Rookie Food Cart of the Year - Sunny’s Carrello ▶ [with video] | The Source Weekly - Bend

Rookie Food Cart of the Year - Sunny’s Carrello ▶ [with video]

Bend’s answer to hearty, made-from scratch Italian fare

Where does one go for good Italian in Bend?  This year, the new player on the food cart scene is Sunny’s Carrello, which earns the tie for our 2020 Rookie Food Cart of the Year. Owned by Amy Wright and her wife Courtney, Sunny’s is Bend’s answer to hearty, homemade Italian food—the kind that any nonna would be proud to serve. 

Rookie Food Cart of the Year - Sunny’s Carrello ▶ [with video]
Kyle Switzer

Sunny’s has been open since November, and is now permanently located at River’s Place, the east-side Bend taphouse and food truck hub. 

“We did a couple of beer dinners with our friends over at the Ale Apothecary,” Amy Wright, chef, menu mastermind and cart co-owner, explained. “I made a hundred-layer lasagna for one of the dinners and it was a huge hit. Everyone said, ‘You should cook Italian!’ I actually learned how to cook in an Italian restaurant 24 years ago, when I was in college in Massachusetts. I’ve worked in various restaurants for the past 29 years. My wife and I moved to Bend seven years ago and opened Sunny Yoga Kitchen in Northwest Crossing six years ago.”

WATCH: Sunny's Carrello owners talk about their love of Italian food:

After friends encouraged Amy Wright to focus her talents on freshly made Italian cuisine, Sunny’s Carrello was born—and the outcome has been something worth earning this rookie-cart award. Wright and her wife focus on sourcing local ingredients and making each dish component with love, from scratch. “We make all of our own pastas, sauces and dressings. We make our own focaccia bread, and we work closely with Agricultural Connections to source local produce and get flours and olive oils that are based out of Portland.” Popular dishes include their housemade Penne Alla Vodka and Polenta & Meatballs. She creates daily and nightly specials, and often rotates new dishes. There are some kid-friendly options available as well, including housemade spaghetti with sauce or butter and parmesan cheese. 

Rookie Food Cart of the Year - Sunny’s Carrello ▶ [with video] (2)
Kyle Switzer

“River’s Place carries a great selection of wine,” Wright concluded. “People have been coming in and getting a nice bottle to pair with their meal.”

In a year with so much uncertainty and chaos, Sunny's Carrello brings that dose of comfort—and outdoor dining—that Central Oregon needs. Congrats to Sunny's for earning the (tied) Rookie Food Cart of the Year!

Sunny’s Carrello
River’s Place
787 NE Purcell Blvd., Bend
Sunnyscarrello.com