Now that food trucks are out and about in Memphis, part of the fun for local food lovers is finding the 25 trucks that have been certified since an ordinance was passed in the spring giving the the vendors flexibility on where they can set up.
Talyon Swan, who lives in the Berclair area, is a big fan of the Los Jarochos taco truck. (The word "Jarocho" is a person, item or style of music from Veracruz, Mexico.) It has been setting up in the evenings near Summer and Perkins for about two months.
"They are super-friendly and have awesome food," says Swan. "There's really a good neighborhood vibe when there are 10 or 15 people eating and talking."
Swan has been several times, both alone and with friends, and highly recommends it.
"The steak tacos are my favorite, but there are several flavors to choose from," he says, adding that the tacos usually come with onion, cilantro and lime on the side. There are also multiple homemade salsas, as well as onion, tomato, and cucumber for additional toppings.
Food trucks can also be found at Shelby Farms Park. Linda Brashear, strategic operations director for the Shelby Farms Park Conservancy, says the park staff has worked primarily with Parker's Water Ice, YoLo and Kona Ice.
"I hope to see food trucks that want to work in the park to offer a variety of quick, tasty, healthy choices to park users," says Brashear.
The park will require that the trucks pay a fee or give a share of their revenue.
"So far, we plan to work with Parker's to have a food trailer at the playground full time beginning with Starry Nights and continuing through the year," she says.
Right now Parker's is working the playground most weekends. It is only offering the water ice, but will expand the menu beginning with Starry Nights. Kona works the playground some, but also moves around the park and near the Greenline trailhead at Farm Road and Mullins Station where it sees groups of people.
Brashear says the park would love to have a food truck at the visitors center on weekends, but has not found anyone who can commit to that yet.
Leslie Gower, vice president of marketing and communications at the Downtown Memphis Commission, has reached out to the food trucks to encourage them to set up for lunch and dinner Downtown.
"We've offered to help promote when and where they'll be set up through our social media outlets," says Gower.
The rules for Downtown require that trucks must be parked in a legal, on-street parking space or in a parking lot with permission from the lot owner. Trucks must be at least 50 feet from the entrance of restaurants and 1,500 feet from permitted special events, including events taking place at AutoZone Park and FedExForum.
The Fuel Food Truck has been the first to regularly park Downtown.
"One of the challenges for some trucks is that they require an electrical source, but Fuel has a small generator so it isn't as restricted as some of the others," says Gower.
Fuel uses all-natural ingredients and humanely raised meats, has a mobile credit card service and Project Green Fork certification.
Erik Proveaux, co-owner of Fuel Café on Madison, had a bit of a head start on the other vendors: He had a food truck before he had a restaurant. "I bought it off of eBay one morning about six years ago," he says.
The chef, who graduated from the Baltimore International Culinary College, specialized in catering for film crews. After an especially profitable film, he decided to start working for himself. The food truck auction had six hours to go when Proveaux stumbled upon it.
"It was a quarter of what it would cost new and only had 2,000 miles on it, which is a ridiculous deal," he says.
Since he opened the café a few years ago, Proveaux, along with co-owner Carrie Mitchum, has used the truck to cater film and television productions, but since the local laws regarding food trucks have changed, he decided to use the truck in town. His friends in the catering business may laugh at his small truck and call it the "short bus," but after a month on the road, it's making quite a name for itself.
Proveaux started off simple by creating a menu of grilled cheese sandwiches and tacos. Because of his commitment to using all-natural ingredients and humanely raised meats, his offerings were met with excitement by customers.
For example, bison, chicken, veggie and even vegan tacos are prepared using fresh tortillas from Las Delicias, and the Mediterranean tuna melt and grilled cheese sandwiches are made with fresh bread from La Baguette.
As he has gotten more comfortable, he has expanded the menu to include more interesting combinations.
"Last week we had a ham, brie and caramelized onion panini with apricot jam," he says. Now that colder weather is on the horizon, he's trying out more soups, such as a bison barley with cremini mushrooms, and firing up the deep fryer. Fuel is known for its hand-cut fries, and Proveaux likes the idea of adding fried fish to his taco offerings.
"I want to keep the food truck menu different from the restaurant to the point that it's fun," says Proveaux, adding that he doesn't want to get pegged as a taco stand either. "We're getting more creative every day."
Proveaux has been taking the truck Downtown for lunch during the week and to special events in the evenings and on weekends for about a month. He communicates the truck's whereabouts with Facebook and Twitter, at @fuelfoodtruck. It felt like a slow start, but Proveaux says, "Once people find us, they like us."
