Qualifier No. 1 — Locked In
Orlando Qualifier
6 food trucks
2 categories
2 finals seats
Meats by Lower Family Foods
Teaser — The National Finals
Something's Cooking.
The National Finals
November 2027
One City. One Champion.
—Days
—Hours
—Minutes
—Seconds
Until the first qualifier fires up in Orlando
The Road Begins in Orlando · November 2026
@FOODTRUCKCHAMPS
New Podcast · Food Truck Champs Media
Meat of the Matter
Larry Oliphant's podcast — conversations about meat, operators, and the business of food trucks. First episodes are being recorded.
First stop: Orlando
The first qualifier of the National Food Truck Championships. Six trucks, two categories, two seats at the National Finals on the line.
How Orlando works
Every team starts from the same line: the same featured meats, their own truck, their own take. Two categories. One winner in each.
06
Six trucks
Six food trucks take the field at World Food Trucks in Kissimmee for the first qualifier in championship history.
02
Two categories
Birria
Pork Belly Burnt Ends
Each team cooks with meats from Lower Family Foods.
02
Two finals seats
The winner of each category earns a seat at the National Finals — November 2027, city to be announced.
The road to the finals
One road, start to finish. Follow it here and at @FoodTruckChamps.
Step 1 · Nov 2026
Orlando Qualifier
The road opens in Kissimmee. Two winners punch the first tickets to the finals.
Step 2 · 2027
City Tournaments
More stops join the calendar as they lock. Each city sends its champion forward.
Step 3 · All Season
Road to the Finals
Photos, Shorts, and full episodes from every stop, published in the gallery and video pages.
Step 4 · Nov 2027
The National Finals
One city. One champion. City to be announced.
Championship calendar
Every locked stop lives here. The calendar fills in as each city and date is confirmed — nothing goes on this page until it's real.
Nov
7
2026
Orlando Qualifier — Kissimmee, Florida
Saturday · 1:00–3:00 PM ET · World Food Trucks, 5811 W. Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy · Winners announced about 3:05 PM ET
Date locked2027
SEASON
2027 city tournaments — dates coming
New stops will appear here, with a full schedule page for each event, as they are confirmed. Follow @FoodTruckChamps for each announcement.
TBA
STOP 02
Next qualifier — to be announced
City and date land here the moment they're locked.
TBA
STOP 03
Next qualifier — to be announced
City and date land here the moment they're locked.
Nov
’27
FINALS
The National Finals
November 2027 · City to be announced · One city. One champion.
Nothing in this view yet. Switch back to “All events” to see what's locked so far.
How this calendar grows: each confirmed stop gets its own row here and its own event schedule page, starting with Orlando. Unannounced cities and dates never appear early.
Qualifier No. 1 · Event Schedule
Orlando Qualifier
Saturday, November 7, 2026 at World Food Trucks in Kissimmee, Florida. Six food trucks compete in two categories, and the winner of each category earns a seat at the National Finals in November 2027.
1:00 PM
Competition begins
The qualifier opens at World Food Trucks. Six trucks take the field in two categories: Birria and Pork Belly Burnt Ends.
1:00–3:00
Head-to-head cooking
Teams cook through the afternoon, each working with meats from Lower Family Foods. Come hungry: this is the show.
At event
Attendee drawing
Attendees can enter at the event to win a HotLogic HL8 eight-shelf oven. The drawing happens at the event.
3:00 PM
Cooking window closes
The competition window closes at 3:00 PM ET and the results are tallied.
~3:05 PM
Winners announced
Two winners, one per category, are announced at about 3:05 PM ET. Each earns a seat at the National Finals, November 2027.
Event facts
- Date: Saturday, November 7, 2026
- Time: 1:00–3:00 PM ET
- Venue: World Food Trucks
- Address: 5811 W. Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy, Kissimmee, Florida
- Field: Six food trucks
- Categories: Birria · Pork Belly Burnt Ends
- Meats: Lower Family Foods
- On the line: Two seats at the National Finals
Attendee Drawing
Win a HotLogic HL8
Be there and enter to win a HotLogic HL8 eight-shelf oven. Entry and drawing happen at the event on November 7.
After Orlando
- Both winners are posted by category on the Champions page.
- Winner photos and event photos publish in the Gallery.
- The first Road to the Finals episode and Shorts publish in Videos.
- The next stop appears on the Calendar as soon as it locks.
Photo gallery
Real photos from real events. The first gallery drops with the first event.
The LineupAll six trucks at World Food Trucks
BirriaCategory action and finished plates
Pork Belly Burnt EndsCategory action and finished plates
The WinnersBoth champions, announced about 3:05 PM ET
The CrowdFans, families, and the drawing winner
Next StopThis frame fills when the next city locks
Video: Road to the Finals
Full episodes from every stop, plus Shorts all season long. Filming starts in Orlando.
Episode 1 — In Production
Filmed at the Orlando Qualifier · November 7, 2026
The Series
Road to the Finals
One full episode per stop: the trucks, the categories, the winners, and the road between cities. Episode 1 publishes here after Orlando, and every new stop adds an episode.
Shorts
Fast hits from each event: first bites, big moments, winner reactions.
Orlando Short 1Drops after November 7
Orlando Short 2Drops after November 7
Orlando Short 3Drops after November 7
Next CityFills in as the tour builds
Where to watch first: follow @FoodTruckChamps — new episodes and Shorts post there and publish on this page as the season builds.
Champions, stop by stop
Every stop crowns its winners, and every winner earns a seat at the National Finals. This is the wall they land on — one block per stop, filled in the moment each champion is announced.
Stop 01 · First Qualifier
Orlando Qualifier
Saturday, November 7, 2026 · World Food Trucks, Kissimmee, Florida
Birria — Winner
To Be Crowned
Winners announced Saturday, November 7, about 3:05 PM ET.
Pork Belly Burnt Ends — Winner
To Be Crowned
Winners announced Saturday, November 7, about 3:05 PM ET.
2027 Season · Stop 02
Next Stop — To Be Announced
City and date land here as soon as the stop locks.
Category Winner
To Be Crowned
Winners announced at this stop.
Category Winner
To Be Crowned
Winners announced at this stop.
2027 Season · Stop 03
Next Stop — To Be Announced
City and date land here as soon as the stop locks.
Category Winner
To Be Crowned
Winners announced at this stop.
Category Winner
To Be Crowned
Winners announced at this stop.
How this wall grows: each new stop gets its own block here, and its winners are posted by category as soon as they're announced at the event — the same names you'll see in the Gallery and on @FoodTruckChamps. Every champion on this wall is headed to the National Finals, November 2027.
A Food Truck Champs Media Podcast
Meat of the Matter
Hosted by Larry Oliphant
Larry's conversations about meat, operators, and the business of food trucks.
First Episodes — Being Recorded
The show is in production. Episodes will publish here as they release.
About the show
- Show: Meat of the Matter
- Host: Larry Oliphant
- The conversations: meat, the operators who cook it, and the business of food trucks.
- Status: First episodes are being recorded.
When episodes land
- New episodes publish on this page as they release.
- Announcements post first at @FoodTruckChamps.
- Championship coverage continues in Videos — Road to the Finals, one episode per stop.