Erin Thursby
Food trucks have changed the landscape of culinary culture here in Jacksonville in the past decade or so, and today we have a wide selection of tastes. We’ve chosen three food trucks for you to follow on social media (the best way to know where a truck will be). These three will also be at GastroJax’s annual Fall event, Moon Over the Market, on October 11th at the Jacksonville Farmers Market, and tastes will be included in the ticket price. Tickets are only $40 at this tasting event on 904tix.com.
The new truck Jammas Jax brings Asian street food flavor wherever they might go with dishes such as pad thai, crab rangoons, lo mein, Hawaiian pineapple fried rice and much more. Owner Julio Gonzalez has quite the storied resume–he’s worked at prestigious local restaurants such as Medure, Pom’s, and El Mariachi, a stellar Mexican truck. His favorite dish on the Jammas Jax menu is the green curry with shrimp, a recipe he picked up from Chef Pom Souvannasoth. Says Gonzalez, “I think having passion for what you do is very important…loving what you do cooking with love.”
This truck is just starting out, and if you’d like to try a sample, Moon Over the Market is a great event to do that. You can find the truck every Monday Downtown at the The Court Urban Food Park on Hogan Street from 11-2pm on the regular, and you can also follow them on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram @jammasjax.
Pie95 has now been part of our food scene for about three years, and if you haven’t tried them, we highly recommend their wood-fired pizza deliciousness! They’ve been at the fall tasting event Moon Over the Market event all three years, and will be a part of it again–with expanded space this year!
Chef Evan Eriksen’s passion for a pie is apparent in every slice. His customers rave about the Neapolitan-inspired pizza, with some even saying that it’s a veritable taste of Italy. Says Chef Eriksen, “Our philosophy behind our pizza is inspired from working from Chef Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin in NYC. Simple is best. After working for Chef Ripert you learn to look at the beauty in the product and not overloading your dishes with too many flavors and techniques.”
They are currently researching where they might open a brick-and-mortar place, but in the meantime, Pie95 Pizza posts their weekly schedule on Facebook and Instagram to help the customers find their location. They also can be found every Saturday at the Riverside Art Market from 10-3pm.
Rite on Que’s barbeque is influenced by Alabama and Florida smoking techniques, using a blend of hickory and pecan wood exclusively. They do it the old-fashioned way, using no gas or electricity in the process. Standout items include their MacDaddy Brisket, which is brisket topped with mac and cheese, and their Dutch caramel glazed baby back ribs, called Candied Ribs. You might also want to try their pork belly burnt ends and beef short ribs, which are often on special.
Pit Master Larry Lawson says that their food philosophy is simple because they keep it simple, by cooking with fire, using “quality proteins…made from scratch sides” and providing great service. Lawson says that some guests are so pleased at the quality that during events, customers have been known to “come back twice at the same event to take some home.” They plan to start selling sauces and rubs in the future, and hope to have a brick-and-mortar restaurant sometime in the next three years. You can find Rite On Que by following them on Facebook and Instagram (@riteonque), and you will also find them as one of the tastes at Moon Over the Market on October 11th, 904tix.com
Follow FOLIO!