Jax Truckies: Bringing Food Trucks to the People
Heather Bailey of OutsideTheDen.com interviews Mike Field & Caron Streibich on Jacksonville's Food Truck scene.
Heather: I’m so excited to wrap up our Food Truck Week with an interview with two of my favorite people. Mike Field and Caron Streibich are a powerhouse couple who spend the majority of their free time creating change in Jacksonville.They don’t just talk about things that need to be done to improve this city, they make it happen. They are both involved in a plethora of organizations and activities in town, but this interview focuses on what they are most well known for, Jax Truckies. With daily updates on food truck locations (which help dictate our lunch plans a few times a week), hosting events and championships, and getting involved in laws surrounding food trucks; Jax Truckies is a culinary resource that is fantastic for the community.
Caron and Mike at a Food Truck Rally at Bold City- courtesy of Jax Truckies
What inspired you to create Jax Truckies?
Mike: Through Metrojacksonville.com, people like myself, Ennis Davis, Daniel Herbin and Stephen Dare had already started experimenting with tactical urbanism projects aimed at revitalizing some of our urban areas. Over 50 percent of our downtown is ‘dead space’- places like surface parking lots, parking garages with no ground level retail and empty lots that just kill street level vibrancy. We saw food trucks as an efficient and inexpensive way to fill gaps within our urban fabric that would ultimately enhance walkability downtown.
In countless peer communities, food trucks have been proven to increase foot traffic in urban areas.
Downtown needs to be a unique, walkable neighborhood and not just another vertical suburb. It was clear that there was a positive role for food trucks in our community. I reached out to Drew and Curt Cavins, owners of O’Brothers and Mossfire Grill in Riverside, about their experience running Jacksonville’s first food truck-Buss’n Your Chops. They were actually in the process of selling their truck because of the unbearable harassment and crippling fines levied upon them from the City of Jacksonville, just for having the audacity to exist. Hearing that really upset me. Our community should be encouraging entrepreneurship, innovation and self-sufficiency, not stifling it.
Tactical urbanism is defined by highly scalable demonstration events, so we thought that a unique way to introduce Jacksonville to the food truck culture would be to hold a ‘food truck championship’ styled competition to celebrate the handful of vendors that did exist in Jax at the time. It just so happened that a friend of ours, Stacey Steiner was also toying with the same idea. Stacey is a social media marketing professional who was able to scale a social media presence for us rather rapidly. Between Caron’s work and connections as a food columnist at Folio, Stacey’s expertise in public relations and our broad reach through Metrojacksonville.com, we were able to quickly put together a dynamic team that hit the ground running.
Jax Truckies / OutsideTheDen.comThe amazing crowd at the 2013 Food Truck Championship
What is one thing people don’t realize about food trucks?
Mike: Certainly the quality of the food that some of these chefs are putting out is pretty amazing. The culinary backgrounds from the entrepreneurs working inside these trucks can be pretty impressive. There are food truck operators in town that have worked in the kitchens of high quality restaurants like The Cloister in Sea Island, Aqua Grill, Taverna and Commanders Palace in New Orleans. Even the executive chef team from the Ritz-Carlton Ameila Island has a food truck now that they use for special events. Think about shoving your backyard propane grill into the back of a mini-van and trying to cook food for 100 people. That’s pretty challenging in and of itself, but to also make really good food under those same circumstances is downright amazing. Ask anyone that has gone from owning a food truck to owning a large restaurant, and they’ll tell you how much easier life is outside of the truck.
What was your first food truck experience?
Mike: I used to spend a lot of time in Southern California at the same time when Kogi BBQ first started. I would follow them around LA and Orange County eating Korean bbq tacos. Downtown LA is pretty massive, but it too has gaps that needed to be filled. I saw clusters of food trucks operating from empty lots during LA’s Art Walk, and thought ‘why can’t that work in Jacksonville?’
