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"At the Backyard, a newly opened food cart pod and event space in Medford, I watched hundreds of community members gather for BASE Southern Oregon’s inaugural Food Truck Friday despite a rainstorm that cleared just before the event; families ordered saucy ribs and jerk chicken while a live DJ spun in the background, six Black-owned food trucks—many of which met each other for the first time—competed in a Chopped-style contest that included $600/$400/$200 scholarships for student sous-chefs, and the pod served as a rare, celebratory venue where Caribbean, barbecue, and seafood carts shared space and drew a crowd." - Bruce Poinsette