Documentary

The Haven Brothers Legacy Comes to the Big Screen

Catch the world premiere at the Columbus Theatre

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That silver trailer that we take for granted every time we’re downtown after the bars close isn’t just a source of fourthmeal: it’s a piece of history. Haven Brothers is America’s longest-operating food truck, having been feeding the starving (and today, usually drunken) masses for over a century. This month, they’re finally getting the recognition they deserve.

Fact: Haven Brothers has been doing the whole food truck thing since before there were even trucks. For his directorial debut, Haven Brothers: Legacy of the American Diner, local filmmaker Jeff Toste examines the history of the venerable downtown staple, from horse-drawn food wagon to the diner on wheels it is today.

“I read an article on how folks on the west coast were speculating on the birth of the food truck,” he says, ”Soon they will know.”

For three years Toste shot, interviewed and researched the stories and the people on both sides of the grill, often taking a one-man band approach to filmmaking. “It was one of the most inspiring and difficult experiences of my life,” he says. “A true DIY learning experience.”

In particular, the film focuses on a time when the powers that be tried and failed to evict it from its home next to City Hall. Outrage ensued, and a hungry public put its foot down.

“In the ‘80s there seemed to be an ‘out with the old, in with the new mentality’ in fashion,” Toste offers as an explanation for what many considered an act of heresy. “Average people can sometimes save what’s important to them and their history. And people here have a personal connection to this place.”

The world premiere of Haven Brothers: Legacy of the American Diner takes place at The Columbus Theatre, 270 Broadway, on Saturday, June 7 at 7pm.

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