Caron: Back in the summer of 2010 in Portland, Oregon. I trekked across town (including switching busses mid-way) on vacation to hunt down the The Grilled Cheese Grill for a Jalapeno Popper — grilled jalapenos, colby jack, cream cheese, corn tortilla chips on grilled sourdough. It was out of the way but made for a tasty experience. Later that day I had the most amazing twice-fried belgian french fries from popular Potato Champion (which offers more than a dozen dipping sauces) and a pear and nutella crepe from Perierra Creperi, because let’s be honest — nutella makes everything better.
What was the most unusual thing you’ve had off of a food truck?
Caron: Locally, it’d have to be Swedish meatballs with lingenberry jam, mashed potatoes and pickled cucumbers from The Swedish Bistro Truck or falafel and homemade tabouli from Mama Fletcher’s in St. Augustine. In Los Angeles it was the most juicy golden fried chicken and spicy jalapeno slaw on a lavender-scented biscuit from Ludo Truck. Locally you can find everything from cuban, puerto rican, mexican, and Swedish to fresh fish tacos with roasted tomato and fennel on homemade corn tortillas or sweet potatoes topped with scallions, pulled pork and blue cheese crumbles — the options really are increasingly creative and diverse.
What city has the best food truck scene?
Mike: I’m partial to Los Angeles as that’s where I cut my food truck teeth. Besides Kogi, Komodo and The Burnt Truck are way at the top of my list of places to eat anywhere in the country. Although, Jacksonville’s food truck scene isn’t nearly as big as Portland or even Tampa and Miami the quality of some of our trucks are really top notch and perhaps underappreciated. The parmesan crusted grilled cheese at On The Fly or the Mac Daddy at The Happy Grilled Cheese blows away the famous Roxy’s Grilled Cheese in Boston (no offense to Roxy’s whatsoever, but I was actually texting Andrew from On The Fly while eating a sandwich at Roxy’s). The Swedish Bistro is a truly unique gem in the national food truck scene. I really feel that trucks like Mother Fletchers, Taste Buds Express, Salty Fig and Chew Chew (just to name a few) would stand their own on a TV show like Eat St.
Chris from Corner Taco and Caron doing a cooking demo on First Coast News – courtesy of Jax Truckies
What does a typical day entail for organizing Jax Truckies?
Mike: It’s certainly the equivalent of a full time job. On event days, I’m working a 13 hour day and easily spend 35-40 hours each week doing ‘Jax Truckies’-related work. We are always working on the next food truck event, talking with City officials and private landowners, connecting trucks to events, getting media attention on issues and working with some incredible charitable organizations.
Caron: My role is different from Mike. I spent a few hours a week keeping up with the social media components (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) — gathering details from participating trucks, typing up locations, and then posting updated listings each morning to both Facebook and Twitter. What people don’t realize is things can change in a matter of seconds — weather, truck malfunctions, and other circumstances beyond a truck’s control. I have a full-time job and part-time job so I squeeze in the updates before I go to work every morning right after the gym and (hopefully) a shower. I also ensure we respond to direct messages on social media platforms and interact with people tweeting questions or comments to us on Twitter.
What is Jax Truckies working on now?
Mike: We’ve grown through our partnerships. We’ve struck partnerships with the likes of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Intuition Ale Works, King Street Farmers Market, Kona Skatepark, Bold City Brewery, the Veterans Memorial Arena, Sleiman Enterprises and the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce. We recently started a quarterly series with the Jacksonville Landing called ‘Truckin on the River’. Our next event at the Landing is on November 23rd. I would encourage everyone to come as we’ll have more food trucks together at that event than any previous event in our city. Having the largest retail and restaurant landlord downtown seeing the value of food trucks has been a big validation as to what we’ve been saying all along.
Meanwhile, the big elephant in the room has been the criminalization of food trucks in Jax Beach. We steadfastly feel that there is a contributing role for food trucks at the beach. The Jax Beach Planning Department has a draft ordinance regarding legalizing food trucks ready. It just needs to be introduced by a City Council member. I really feel that it’s not going to be a matter of ‘if’, but ‘when’ in regards to bringing food trucks to the Beaches. Whichever elected official leads the charge is going to be admired as a hero that stood up for small business growth. We are also working on upgrading an existing food truck location downtown and adding another location for trucks downtown with the help of Jack Shad at the City of Jacksonville’s Parking Division.
