Is it a food fight if no one throws anything?

One of Delaware's hottest food trends -- the roaming food trucks bringing an array of delicacies to spots big and small -- is headed to Smyrna this weekend for the state's first-ever food truck competition at a brewery.

Armed with mobile menus on four wheels, nine food trucks representing all three counties will duke it out (gastronomically speaking) at the debut of Blue Earl Brewing Company's Food Truck Throwdown on Saturday from noon to 9 p.m.

While the competitions are not new -- Marydel's Harvest Ridge Winery hosted a large-scale event in March featuring nearly 25 trucks -- surprisingly, they have not landed at one of the state's growing number of breweries until now.

Even though food trucks and breweries are both hot trends and often team up, this is the first event of its kind. And judging on Facebook interest, it might be a hit already.

With free admission and three bands playing outdoors (party band Best Kept Secret, Dover indie blues/soul act Hoochi Coochi and York, Pennsylvania-based blues rockers Buzzard Luck), Blue Earl founder Ron Price has watched as online interest in the Food Truck Throwdown has outstripped any previous event by nearly three times.

Perhaps the forecast of partly cloudy with a comfortable high of 81 has something to do with it as well.

"We've had 1,700 people say they're interested in coming. It's kind of scary, too. If they all show up, I'm not sure where they're all going to park," Price jokes, perhaps a little nervously.

With food trucks becoming a regular part of the state's festival scene, along with slinging lunches and dinners everywhere from upstate office parks and museums to downstate breweries and churches, expect to see more and more food truck-themed events coming down the pike.

Since mid-2015, the number of mobile food operations in Delaware has grown by 33 percent with a total of 197 currently approved by the Delaware Health and Social Services Division of Public Health.

There are 127 in New Castle County, 26 in Kent County and 44 in Sussex County, which includes everything from food trucks and hot dog carts to water ice and coffee trucks.

The Food Truck Throwdown is a perfect gig for Danielle "Brown Sugar" Johnson, Hoochi Coochi's scene-stealing and seemingly spring-loaded frontwoman. She loves to nosh on goodies from food trucks during her band's festival gigs, even striking up casual friendships with some truck owners since they are so ubiquitous at her outdoor concerts.

"Back in the day, you just had vendors with junk food. Now you can get health food and all sorts of stuff," Johnson says. "And whenever we play a show like that, I'll look up what food trucks will be there and put them on the flyer. They are a small business, too."

And they are also part of the draw for some music fans, enticed by the diversity of homemade meals available from these commuting cooks. At Saturday's event alone, everything from lamb kebabs and braised short rib grilled cheese to risotto crab balls and sugar-covered peach tart dessert egg rolls will be up for grabs.

If Johnson sees the popular Wilmington-based Mojo Loco truck at an event, you'll probably see her there eating chef Steve Ruiz's pork tacos, her current obsession.

In addition to Mojo Loco and its aforementioned tacos, the following food trucks will be at Blue Earl to battle it out: Crave Eatery, Delicious Craving, Grub Burger, Nothing Better, Plum Pit, Rebel Cove, Thyme to Eat and Truck It.

Each attendee will receive a ballot to vote for the food truck of their choice. At the end of the day, the winning food truck will receive the Blue Earl People's Choice Award. A separate panel of foodies will judge signature dishes from each food truck with the Blue Earl Cup going to the winner.

All minors at the dog-friendly food 'n' brew event must be accompanied by an adult. A portion of proceeds will benefit the Food Bank of Delaware and a 50/50 raffle will be held for Citizens' Hose Company No. 1 of Smyrna.

Blue Earl will also unveil its newest beer: How Sweet It Is, a pineapple orange IPA.

The reason behind the romance between breweries and food trucks isn't hard to crack.

"Breweries, wineries and distilleries have been partnering, collaborating and conspiring with these food trucks because most of these alcohol-producers don't have kitchens," says Price, whose brewery hosts food trucks 14 nights a month, and serves only pretzels, Chex Mix or Pepperidge Farm Goldfish when the trucks aren't around. "It really is a perfect marriage."

