Angel Martinez doesn’t keep a tightly set schedule and doesn’t really know for sure where he might park his food truck later in the week. So while you might find Angel’s Tacos in Porter’s Neck with some regularity, there are more than a few taverns around town whose patrons like some food with their libations, and construction sites are always full of enthusiastic diners looking forward to his tacos, quesadillas and tortas — the last-named being a generous chicken sandwich. For Angel’s Tacos dates and locations, check Facebook.

Marteniz does know where he will be on Saturday, Oct. 14 — adding his culinary art to the works of 2- and 3-D artists on display at the 28th annual Art in the Arboretum festival at the New Hanover County gardens on Oleander Drive.

This year’s annual festival returns to an October date, with a launch party, preview and raffle for the 600-plus members of Friends of the Arboretum, one of three beneficiaries of the juried art show and sale, kicking off on Friday, Oct. 13, with the actual sale filling up the weekend on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 14-15.

Last year’s successful show introduced a new festival atmosphere to this long-running fixture on the Wilmington arts calendar. Beginning in 2022, tented artists’ booths were spread across the seven-acre gardens, a format that has been renewed and expanded for 2023. This year, according to show director Bradley Carter, there will be nearly 80 booths on the grounds, under the main building eaves, in the greenhouse and the Education Center.

The festival will feature live music on both days, and food trucks — Angel’s Tacos on Saturday and 2 Bros Coastal Cuisine on Sunday — will be serving great food both days. For his part, Martinez left the bricks and mortar restaurant business after almost two decades to go into business for himself about a year ago.

As demonstrated last year, the booth approach seemed to benefit both artists and patrons and allowed for more variety to be on display. For the show’s beneficiaries — Cooperative Extension Service, Wilmington Arts Association, and Friends of the Arboretum — the booth format provided a somewhat enhanced and guaranteed income from the labor-intensive fund-raiser.

For more information about the juried show and sale, call the Arboretum, (910) 798-7676, or email show director Brad Carter at bcarter.arboretum@gmail.com.

The Arboretum, 6206 Oleander Drive in Wilmington, is the botanical jewel of southeastern North Carolina, with seven acres of splendor open, for free, to the public. And through its affiliation with North Carolina State University and that university’s Cooperative Extension Service outreach, Arboretum staffers offer a multitude of services, including soil testing and plant disease and pest triage.