Jack is a very talented public servant and our city is lucky to have. Nearly two years ago, we wanted to stage our first event in Hemming Plaza. It became clear that City officials wanted nothing to do with us as the process became maddeningly cumbersome and prohibitively expensive. Unfortunately, that experience hasn’t changed much. However, despite the inexplicable challenges we will finally be in Hemming Plaza in 2014 with another concept and I guarantee you it will be really amazing.
Anything else you’d like to share?
Mike: It’s easy to effect positive change in Jacksonville. We are not brilliant people. You just have to stop complaining, get off the couch and make something happen. Think about something you would like the change in Jacksonville. Think about what the end product would look like (maybe you want bike lanes in your neighborhood), set a goal, take that first step running and not stop until you hit the goal line. When people get in your way (and they will), don’t give up! Go around them and find someone that is willing to help. The experience in the end will be highly rewarding and our community will be better for it.
Caron: While Jax Truckies can sometimes feels like a labor of love I know that Mike and I enjoy seeing the smiles on people’s faces at food truck events, and knowing that our efforts truly make a difference in the city we’re proud to call home. Never underestimate two young people on a mission to support their community and raise money for local charities. It’s humbling what the two of us have been able to accomplish in a 19-month period with Jax Truckies and the outpouring of support and encouragement from friends, and new friends, we’ve made along the way on our food truck journey.
Heather: Be sure to Like Jax Truckies on Facebook, Follow on Twitter, and use #jaxtruckies on Instagram! A big thanks to Caron and Mike for the interview – now what’s for lunch?
Article by
Alex and Heather Bailey
Alex is a Florida native who grew up with fresh citrus and love bugs. He always imagined himself as a terrible Southerner, but a halfway decent Floridian. He knows that no matter how a day goes, it begins and ends with beauty. Originally from Texas, Heather has lived throughout the East Coast and is happy to now call Jacksonville home. She is a firm believer in Thoreau’s advice of “Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.” Both graduates of history at the University of North Florida, they share a love of finding the story beneath the story. Together they created the blog Outside The Den where they inspire others to get outside of their comfort zones through culinary adventures, cultural explorations, community happenings, and natural wonders.
OutsideTheDen.com
www.Facebook.com/OutsideTheDen
Instagram: OutsideTheDen
Twitter: OutsideTheDen
Caron and Mike at a Food Truck Rally at Bold City- courtesy of Jax Truckies
What inspired you to create Jax Truckies?
Mike: Through Metrojacksonville.com, people like myself, Ennis Davis, Daniel Herbin and Stephen Dare had already started experimenting with tactical urbanism projects aimed at revitalizing some of our urban areas. Over 50 percent of our downtown is ‘dead space’- places like surface parking lots, parking garages with no ground level retail and empty lots that just kill street level vibrancy. We saw food trucks as an efficient and inexpensive way to fill gaps within our urban fabric that would ultimately enhance walkability downtown.
In countless peer communities, food trucks have been proven to increase foot traffic in urban areas.
Downtown needs to be a unique, walkable neighborhood and not just another vertical suburb. It was clear that there was a positive role for food trucks in our community. I reached out to Drew and Curt Cavins, owners of O’Brothers and Mossfire Grill in Riverside, about their experience running Jacksonville’s first food truck-Buss’n Your Chops. They were actually in the process of selling their truck because of the unbearable harassment and crippling fines levied upon them from the City of Jacksonville, just for having the audacity to exist. Hearing that really upset me. Our community should be encouraging entrepreneurship, innovation and self-sufficiency, not stifling it.
Tactical urbanism is defined by highly scalable demonstration events, so we thought that a unique way to introduce Jacksonville to the food truck culture would be to hold a ‘food truck championship’ styled competition to celebrate the handful of vendors that did exist in Jax at the time. It just so happened that a friend of ours, Stacey Steiner was also toying with the same idea. Stacey is a social media marketing professional who was able to scale a social media presence for us rather rapidly. Between Caron’s work and connections as a food columnist at Folio, Stacey’s expertise in public relations and our broad reach through Metrojacksonville.com, we were able to quickly put together a dynamic team that hit the ground running.