Another restaurant owner, Central BBQ's Craig Blondis, is gearing up to take his food truck on the road. He only needs to install a self-closing screen door before he can obtain Tennessee certification (there are five vendors pending certification right now), and his plan is to go to different parts of town during lunch and set up in front of office buildings, like FedEx on Hacks Cross.
"I'd like to use the truck to test areas for future restaurants," says Blondis. He says he can serve anything on the truck that he makes in the restaurants -- sandwiches, nachos, ribs, portobello mushroom sandwiches -- because he'll be using the truck as a commissary. "We keep everything in a hot box and mirror the restaurant."
He'd like to get started in December, but says January is more realistic.
"We'll post on Facebook like they do in New York and L.A. and see what kind of response we get," he says.
Mediterranean Tuna Melt
1 La Baguette baguette
2 (5-oz.) cans of chunk lite tuna
2 oz. black olives
1 jar marinated artichoke hearts
1 bunch parsley or basil
Italian vinaigrette, to taste
1 lemon, juiced
1 tomato, sliced
4 slices of provolone cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
Olive oil, for grilling
Split baguette lengthwise, then cut in 4 or 5 sections. Drain and flake the tuna. Rough chop olives and artichoke hearts; finely chop parsley or basil; mix in dressing and lemon juice. Fold in tuna. The mixture should not be too dry or runny. Adjust with dressing and salt and pepper.
Preheat cast iron skillet or griddle on medium low heat, assemble sandwiches with tuna mixture, sliced tomatoes, and provolone. Brush top and bottom with olive oil and place in pan. For the "panini effect" you can have a smaller cast iron pan preheated to weigh down the sandwich as it cooks with a piece of foil in between to keep it clean. Let the sandwich warm and toast till the cheese is melted and it smells done. Flip it once to check progress. Cook 5-10 minutes. Makes 4 to 5.
Bison Tacos
1 lb. ground bison
Olive or corn oil
1 package taco seasoning
1 package Las Delicias corn tortillas
1 (8 oz.) package Mexican blend cheese
Toppings such as chopped red onions, shredded lettuce, salsa, sour cream and chopped cilantro
Brown bison in a little oil, add taco seasoning to taste, then add 1/2 cup water and reduce until the mixture is a little drier than for Sloppy Joes. Keep warm. (Bison is generally available at Whole Foods or Kroger.)
In a large cast iron skillet or on a griddle preheated on medium heat, place two tortillas with cheese in between (like you're making a quesadilla.). Let cheese melt, then flip. These are your taco shells. Add 2 ounces meat, then add toppings and serve. Makes 5 to 6.
Source, both recipes: Erik Proveaux
Food trucks deliver grab and go options
Published November 9, 2011 in the Commercial Appeal
Want to try food truck cuisine in the Memphis area? Here are some of the available options (since they move around, find them through word of mouth, driving around town, or by checking Facebook and Twitter):
Archie's Burgers
B and B Concessions
Boss Man/Pit Stop B. B. Que
Caradines BBQ
Crumpy's on Wheels
Curbside Bar B Que
Evan Alston -- Pit Masterz
Jessie B's BBQ & Soul Food
Kona Ice of Memphis
La Flor Michoacán
Latrice Mills Sandwiches & More
Los Jarochos
Malians Wings
Mid South Consessions
Momma Moes Meals on Wheels
Papa Chucks BBQ
Scooter's Bar-B-Que
Shack House Grill Mobile Vendor
Southern Favorites
Square Meals on Wheels
Taco's El Pato
The Family Pit
The Fuel Truck
Turkey Legs Express
YoLo Airstream Food Truck
Getting certified
Otho Sawyer, environmental sanitation supervisor for the Shelby County Health Department, says the certification process goes smoothly for the owners of food trucks if they comply with the requirements before they build, purchase or retrofit a mobile food truck.
"If they don't know and don't follow the requirements, then the approval process can take much longer and be more expensive," says Sawyer. "Some of the owners I have approved have experienced a lengthy process for those reasons."
The process is similar to getting a permit for a non-mobile food service establishment. The owner must submit drawings to scale of the unit showing the location and type of food equipment, floors, walls and ceilings, as well as a menu. After approval, an inspection is conducted.
Call or e-mail Sawyer at otho.sawyer@shelbycountytn.gov or Thomas Schachner (schachner.thomas@shelbycountytn.gov) before purchasing or retrofitting a food truck. They can be reached at (901) 222-9203.
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