Angelic’s Kitchen On Wheels food truck has taken to the streets, a mere four years since owner Angelic Jenkins began cooking professionally, after her husband urged her to find a hobby other than shopping.
“I love cooking for people and always wanted to sell fried fish at a festival,” Jenkins says, “So I started off doing a tent set-up at Washington Park, at the African American Culture festival.” The event was so successful that before she knew it she was working festivals as far away as Virginia Beach, selling her fried fish, wings, hush puppies, and onion rings to a rabid fan base who love her exclusive fish fry breading, which she sells to customers interested in frying at home.
Cooking under a tent was too weather-dependent, hence the transition to a food truck, which Jenkins purchased in August. And as the Charlottesville native prepared for her restaurant-on-wheels, she attended two years of culinary classes at CATEC, even winning a bread contest while enrolled.
Jenkins has her hands full, working full-time as HR director at the Doubletree and operating her food truck on evenings and weekends. But she loves to keep busy.
“I’m the Energizer Bunny. I keep going. And I love to cook–my house is the come-to house for the holidays because everyone knows I’m going to cook up a feast,” she says. “I love bringing a smile to people’s faces when they try my food!”
No doubt her husband is smiling as well, now that her new hobby has become a business.
“My daughter said, ‘Mom, you haven’t shopped in a long time!’” Jenkins says. “Now we’re just shopping for fish and fries and hush puppies.”
Information on where to find the truck, which maintains a home base in Pantops at the intersection of Rt. 250 and Long Street, can be found at www.angelicskitchen.com
Souper stars
Just over a year ago we were touting our local connections to the highly-anticipated opening of (former TEN Japanese kitchen staff member) Douglas Kim’s Jeju Noodle Bar in Lower Manhattan.
Earlier this month, Kim landed a coveted Michelin star for his elevated Korean comfort food, making Jeju the first-ever Michelin-starred noodle bar in the U.S. and one of only 16 new restaurants added to NYC’s prestigious list.
The guide credits Jeju Noodle Bar as an approachable Korean restaurant in the West Village specializing in ramyum, the Korean version of ramen. Inspectors not only found Kim’s food fantastic to eat, but also backed by solid technique.
BBQ coming downtown
Moe’s Original BBQ is expanding to a second location at the old Mono Loco building, according to co-owner Ashleigh Abrams.
“We’ve been looking to expand in Charlottesville for a while, and the opportunity to take over such an iconic space in Charlottesville got us really excited,” she says. “We’ll be serving up the same made-from-scratch BBQ and sides, but will be staying open later for the bar crowd and have live music on a regular basis.”
Abrams and her husband Mike are partnering with Megan Abato and Riley Garvin, who’ve been with Moe’s Ivy Road location for two years. The soon-to-be newlyweds will run the downtown site, with doors slated to open by March.