Jax Truckies / OutsideTheDen.comThe amazing crowd at the 2013 Food Truck Championship
What is one thing people don’t realize about food trucks?
Mike: Certainly the quality of the food that some of these chefs are putting out is pretty amazing. The culinary backgrounds from the entrepreneurs working inside these trucks can be pretty impressive. There are food truck operators in town that have worked in the kitchens of high quality restaurants like The Cloister in Sea Island, Aqua Grill, Taverna and Commanders Palace in New Orleans. Even the executive chef team from the Ritz-Carlton Ameila Island has a food truck now that they use for special events. Think about shoving your backyard propane grill into the back of a mini-van and trying to cook food for 100 people. That’s pretty challenging in and of itself, but to also make really good food under those same circumstances is downright amazing. Ask anyone that has gone from owning a food truck to owning a large restaurant, and they’ll tell you how much easier life is outside of the truck.
What was your first food truck experience?
Mike: I used to spend a lot of time in Southern California at the same time when Kogi BBQ first started. I would follow them around LA and Orange County eating Korean bbq tacos. Downtown LA is pretty massive, but it too has gaps that needed to be filled. I saw clusters of food trucks operating from empty lots during LA’s Art Walk, and thought ‘why can’t that work in Jacksonville?’
Caron: Back in the summer of 2010 in Portland, Oregon. I trekked across town (including switching busses mid-way) on vacation to hunt down the The Grilled Cheese Grill for a Jalapeno Popper — grilled jalapenos, colby jack, cream cheese, corn tortilla chips on grilled sourdough. It was out of the way but made for a tasty experience. Later that day I had the most amazing twice-fried belgian french fries from popular Potato Champion (which offers more than a dozen dipping sauces) and a pear and nutella crepe from Perierra Creperi, because let’s be honest — nutella makes everything better.
What was the most unusual thing you’ve had off of a food truck?
Caron: Locally, it’d have to be Swedish meatballs with lingenberry jam, mashed potatoes and pickled cucumbers from The Swedish Bistro Truck or falafel and homemade tabouli from Mama Fletcher’s in St. Augustine. In Los Angeles it was the most juicy golden fried chicken and spicy jalapeno slaw on a lavender-scented biscuit from Ludo Truck. Locally you can find everything from cuban, puerto rican, mexican, and Swedish to fresh fish tacos with roasted tomato and fennel on homemade corn tortillas or sweet potatoes topped with scallions, pulled pork and blue cheese crumbles — the options really are increasingly creative and diverse.
What city has the best food truck scene?
Mike: I’m partial to Los Angeles as that’s where I cut my food truck teeth. Besides Kogi, Komodo and The Burnt Truck are way at the top of my list of places to eat anywhere in the country. Although, Jacksonville’s food truck scene isn’t nearly as big as Portland or even Tampa and Miami the quality of some of our trucks are really top notch and perhaps underappreciated. The parmesan crusted grilled cheese at On The Fly or the Mac Daddy at The Happy Grilled Cheese blows away the famous Roxy’s Grilled Cheese in Boston (no offense to Roxy’s whatsoever, but I was actually texting Andrew from On The Fly while eating a sandwich at Roxy’s). The Swedish Bistro is a truly unique gem in the national food truck scene. I really feel that trucks like Mother Fletchers, Taste Buds Express, Salty Fig and Chew Chew (just to name a few) would stand their own on a TV show like Eat St.
Chris from Corner Taco and Caron doing a cooking demo on First Coast News – courtesy of Jax Truckies
What does a typical day entail for organizing Jax Truckies?
Mike: It’s certainly the equivalent of a full time job. On event days, I’m working a 13 hour day and easily spend 35-40 hours each week doing ‘Jax Truckies’-related work. We are always working on the next food truck event, talking with City officials and private landowners, connecting trucks to events, getting media attention on issues and working with some incredible charitable organizations.
