Good Waffles & Co.

Moveable feast: Chasing the food trucks

Food trucks offer some of the most creative and culturally diverse cuisine in town—but they can be elusive. Stumbling upon one is often a happy accident—a bonus while attending a festival or visiting a vineyard. We wanted to see if we could turn that on its head and provide a guide to finding your favorite food trucks—to make discovering them more intentional. We invited about 30 to send us their fall schedules. Fewer than half responded, and many told us they’re mostly booked for private events. It’s good to know that food trucks are flourishing here, even if it means we’re not always on the guest list (sniff). In any case, here’s our well-intentioned but noncomprehensive guide to grabbing food on the go through the end of November.

106 Food Trucks

In 2016, owner/chef Will Cooper rolled out his flagship truck, 106 Street Food, with a mission to shake up the sandwich world with creative variations on traditional favorites (falafel with provolone, pork schnitzel with lemon aioli, and Angus burger with smoked gouda, bacon, and fried egg, to name a few). Since then, Cooper has expanded his fleet to three trucks, each with a different style. 106-street-food.business.site

106 Street Food

American cuisine with international influences—falafel pitas, pork schnitzels, and big burgers.

Saturday, October 19, noon-9pm Bold Rock Hard Cider

Sunday, October 20, 1-7pm, Bald Top Brewing Co.

Wednesday, October 23, noon-6pm, King Family Vineyards

Friday, November 1, 5-11pm, Tomtoberfest

106 Grilled

Pressed sandwiches and paninis, like Cuban and caprese.

Saturday, October 19, noon-9pm, Bold Rock Hard Cider

Friday, October 25, 5-8pm, Starr Hill Brewery

Saturday, October. 26, 11am-9pm, Bold Rock Hard Cider

106 Eastview

Traditional and fusion Japanese fare like okonomiyaki and moco loco.

Saturday, October 19, noon-5pm, DuCard Vineyards

Tuesday, October 23, 5-8pm, Starr Hill Brewery

Friday, October 25, 4-11pm, Bald Top Brewing Co.

Sunday, October 27, noon-6pm, Chisholm Vineyards

Angelic’s Mobile Kitchen

Angelic Jenkins has been satisfying customers’ cravings for Southern cooking for five years. Her specialty is fried fish, but her soul food repertoire is complete. You can often find her on weekdays on Pantops Mountain, at 1538 E. High St. Call ahead to see if she’s there. angelicskitchen.com

Saturday, October 26, noon-6pm, Eden Ministries Fall Festival

Tuesday, October 29, 11am-1pm, Dairy Market apartments groundbreaking

Saturday, November 23, 9am-2pm, Cornucopia Festival

The Bavarian Chef

The Bavarian Chef has been serving traditional German schnitzel—both veal and pork—in Madison since 1974. Between the home base and the food truck, the restaurant dishes up about 500 schnitzels a week. The food truck menu also includes snacks such as a pretzel with beer cheese and mustard dips, pommes frites, potato pancakes with sour cream, and homemade applesauce—and sausages, lots of sausages! thebavarianchef.com

Saturday, October 26, noon-5pm, Chisholm Vineyards

Saturday, November 2, 9am-6pm, Montpelier Races

Wednesday, November 13, 6-8:30pm, Bald Top Brewing Co.

Carpe Donut

“Tender and steamy on the inside, slightly crisped on the outside.” That’s how Carpe Donut describes its apple cider donuts, and it’s on the money. For the better part of 12 years, the family-run business owned by Matt Rohdie and Jen Downie has churned out that singularly delectable donut, offered plain or sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. But about a year ago, they expanded their offerings to include flavors like toasted coconut and double blueberry. (Carpe Donuts’ brick-and-mortar shop, in the McIntire Shopping Plaza, is open 8am-1pm weekdays.) carpedonut.org

Saturdays, 8am-1pm, at City Market

Wednesday, October 23, 6-10pm, Elvis Costello, Sprint Pavilion

Saturday, November 2, 10am-5pm, Vintage Virginia Apples Annual Harvest Festival

Friday, November 8, 6-10pm, Wilco, Sprint Pavilion

Catch the Chef

Chef Tyler Berry is famous for his cheeseburgers, Philly cheesesteaks, Boom Boom Shrimp, and fries with five distinctive toppings (the Baconator, for example). You can often catch Berry’s trucks—he also has a mobile “deli” that features wraps and sandwiches—in the Lowe’s parking lot in Ruckersville. Facebook @catchthechef

Saturday, October 19, noon-3pm, Keswick Vineyards

Sunday, October 20, noon-5pm, Chisholm Vineyards

Saturday, October 26, noon-8pm, Wilderness Run Vineyards

Sunday, October 27, noon-3pm, Keswick Vineyards

Farmacy

Wholesome, organic, Mexican-inspired fare by owner Jessica Hogan and her partner/chef Gabino Lino, whose local food experience includes working at Feast! and Beer Run. Our favorite is the Super-Naan Taco (pork al pastor with shredded lettuce and kale, onion, cilantro, feta, and guac, served on garlic naan topped with sour cream and a side of salsa). farmacy.guru

