“The Mac & Gold Truck” sounds like plain old mac and cheese served through a window in a city that bleeds black and gold, right?
Mac & Gold in the Black & Gold!
Tim Tassone’s Mac & Gold truck is anything but traditional and Pittsburghers can’t get enough. What makes Tassone’s mac different? Well, everything!
Simple Truck, Simple Idea, with an unexpected twist. When I visited Tim and Athena at a Greentree office park, I never expected a made-to-order fresh mac and cheese for every order. Sounds like a ton of work!
I totally expected to see rows of pre- made mac covered in foil. Not a guy, a pan, and some pasta!
Tassone says it’s all in the name of delivering a phenomenal product to his customers with minimal waste, of course.
A mortgage industry casualty turned chef, Tim Tassone entered the food truck boom with an appetite for success and a unique enough menu to acheive it. The Mac and Gold truck’s most popular menu item is the lobster mac. Often requested by event staff and customers, Tassone uses real lobster claw meat and tops it with his signature brown butter breadcrumbs. The creamy, light cheese is a farmer’s cheese blend and the succulent bites of lobster keep you searching for more.
The very popular Lobster Mac!
The rosemary garlic fries…incredibly addicting and absolutely necessary. I forgot to take a photo and ate the entire serving in minutes!
Create your own mac with add- ins and toppings! Check out this menu!
Bacon, chicken, pork, asparagus, prosciutto, pea, jalapeño, smoky BBQ seitan with carmelized onions!!! Ever think of adding these to your mac? Tim Tessone’s originality and creativity is unmatched!I tried a prosciutto, spinach, and shiitake mushrooms- wow!
Can we discuss food truck functionality? If you are worried about messy mac and doing a balancing act, you are wrong! Everything is in one perfect box with a lid!
Look for The Mac & Gold Truck! Tell Tim and Athena I sent you!
Enjoy!
Why do Pittsburghers love their food trucks? The Pittsburgh Taco Truck’s owner James Rich says, “People like the uniqueness and don’t expect the quality.” As one of the founding fathers of Pittsburgh’s food truck boom, James has paved the way for newbie trucks.
Fellow trucks thank James for his help and comradery. James has organized truck lunch spots and Food Truck gatherings called Round Ups throughout the Pittsburgh area!
The more trucks the merrier is a resounding theme. One of the results is a monthly gathering called a Food Truck Round Up at North Hills Coffee Buddha. Coffee Buddha owner Mike Witherel says he welcomes the trucks with open arms. The events are great for his business, too! Watch for the next Round Up the last Saturday of the month, October 25th.
The food trucks line up behind Coffee Buddha located at 964 Perry Highway Pittsburgh’s North Hills
Inspired by the food he ate on board the Burrito Buggy at Ohio University, in Mexico, in Texas, and at various restaurants right here in Pittsburgh, James’ menu dives into a truly unique world of tacos.
Pittsburgh Taco Truck’s most popular? The Chorizo Taco- Regent Square’s Root 174 chorizo topped with cilantro, onion, lime, and queso fresca!Chicken in a Thai peanut sauce topped with a sweet chili slaw (front) I loved them both!
Yes, not your typical chicken or beef tacos. Favorite off menu specials include lobster roll on a baguette and a chorizo burger!
Menu on a Wednesday at the Pittsburgh Public market -The Pittsburgh Taco TruckFrom left- Brent Cable, James Rich – Pittsburgh Taco Truck
Catch the Pittsburgh Taco Truck for lunch and at events around the Burgh! Tell them I sent you!
“It would be a dream come true if we were allowed downtown. [The Three Rivers Arts Festival] was our favorite event. People were lined up 30 minutes before we started!”- Saucy Mamas Italian Food Truck and Catering
Did you know Pittsburgh food trucks cannot legally serve food to the public downtown? With strict laws regarding parking locations, amount of time serving, and hours of operation, Pittsburgh food trucks are in a constant struggle to get in front of their customers. According to
www.pghmobilefood.com, some of the current laws are driven by distance from downtown restaurants. Would the customers buying a Bar-B-Cone or a chicken panini on the street be the same customers doing lunch in one of Pittsburgh’s finest?
Head over to Pgh Mobile Food’s website and read the information, fill out the petition to change the laws governing our fabulous food trucks.
Enjoy my next stop! The Pittsburgh Food Truck series continues with even more unique, awesome food served through a window on a truck!
Saucy Mamas Italian Food Truck and Catering!
