When someone has been asked to recommend a restaurant, food truck, or lunch option for a whole city, the task is problematic. What guidelines are to be used in satiating the hunger of others? What does the average person enjoy? Heck, what do I enjoy? Ideally, whatever a food truck offers should be comforting, filling, cheap and portable. If these are the four qualities of a great food truck, then my absolute favourite from this past year is Aussie Pie Guy. APG, by their own admission, are in love with pies. The three co-owners - Matt, Linda, and Kayleigh - come from different backgrounds, yet they’ve found a shared passion that has translated into delicious pies for Vancouverites. Excited Australians have gleefully told them how much they have been craving these pies in the decades since leaving their continent. The menu is diverse, giving customers meaty options along with some vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free alternatives. An apple-filled pie is also on the menu, so you can rest assured that there’s something for everyone here. The ingredients are almost entirely locally sourced, and the meat used is free-run and organic. Even the most ethically-conscious foodies among us will be pleased to give it a try.

Photo: Christine McAvoy

So what exactly is an Aussie Pie? Well, imagine a small pot pie with a buttery, flakey crust, filled with savoury things, such as minced beef, aged cheddar, double-smoked bacon, and gravy made with Howe Sound beer. Or maybe the health nut inside you would prefer a pie filled with lentil curry, tomatoes, and cauliflower. Personally, I was won over by the free-run pulled pork with homemade BBQ sauce, topped with apple-mint coleslaw. Drool-worthy food, truly. If you’re wondering whether or not it’s filling, never fear! One pie can be your guilt-free lunch, and you won’t be thinking of dinner for at least 6 hours. Do you only have a fifteen- minute window of eating time? The pie was ingeniously meant to be handheld and cradled on your way to that meeting. Make sure you use both hands to eat; it can get messy if you devour too voraciously. Update on the four essential qualities: check, check, check and check. Many other food trucks deserve to be mentioned here. In making the choice for best food truck, it implies that others are not as good as Aussie Pie Guy. In reality, there’s no dearth of excellent food around Vancouver, and everyone will love something different. That’s why food trucks are slowly becoming part of the city’s cultural identity. Gradually, more and more people are seeing that a food truck does not mean low quality compared to fixed-location restaurants. Rather, people are recognizing that the food truck owners are foodie pioneers, and that they love making awesome food for Vancouver. If you have a chance, be sure to also visit my stomach’s other favourites: Vij’s Railway Express, Mangal Kiss, Yolk’s, and Roaming Dragon. This is one of our Editor's Picks! Check out all of the winners of Most Awesome Awards from the Readers Choice below. We're excited that TELUS is helping us bring you the Most Awesome Awards. A longtime friend of V.I.A., TELUS is passionate about giving back to the community by recognizing, celebrating and supporting great community partners, friends and neighbours making a difference in the lives of others. Watch in the coming weeks as we roll out all of the Most Awesome Awards presented by TELUS.