It was about three years ago when Mojo Loco's Ruiz decided that he was ready to work for himself after spending more than 25 years working for others as a chef everywhere from the Starwood Hotels group to Wilmington's Deep Blue.

"I was tired of working for the man, per se," he says.

The move was fraught with risk, even as interest in food trucks skyrocketed. Each event can be a gamble in terms of crowds, plus the amount of work needed to run his own business, which is basically a mobile restaurant, is considerable.

But it's paid off so far, even though people on summer vacations and July's stretch of extreme heat slowed sales a bit recently.

For example, his Wednesdays in Wilmington's Rodney Square for its weekly Downtown Farmers Market has grown from about 100 sales a day several years ago to about 200 sales in just 1-1/2 hours this year.

"Keeping your overhead low is the name of the game -- that's how we survive," says Ruiz, a Dover native living in North Wilmington. "It's grown so quickly, we're always going."

Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier), Twitter (@ryancormier) and Instagram (@ryancormier).

IF YOU GO

What: Blue Earl's Food Truck Throwdown

When: Saturday, noon to 9 p.m.

Where: 210 Artisan Drive, Smyrna

Admission: Free

Food trucks: Crave Eatery, Delicious Craving, Grub Burger, Mojo Loco, Nothing Better, Plum Pit, Rebel Cove, Thyme to Eat, Truck It

Bands: Best Kept Secret (6 p.m.), Hoochi Coochi (4 p.m.) and Buzzard Luck (2 p.m.)

Information: facebook.com/blueearlbrewing

WHAT'S COOKIN'?

Here is a look at some of the snacks and meals that will be served up Saturday in Smyrna:

Crave Eatery: Grilled shrimp tacos, rib eye steak tacos, chicken salad-stuffed avocados and diablo cheesesteaks.

Delicious Craving: Lechón with a sweet lemon vinaigrette, lamb döner kebab, tandoori chicken kebabs, seasoned crispy fries with feta cheese, risotto crab balls with kimchi aioli and wings (holy honey sriracha, bourbon, sweet chili, mango habanero and lemon).

Mojo Loco: Pork tacos, Asian shrimp tacos and falafel along with short rib grilled cheese (braised short rib, caramelized onions and Vermont cheddar cheese on thick Texas toast) and an ahi tuna burger (ahi burger with unagi sauce, baby arugula and pickled vegetables served on a brioche roll).

Nothing Better: Cheesesteak egg rolls with horseradish sauce, pulled pork tacos and

peach tart dessert egg rolls with mascarpone cheese, peaches, raspberry sauce and powdered sugar.

Plum Pit Food Truck: Beef, jerk chicken and cheesesteak empanadas, along with sandwiches such as "The Mutha Clucka" (smoked chicken, jerk sauce) and "The Little Chris" (chicken fingers topped with barbecue sauce, bacon and homemade macaroni and cheese).

Rebel Cove: Cheesesteaks, along with sandwiches such as "The Grass Skirt" (Hawaiian slow-smoked pulled pork with Teriyaki style barbecue sauce, provolone, pineapple and green onion) and "The Chesapeake" (grilled crab and sausage sub with sauteed spinach).

Thyme to Eat: Burrito paninis, along with sandwiches such as a Tuscan with grilled chicken, mozzarella, roasted peppers and pesto and buffalo chicken with chicken tenders in buffalo sauce with cheese and tater tots.

Truck It: Pulled pig (a slow-cooked, citrus-infused pork shoulder served with yogurt slaw and 'Truck It' sauce), Mama's Ballzie grilled cheese (a six cheese blend blend with meatballs and sweet hot marinara sauce served on a garlic-seasoned bun with a cheese ring around it) and One Hot Chick (a non-fried buffalo chicken sandwich with the chicken cooked in cilantro, jalapeño and other spices and flashed in hot sauce).

DELAWARE'S MOBILE FOOD UNITS

How many food trucks are there in the state these days? The short answer is a lot. Currently there are 197: 127 in New Castle County, 44 in Sussex County and 26 in Kent County.