Food trucks are on a roll in Lexington
Brent Moore (left) and Tyler Prevatte stand in front of their Pour Folk Pizza food trailer at the Goose and the Monkey Brew House in the Depot District. {Vikki Broughton Hodges/Davidson Local}
From street tacos to poke bowls, food trucks are delivering flavor to Lexington breweries,
cideries and bottle shops.
When Bull City Ciderworks opened in the Depot District of Lexington five years ago, it was about the only place in town to find a food truck.
But as area wineries and breweries have opened and expanded in more recent years, food trucks have become another dining option for locals and visitors who also want to sample local beers, wines and, in the case of Bull City, hard ciders.
“It’s a natural complement to us,” said John Clowney, CEO of Bull City Ciderworks, which has a cider bar and production center at 599 S. Railroad St. in Lexington, as well as the original location in Durham. The company opened a cider bar in Greensboro this past January and is planning to add another one in Cary later this summer.
“It’s part of our business model,” Clowney said, noting all the different locations have food trucks regularly and they can rotate the schedules of the food trucks to bring variety to all the bars. “We can focus on making our quality product and also offer some unique and different flavors to bring out people. It’s really a win-win for consumers and the food trucks.”
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Clowney acknowledged the pandemic and major renovation work at the Lexington location, which was recently completed, have kept the cidery from hosting food trucks much for more than a year. But now, with a renovated cider bar indoors and a large outdoor area, the trucks are back on a regular rotation.
The trucks at Bull City have food ranging from Asian and Mediterranean to Mexican and seafood. Most are based in the Triad and one is actually based in Lexington, California Grill. Jaime Lopez, who has owned and operated Lexington Bakery for the past six years at 979 S. Main St., said he decided to get into the food truck business several months ago when his bakery business slowed down during the pandemic.
“It’s doing okay so far,” Lopez said. “We have something a little different from all the other food trucks.”
The truck’s menu features typical items such as tacos, enchiladas, fajitas and quesadillas but also some less known like empanadas and arroz con pollo. Lopez said the key to the menu is the marinades for the meats and homemade salsa, guacamole and pico de gallo. He also sells tres leches cake, flan and cheesecake from the bakery.
Lexington native Anthony “Jabo” Knotts brings his food truck, Seafood Destiny, to Bull City Cider Works in the Depot District on a regular basis. Knotts specializes in Low Country-style broiled seafood platters. {Contributed photo}
Another regular at Bull City is Seafood Destiny, which has local ties. Lexington native Anthony “Jabo” Knotts, who owns a restaurant by the same name in Greensboro, serves “soulful seafood” in the form of broiled platters of snow crab legs, shrimp and lobster along with potatoes, corn on the cob and turkey sausage. They additionally offer crab cakes and a shrimp mac and cheese dish.
“I tell people we don’t serve fast food — we serve fresh food in a fast way,” he explained. “We’re consistent. And I know a lot of people love the fact I’m from Lexington.”
Knotts, who is also the pastor of Embassy Church in Greensboro, said he gets the word out about when his food truck is in town through Facebook and other social media. Most food trucks post their weekly schedule of stops on social media and have cultivated their own fans and followers.
Across the road from Bull City, at 401 S. Railroad St., the Goose and the Monkey Brew House has food trucks scheduled daily, including Pour Folk Pizza, which is owned by Brent Moore, co-owner of Goose and the Monkey along with his wife, Ashlee, and Tyler Prevatte, co-owner of Perfect Blend Coffee House along with his wife, Madison.
This isn’t the first business partnership for Moore and Prevatte, who moved his coffee roasting operations from above the coffee shop on the Square uptown to the brewery in 2020. The brewery sells Perfect Blend coffee, too.
Even before the pandemic, the two had bounced around ideas for a food truck and decided pizza was a natural to go along with the beer sold at the brewery.
“We were trying to figure a way to draw people down here,” Moore said.
“What goes better with beer?” Prevatte queried. “There’s nothing like it that comes down here.”
The Prevattes came up with the recipes for the artisan flatbread pizzas, which includes nearly a dozen specialties and the option of designing your own custom pie. You can order a basic pizza, but Pour Folk adds a little international flair to the menu. Spicy Thai flavors inspired the Bahtman (the name of Thai currency), which starts with a Thai chili base and combines chicken, sweet peppers, sriracha sauce, roasted pistachios, cilantro and a mix of mozzarella and cheddar cheeses. In a nod to Lexington’s famous barbecue, there’s even a Carolina Gold pizza, which combines barbecue sauce, pulled pork, a mix of mozzarella and cheddar and a splash of hot sauce. There’s a cauliflower crust for a gluten-free option. The pizzas are cooked in an Italian oven at 675 degrees for roughly 90 seconds.
Pour Folk is typically open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday and brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
The brewery has about 20 outside tables for diners and has plans to add more since people are comfortable eating outdoors and the weather is turning warmer. Moore installed two food truck pads with electrical power sources to make it easier for vendors.
“They just plug it in and don’t have to run generators,” Moore shared. “It’s very easy for them to get in and out. We have trucks booked every night until the end of the year.”
The Medley food truck is at Goose and the Monkey Brew House in the Depot District at least three nights a week. They serve up everything from brisket nachos to seared tuna poke bowls. {Contributed photo}
Medley, a High Point-based food truck, has been at the brewery on a regular basis since last summer. The truck is typically at the brewery Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, serving a variety of food, as the name implies. The emphasis is on a menu that’s flavorful and healthy.
Owner Johnny Carlo said the menu changes every two weeks but includes everything from burgers and brisket nachos to Hawaiian poke bowls and cauliflower mac and cheese as well as a variety of salads. A couple of vegetarian and vegan options are available as well as a kid’s menu.
“We change the menu regularly because we don’t want to bore people and we want to have a little something for everybody,” he assured.
“It’s been overwhelming to be honest,” Carlo admitted. “We started building a fan base I guess you’d say.”
The Brewer’s Kettle, 4 E. First Ave., a bottle shop that opened in November 2017, has had food trucks on Friday nights since they opened. David Nichols, who owns the shop along with his wife, Kim, said customers enjoy being able to have dinner and the beer and wine of their choice to complement the food.
“We pride ourselves on having a little bit of something for everybody,” he said, adding they carry 140 wines and 250 beers.
Nichols said they schedule a wide variety of food trucks each week to bring back people so they can try new foods, from J.J.’s Cuban Kitchen and Slick’s Bar-B-Q to Cousin’s Maine Lobster and Two the Top, which specializes in brisket.
“It’s mutually beneficial for us and the food trucks,” he said. “It’s small business supporting another small business.”