Saturday, October 19, 10am-5pm, Liberty Mills Farm

Friday, October 25, 5-8pm, Pollak Vineyards

Saturday, November 2, 10am-5pm, Albemarle Cider Festival

Saturday, November 16, 11am-5pm, Thomas Jefferson Wine Festival

Friday, November 22, 5-8pm, Glass House Winery

Firefly on the Fly

The mobile wing of the restaurant takes its chefs, servers, and menu offerings on the road. And, if the truck’s Facebook feed is any indication, the crew seems to have a lot of fun on these field trips. Daily specials and menu items reflect Firefly’s emphasis on providing vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options as well as bestsellers like the grass-fed Virginia beef burger. fireflycville.com

Friday, October 18, 5-8pm, The Fralin Museum of Art

Saturday, October 19, noon-4pm, Blenheim Vineyards

Sunday, October 20, noon-4pm, Liberty Mills Farm

Saturday, October 26, 5-8pm, Knight’s Gambit Vineyard

Sunday, October 27, noon-4pm, Liberty Mills Farm

Wednesday, October 30, 5-8pm, King Family Vineyards

Saturday, November 2, 10:30am-5:30pm, ARTCHO

Sunday, November 3, time TBD, Blenheim Vineyards

Serves just what the name suggests, plus a few things you might not expect. Chicken-N-Waffles? Yes, of course. But also loaded waffle fries, waffle pudding, seasonal soups, and daily specials, and the signature bubble waffles with toppings savory or sweet. Fall desserts include bourbon apple pie—a waffle topped with housemade brown butter bourbon truffle ice cream, sliced apples, caramel sauce, and whipped cream. goodwafflesco.com

Wednesday, October 23, 5-8pm, King Family Vineyards

Saturday, November 2, 10:30am-5:30pm, ARTCHO

Wednesday, November 20, 5-8pm, King Family Vineyards

Little Manila

A lot of folks are hungry for the Filipino food Jessica and Fernando Dizon cook up in their truck. Nearly every weekday, you can find them at a lunchtime spot with people lined up for platters of pork or chicken barbecue served with rice, pancit noodles, or lumpia (fried spring roll). Facebook and Instagram @littlemanilacville

Saturday, October 19 and 26, 8am-1pm, City Market

Wednesday, October 23, 6-10pm, Elvis Costello, Sprint Pavilion

Friday, November 1, 5-11pm, Tomtoberfest

Saturday, November 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30, 8am-1pm, City Market

The SpiceSea Gourmet

Chef Whitney Matthews’ award-winning food truck is rolling out a cold-weather menu that includes she-crab soup (a secret family recipe), New England clam chowder, soft shell crab po’ boys, and fried lobster mac ‘n’ cheese. spiceseagourmet.com

Friday, October 18, 5:30-8pm, Grace Estate Winery

Saturday, October 19, noon-4pm, Valley Road Vineyards

Friday, October 25, 5-8pm, Decipher Brewing

Saturday, October 26, 5:30-8pm, Grace Estate Winery

Friday, November 1, 5-8pm, Decipher Brewing

Wonderment Bakeshop & Creamery

Founder Stephanie Taylor calls herself a “dessert enthusiast,” and credits her parents with encouraging both her sweet tooth and her love of baking from a young age. The goodies she dispenses from her adorable teal blue truck—artisan ice cream sandwiches and homemade pop-tarts—might make you think she’s never grown up. Not that we’re judging. In fact, we’re happy to indulge our inner child—especially with ice cream. Our seasonal favorite is her pumpkin pie in pop-tart form, with flaky crust, perfectly spiced filling, and that familiar brown sugar frosting. Taylor makes everything from scratch: ice cream, cookies, pastry crusts, and fillings. cvillewonderment.com

Saturday, October 19 and 26, 8am-1pm, City Market

Saturday, October 26, noon-6pm, Bold Rock Fall Foliage Festival

Saturday, November 2 and 9, 8am-1pm, City Market

Events & Festivals

Eden Ministries Fall Festival

Saturday, October 26, 11am-6pm, Keswick. eden-ministries.com

Bold Rock Fall Foliage Festival

Saturday, October 26, 11am-9pm, Nellysford. boldrock.com

Tomtoberfest

Friday, November 1, IX Art Park. tomtomfest.com

ARTCHO

Saturday, November 2, 10:30am-5:30pm, IX Art Park. artcho.org

Montpelier Races

Saturday, November 2, 9am-6pm, James Madison’s Montpelier, Montpelier Station. montpelier.org

Vintage Virginia Apples Annual Harvest Festival

Saturday, November 2, 10am-5pm, Albemarle CiderWorks, North Garden. albemarleciderworks.com

Thomas Jefferson Wine Festival

Saturday, November 16, 11am-5pm, Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest, Forest. poplarforest.org

Cornucopia Festival

Saturday, November 23, 9am-2pm, Louisa. Search for “cornucopia” on eventbrite.com

Take the cannoli: A New York state of mind leads to Sicily Rose

Milli Joe owner Nick Leichtentritt has always had a special place in his heart for simple Italian cannoli, and he’s planning to bring his favorite dessert to Charlottesville at Sicily Rose, an Italian coffee and cannoli bar opening in September in the Studio IX space.

