and La Grande.

The award was given Oct. 30 at the Denny’s Franchisee Association Convention and Trade Show in Las Vegas. It’s presented to “franchise groups that have done an outstanding job building their business and serving their local communities,” according a news release.

Denny’s has 1,686 restaurants around the world, generating $2.5 billion in sales. Most – 1,586 restaurants – are in the United States.