09/16/2025
Where is the food truck? Did you guys quit? Did you change your name? How do we find you?
Actually, these are all legitimate questions. You may have noticed that we are no longer parked in downtown Harrisonburg, and that there is a burrito truck in that spot now. No, we did not change our menu. That spot served its purpose for us by providing wonderful exposure. Now we are travelling so much, there is no need to keep paying for that spot. I am sure my neighbors are tired of seeing the truck in front of our house, but I can assure them that we have found a storage place for it now, and they will only see it when we are preparing for another adventurous gig.
We have been busy in a lot of different places, and we are grateful for the opportunities that have come to us. It feels good to know that our style of food has been so well received. I know we can be hard to understand by changing our menu so often, but it is fun from a culinary point of view. I worked in a lot of restaurants where the menu IS the menu, from the dawn of time until the end of time. Perhaps a change may come around once a year, or even seasonally. But weekly? Nope.
However, we have been finding items along the way that we have kept. Potato ribbons were the first. I read somewhere that one of the most popular items on food trucks is some sort of potato product. So, we tried fries (homemade) and really just couldnât get it quite right. We tried skinny ones, fat ones, wedgesâŠbut it wasnât working. But when we spiralized a potato and fried itâŠwow! Add a little salt and they lined up! OkâŠwe are keeping that one.
Then we found soft pretzel sticks. We may not make the pretzels, but we add a buttery seasoning on them and serve them warm with a great mustard. Itâs a great handheld treat and hard, honestly, to keep them in stock. Well, another keeper.
Next, and totally Leigh Anneâs brainchild, is Tott Dogs. Grill an all-beef foot long hot dog, cut it into pieces, put those pieces over some freshly fried tater tots, and add a sauce to it (she would kill me if I divulged her recipe), and serve it with a fork. I admit that one took me by surprise. But we are certainly keeping it. It is amazingly popular.
Our next big thing seems to be egg rolls. We have made Reuben egg rolls and Bacon Cheeseburger eggrolls. They have been very popular, and we are coming up with other versions of hot sandwiches that we can wrap up and fry. Itâs been a lot of fun to create something new and different, yet still recognizable.
On other fronts, we are currently in Florida. My daughter is getting married on Thursday just North of Orlando. As most of you may know, I spent 20 years in Florida. I moved back to my hometown of Harrisonburg in 2021. So, the logical question is, âHey John, do you miss Florida?â No. Absolutely not. Let me qualify that a bit. I spent my years here in larger cities (St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Tampa) and I have realized how much I hate large cities. Harrisonburg is a great placeâŠsmall, low key, and has the motto of âFriendly by Natureâ and means it. People wave, whether they know you or not. They stop to let people cross the street or parking lot. Upon arrival in Florida, I was quickly reminded of the aggressive nature of the culture. The highways were treacherous. Even shopping seemed like a battle. I already miss the ease of home, but it is still nice to get away. We are in a nice Airbnb near where our daughter is getting married. We are here for a week and will likely return Monday or Tuesday.
The wedding is in Lake Mary. No, we are not catering this one. We get to eat food that someone else prepared! And, we donât have to do the dishes. Yeah! Our new son-law to be is a wonderful young man. He is smart, funny, and devoted to our daughter. He is family focused, independent, and charming. Basically, he is what a parent desires for his daughter. I am very happy that they found each other. While my daughter has been the lead wedding planner (I am sure with input from her betrothed), this wedding has been an all-consuming task. They both work full time. And seem to have had the full-time job of planning this eventâŠflorist, bridesmaids, groomsmen, attire, food, cake, venue, reception, music, officiant, to name but a few details. Work, eat, wedding, sleep, repeatâŠand not necessarily in that order. They get married on Thursday, Friday they ârestâ, and Saturday they take off for the honeymoon. My prayer is that they can take some time to think about what comes next.
There is daily life to consider. What can one do to make their partnerâs life better, every day? What are the short- and long-term goals of this new unit, and can those goals change? Getting married is a big deal, a HUGE deal. And I am proud of them. Next stepâŠthe rest of your lives. Everyone has their challenges, faults, flaws, idiosyncrasies, and things that make them uniqueâŠbeyond simple fingerprints. These two have lived together long enough to see what the other is like now. Let us pray that they develop the deep love and communication for when things change, and they always do. In my own life, I have had skin cancer, and my wife has had colon cancer. She has all but lost the hearing in one ear. We retired. Then we unretired. This is to say, life changes. I do feel confident in this match, and if either has questions or concerns, I hope they both know, we are here.
As an age defining moment, my 40th high school reunion is coming up. It will be in October. I look in the mirror and know that I need to make up name tags with the high school senior pictures on them with their original names to provide some sense of recognition. We have all changed. Well except for one Carl Fisher who looks exactly like he did 40 years ago (so unfair). We have all lived lives. We have been married, divorced, had children, been to prison, been amazingly successful, bought houses, lived abroad, whatever⊠But we still have the humble beginnings of Harrisonburg High School, Class of 1985. I remember the speaker at our graduation ceremony. Not his name of course, but I remember he was the Secretary of the Army of the United States of America, and a former graduate of HHS. THAT impressed meâŠstill some 40 years later. THAT, beyond any lectures, assignments, promises of guidance counselors, told me that anything was actually possible. Here was a former HHS student that had achieved something real. He was somebody. He was an important person, from nowhere. I found it profoundly inspiring. And I couldnât tell you a thing he said.
Enough Chef! Letâs talk about some food!
Ok. Letâs talk about a basicâŠchicken salad. Everyone is going to have a family recipe that no one is allowed to mess with. It came down from Great Great Aunt Getrude, who won the county fair with it. I understand. However, letâs work just beyond that. I wonât tell her, if you wonât.
Letâs start with chicken breasts. Letâs boil them, in chicken stock, though water will do. Why not add a layer of flavor? Donât go crazy and boil them until oblivionâŠjust until they are cooked, white through and throughâŠor 165 degrees for those with a thermometer. Take them out and put them in a Kitchen-AidâŠyes, a Kitchen-Aid with a paddle attachment. SLOWLY build the speed and be amazed how well it âshredsâ the chicken. Put the chicken into a mixing bowl. Now it is time to add some stuff. Mayo is the primary ingredient. Use good mayonnaise. Seriously. No off brands. In our house, we use Hellmanâs. But Dukes or other major brands are acceptable, of course. Use your favorite. One will need salt, pepper, ginger and other spices depending upon the desired effect. We have discovered that adding edamame, sliced roasted red peppers, a little red pepper flakes, a touch of lemon pepper or lemon zest makes a great combination. That said, the time of year may make a difference. If it is winter, you may wish for a combination that weighs a bit heavier on the palate. In the summer, one may wish to do something as light as possible. There is NO right or wrong. There is only your palate. There is no definitive recipe. Your Great Great Aunt Gertrudeâs recipe may be the best for you. And that is ok. Or, like so many of our recipes, you can alter them and explore some new tastes, textures, and fun. Food should be fun.
I hope this all finds you well, and we continue to thank you for all the support you have given.
I try to put out a newsletter as often as I can. I am putting this out on Facebook as well as to our Newsletter group as an example of what information we share. If you would like to hear more about us, or the food truck, please send us an email: [email protected]. Simply say, âYou OTT to add meâ in the subject line and you will be added. There is no cost or obligation, and you will be removed upon request. To read previous newsletters, go to the website: www.ottstreeteats.com and click on âBlog.â
Thank you all for being you.
Johnnymac
We are a food truck and catering concern in the Harrisonburg area! Check us out at Ott Street Eats!