Caron: My role is different from Mike. I spent a few hours a week keeping up with the social media components (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) — gathering details from participating trucks, typing up locations, and then posting updated listings each morning to both Facebook and Twitter. What people don’t realize is things can change in a matter of seconds — weather, truck malfunctions, and other circumstances beyond a truck’s control. I have a full-time job and part-time job so I squeeze in the updates before I go to work every morning right after the gym and (hopefully) a shower. I also ensure we respond to direct messages on social media platforms and interact with people tweeting questions or comments to us on Twitter.
What is Jax Truckies working on now?
Mike: We’ve grown through our partnerships. We’ve struck partnerships with the likes of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Intuition Ale Works, King Street Farmers Market, Kona Skatepark, Bold City Brewery, the Veterans Memorial Arena, Sleiman Enterprises and the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce. We recently started a quarterly series with the Jacksonville Landing called ‘Truckin on the River’. Our next event at the Landing is on November 23rd. I would encourage everyone to come as we’ll have more food trucks together at that event than any previous event in our city. Having the largest retail and restaurant landlord downtown seeing the value of food trucks has been a big validation as to what we’ve been saying all along.
Meanwhile, the big elephant in the room has been the criminalization of food trucks in Jax Beach. We steadfastly feel that there is a contributing role for food trucks at the beach. The Jax Beach Planning Department has a draft ordinance regarding legalizing food trucks ready. It just needs to be introduced by a City Council member. I really feel that it’s not going to be a matter of ‘if’, but ‘when’ in regards to bringing food trucks to the Beaches. Whichever elected official leads the charge is going to be admired as a hero that stood up for small business growth. We are also working on upgrading an existing food truck location downtown and adding another location for trucks downtown with the help of Jack Shad at the City of Jacksonville’s Parking Division.
Jack is a very talented public servant and our city is lucky to have. Nearly two years ago, we wanted to stage our first event in Hemming Plaza. It became clear that City officials wanted nothing to do with us as the process became maddeningly cumbersome and prohibitively expensive. Unfortunately, that experience hasn’t changed much. However, despite the inexplicable challenges we will finally be in Hemming Plaza in 2014 with another concept and I guarantee you it will be really amazing.
Anything else you’d like to share?
Mike: It’s easy to effect positive change in Jacksonville. We are not brilliant people. You just have to stop complaining, get off the couch and make something happen. Think about something you would like the change in Jacksonville. Think about what the end product would look like (maybe you want bike lanes in your neighborhood), set a goal, take that first step running and not stop until you hit the goal line. When people get in your way (and they will), don’t give up! Go around them and find someone that is willing to help. The experience in the end will be highly rewarding and our community will be better for it.
Caron: While Jax Truckies can sometimes feels like a labor of love I know that Mike and I enjoy seeing the smiles on people’s faces at food truck events, and knowing that our efforts truly make a difference in the city we’re proud to call home. Never underestimate two young people on a mission to support their community and raise money for local charities. It’s humbling what the two of us have been able to accomplish in a 19-month period with Jax Truckies and the outpouring of support and encouragement from friends, and new friends, we’ve made along the way on our food truck journey.
Heather: Be sure to Like Jax Truckies on Facebook, Follow on Twitter, and use #jaxtruckies on Instagram! A big thanks to Caron and Mike for the interview – now what’s for lunch?
Article by
Alex and Heather Bailey
Alex is a Florida native who grew up with fresh citrus and love bugs. He always imagined himself as a terrible Southerner, but a halfway decent Floridian. He knows that no matter how a day goes, it begins and ends with beauty. Originally from Texas, Heather has lived throughout the East Coast and is happy to now call Jacksonville home. She is a firm believer in Thoreau’s advice of “Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.” Both graduates of history at the University of North Florida, they share a love of finding the story beneath the story. Together they created the blog Outside The Den where they inspire others to get outside of their comfort zones through culinary adventures, cultural explorations, community happenings, and natural wonders.
OutsideTheDen.com
www.Facebook.com/OutsideTheDen
Instagram: OutsideTheDen
Twitter: OutsideTheDen