“Sicily Rose is a project I’ve actually been working on and thinking about for a couple years now,” he says. “I grew up in an Italian family in New York, so cannoli were always a go-to dessert for us, and now every time I find a good one I’m reminded of my childhood. The shop is named in honor of my Sicilian grandmother, Rose, who shared her love of Italian bakeries with all of her grandkids, and whose kitchen in New York was home to some of my earliest and fondest memories. She was in large part responsible for my lifelong love of food and the desire to share it with friends and family.”

Sicily Rose will feature a full-scale Italian coffee bar as well as American coffee favorites from Milli Joe. The made-to-order cannoli bar will stick to the traditional favorites.

“We’re not going to do a bunch of crazy flavors,” Leichtentritt says. “Instead we will have one style of fresh-made cannoli shells and a simple, authentic cannoli cream, which we will make in-house and fill to order. The cannoli will be topped with a choice of chocolate, pistachio, almond, or candied orange.”

Leichtentritt says he’ll also carry some unique Italian treats as well as local chocolates, local beer, and Italian wine.

Waffling around

There’s a new waffle kid in town: Good Waffles & Co. food truck has been making inroads over the past several months. The brainchild of newlyweds Steven and Danielle Stitz, Good Waffles combines their passions—he’s been cooking in the Charlottesville area for more than a decade, including a stint at the Clifton Inn, and she’s a graphic designer by training.

“We merged our love of both to start a business that we could do together,” Danielle says. “We love Charlottesville and being a part of this wonderful community. Owning our food trucks has allowed us the chance to meet so many great people here, and we hope to be around for a long time, serving up our waffles.”

The style they serve is the bubble waffle—the circular waffles are pocketed with bubbles to better hold accompanying sauces and ice cream, and they come in sweet and savory forms.

“A bubble waffle is basically a Hong Kong Egg Waffle,” Danielle says. “But we’ve adapted it with our recipe to fit our menu. It has beautiful round bubbles all over it. You can fork it, slice it, or my favorite: pull it apart with your hands.”

Steven recommends the classic chicken and waffles, with a mix of housemade Georgia mustard and North Carolina sauces with a homemade pickle. Danielle favors the lemon berry: a bubble waffle with vanilla ice cream, Meyer lemon curd and plenty of blueberries.

“We make what we love, and we love waffles with soul,” she says. “Add some fried chicken or some ice cream atop—you can’t go wrong. You could say that we picked the food, but really the bubble waffles picked us!”

Oakhart Social keeps growing

Oakhart Social has launched a private dining room above Public Fish & Oyster (in the former home of Opal Yoga, which has moved). The space seats up to 52 people, and boasts polished hardwoods and exposed brick, with wood paneling flanking a fully stocked bar.

Benjamin Clore, co-owner of Oakhart Social, says the private space that opened in April was used for overflow seating for graduation, and is now available for those seeking to host private functions.

Clore says the master plan involves a rooftop restaurant above Oakhart Social, in which the back half of the rooftop will be a building with an open kitchen and bar design similar in concept to that of Mas Tapas, with the kitchen on one side, and bar seating on the other. The front half will be open-air patio seating. Clore said all city approvals have been met but the project is on hold while they finalize the opening of their next venture, Little Star (across the street in the old Threepenny Café site).

“Little Star will feature American food with Spanish and Latin influences, and small plates like at Oakhart, largely wood-fired,” Clore says, adding it should open in October or November.

Get ’em while they’re hot

Wegmans will host its Hatch Chile Festival August 24-26. The festival, held over the next several weeks at select Wegmans locations throughout the country, has become a popular annual event, and originated as a way for the grocery store to promote a unique seasonal item, says the store’s media relations manager, Valerie Fox.

Fox says they’ll have a chile roaster set up near the entrance, and various departments at the grocery store will offer products that creatively incorporate Hatch chilies into their selections.

The chilies, grown in Hatch, New Mexico, the chile capital of the world, are a popular ingredient in Southwestern cooking, Fox says. Harvested four weeks each year, the chiles have a thicker wall than more common ones like the Anaheim, thus holding up nicely in recipes and freezing for year-round use.