Stoke Pizza from Pueblo has won the Governor’s Plate award at the fifth annual Governor’s Plate food truck competition, held during the Colorado State Fair. This year, Chef Brother Luck judged the event in place of the governor and selected Stoke Pizza as the winner. MC2 Ice Cream Truck from Arvada received the People’s Choice Award.
The competition featured five food trucks: four from Pueblo and one from Arvada. Participants were required to create dishes using Colorado Proud ingredients, with this year’s rules specifying either locally produced honey or sweet corn as a mandatory ingredient.
Stoke Pizza presented a wood-fired pizza topped with local meat, green chile, and Colorado honey sourced from area farmers. The business is no stranger to recognition at this event, having previously earned the 2024 People’s Choice Award and winning the Governor’s Plate in 2023.
Brother Luck, known for appearances on Top Chef and for owning three restaurants in Colorado Springs, sampled dishes that included enchiladas, corn dip, and ice cream before making his decision. “Everyone had their own personality and stayed true to who they were as a food truck,” Luck said. “I think it’s so important when you’re cooking a dish to be authentic to who you are.”
The People’s Choice Award was determined by attendees’ votes. MC2 Ice Cream Truck served a honey-cheesecake ice cream with freeze-dried corn streusel in a honey cornbread cone, topped with pine nut brittle and bing cherry pearls.
Commissioner of Agriculture Kate Greenberg highlighted both local produce and culinary skill at this year’s contest. “The imagination and creativity of food truck chefs from across Colorado never ceases to amaze me,” Greenberg said. “This year we were treated to amazing showcases of the sweet and savory options that could only be produced here in Colorado.”
Other competitors included Mother Smothers (Pueblo), offering green chile cheesy corn dip; MunchKings (Pueblo), serving an enchilada with corn tortillas and green chile; Mollie & Co (Pueblo), presenting honey-sweetened green chile peach ice cream with dark chocolate; and MC2 Ice Cream Truck (Arvada) with its honey-goat cheese cheesecake ice cream.
Launched in 2021, the Governor’s Plate competition aims to showcase agricultural products grown or processed in Colorado as well as local chefs’ talents. Only food trucks registered as Colorado Proud—those using products raised or made in-state—are eligible to participate.
