Find your flavor: New tastes in town with Food Truck Tuesdays – Salisbury Post

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Chef Bionca Saunders, left, of Lexington prepares a dish for a customer at Salisbury’s Food Truck Tuesdays at the Konnected Entertainment and Wellness Center. Chandler Inions/Salisbury Post

Cam Auten, left, owner Erick Crawford and Amanda Overdorf bring a Southern twist to street food at Chop Chop Red Pot. Chandler Inions/Salisbury Post

Chef Jenneh Cole, center, specializes in West African cuisine. Chandler Inions/Salisbury Post

Mike Bentley, owner of Kernel Mike’s, can do a lot with a simple ear of corn. Chandler Inions/Salisbury Post

SALISBURY — As proven around the holidays, food can be a source of life that brings people together. Some community organizers try to create a sense of that unity each week with a food truck rally in Salisbury.

Tranis Brown and her husband, Travis Fennell, started Food Truck Tuesdays with Kevin Glover of Konnected Entertainment and Wellness Center. The center was the site of the weekly event.

“It’s like a big outdoor food court,” Brown said. “The idea is to give the community a place to have fun after work.”

Brown brought the idea with her from South Florida.

“I moved here from Miami and I’ve always done things like this house,” Brown said. “So I just wanted to bring that idea here and it worked.”

Pairing a variety of cuisines with that sense of community was always part of the plan, according to Fennell.

“We’re here to serve the community by giving them something different in a family-friendly environment,” Fennell said. “We give you a different taste of food from different cultures.”

Based on the display, there was no shortage of options. Fares include Southern soul food, seafood, West African and Jamaican fare. However, it is not limited to food trucks. Several local chefs set up a tent and offer food from dishes.

For others in the area, the event is a way to build their personal brands.

Chef Zee Jolicoeur runs Authentic by Zee and is based in Statesville, but loves to venture out and share his selection. Jolicoeur is a first-generation Jamaican immigrant. She indicated that it is a source of pride to be able to share her family’s recipes.

Chop Chop Red Pot offers Southern-inspired street food. Owner Erick Crawford has only been in business for a few months, but has found that events like Food Truck Tuesdays have helped boost business.

Meanwhile, Jenneh Cole doesn’t have a conventional food truck. However, she is still determined to share traditional West African dishes with customers at the food truck event. For the Salisbury chef, whose main kitchen is her home, it’s one of the few ways she can make a name for herself.

Chef Bionca Saunders served from her tent a dish called Pasta Rasta. The Lexington chef owns Beyond the Basics, a mobile catering service. Saunders’ motto is: “If you can satisfy your soul, a good deed has been done.”

While the event wraps up for the season, its organizers are happy with how it went. They are considering a return after the holidays.

“We couldn’t do this without the community,” Fennell said. “We do it for the community and we want to keep it strong. We will renovate in the spring, around March.”

Early success with attendance led Fennell and Brown to consider hosting a weekend version of the event at the same location.

“We also thought about moving it to Sundays because it was such a hit on Tuesdays,” Brown said.

To keep up with the development of Food Truck Tuesday, join the Facebook group of the same name.

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