Nelson Esparza and Jerry Dyer enjoy a slice at Food Truck Fridays at Manchester Center on Friday. Photo by Breanna Hardy

After Manchester Farmer’s Market retired last year, Fridays have been kind of quiet in the Manchester Center parking lot. That changed Friday with the introduction of Food Truck Fridays at the corner of Shield and Blackstone avenues.

Fresno Street Eats, the Central Valley’s main food truck destination, is partnering with Manchester Center to bring weekly food truck events to Central Fresno every Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Mayor Jerry Dyer and Fresno City Council Vice President Nelson Esparza took the “ceremonial first bite” around 1 p.m. to commemorate the new Friday tradition.

There will be five food trucks and a fruit and vegetable vendor. Get Baked, a new food truck in the alliance serving baked potatoes, is one of the five. Others include Real Philly, Brickology, Rubia’s Churros and Taqueria Jalisciense.

Week to week, food truck options will change based on demand.

“Fresno Street Eats’ goal is to deliver great food,” said Mike Oz, Fresno Street Eats president. “But we also want to act as a small-business incubator, creating new opportunities for our network of food trucks and vendors during uncertain times. Reviving places like Manchester is essential to making Fresno a better place.”

Food Truck Fridays aligns with the goal of creating food truck events in different areas around town. The event will feature select Manchester tenants and other small businesses as proof of Manchester town center’s commitment to help small businesses grow and thrive.

Currently, Fresno Street Eats operates six days per week with over a dozen locations , all featuring small, mom-and-pops businesses. Follow @FresnoStreetEats for updated lineups and locations.