Paninis, meatballs, and Italian sausage, all of the authentic homemade Italian favorites you wish for, cooked and served by the authentic, saucy mamas you expect!
From left- Kim (family friend helping out) Megan, Diane, and Brittany (not pictured) has a new little meatball at home and is taking some time off. Photo time following the lunch rush at an office building in Wexford!
Saucy Mamas Diane Forrester, Megan Coleman, and Brittany Newton opened their food truck for business in February with Steel City work ethic, a lot of sweat -a food truck in the summertime is hot!- love, and hope that people would enjoy their food.
What a cool truck! Saucy Mamas Italian Food Truck and Catering!
As I chatted with a few customers in the Saucy Mamas lunch line at a Wexford office building, they were expecting average Italian food and were blown away by the delicious, homemade menu items.
The chicken panini is the Saucy Mamas’ most popular item right now!
Flattered by the compliments and praise, Megan told me a great customer story, “One customer bought a tray [of the five cheese meaty lasagna] for his mother’s birthday and called the next day to say it was the best he and his family had ever had.” The saucy mamas are so humbled and grateful for the feedback…they better get used to it!
The meatballs, wow! Without giving up their secret meatball recipe, the saucy mamas did tell me their balls are baked and loaded with garlic and herbs. The secret to keeping them moist? Parmesan cheese. Topped with the Saucy Mamas’ marinara and fresh grated parm, Yum!
Saucy Mamas Meatballs!
The Saucy Mamas are just getting started. I can’t wait to see what they come up with next! Brace yourselves for their fall menu! Hearty soups and cheesy lasagna will be new for fall!
Being a saucy mama myself, I fit right in on this truck! Saucy Mamas who cook homemade Italian food is a sisterhood. I love these girls and can’t wait to see where they go from here!
Entertaining for the upcoming holiday season? How about a tray of Saucy Mamas meatballs? Or lasagna? Reasonably priced and Homemade- these meatballs are not coming out of a freezer!
My meatball totally approved! And she’s a picky princess ; )
Ciao!
Saucy Mamas Italian Food Truck and Catering
Saucymamaspgh@gmail.com
412-367-7777
Is Pittsburgh finally catching up to the food truck boom? There is something trendy, hipster, and totally sexy about getting great food from a mobile truck! The latest trend? Hiring food trucks for wedding receptions, after parties, and corporate events to supply the hottest gourmet grub.
I can remember only a few Indian and Middle Eastern trucks feeding students and faculty at Pitt library. They are still there with long standing permits and no air in their tires. Other trucks are mobile babies born from successful restaurants, to talented cooks looking to build a brand with little overhead. My first stop on the food truck roundup is the South Side BBQ truck!
You can’t miss this truck!
When I met up with South Side BBQ, it was lunch hour outside the Pittsburgh Public Market in the Strip.
Brothers Mike and Pat Joyce took their BBQ to a truck about 8 months ago. The two have extensive restaurant and food service backgrounds which has helped make them successful. Not to mention, they totally thought of everything!! Extremely knowledgeable and talented. Pat owns the 17th Street Cafe now turned South Side BBQ Company restaurant and Mike spent his career working with Big Burrito company!
With a Stump Smoker right on board and a large grill, these two did their homework.
Hot or Not Sauce to the menu item names, South Side BBQ is one cool truck!
Mike and Pat took a trip to Memphis in May for the biggest food truck convention in the country to learn tips and tricks from the best.
Pat says, “They’ll laugh you outta there if your ribs fall off the bone. Means they were cooked way too long!”
I must admit I never knew that?? and I cook mine too long. Oops!
As we were talking customers lined up, mostly first timers. Beautiful, juicy pulled pork and creamy mac ‘n cheese were in every order. In my opinion this would be the hardest part, to keep the food hot, juicy and not let it dry out. Mike said, “You learn your time and temps to keep everything perfect.”
Wings and ribs are made to order on the South Side BBQ truck.
The most popular item? The BarBCone. A fresh waffle cone filled with creamy mac’n cheese a big scoop of juicy pulled pork pork, a squirt of house-made BBQ sauce, and topped with a crunchy vinegar based coleslaw.
BarBCone!!
New for Fall is the goBBlerQ!
Mac’n cheese or stuffing, smoked turkey, and cranberry coleslaw!
I am definitely going back to try it! Gobble Gobble!
Pat (left) and Mike are the real deal when it comes to BBQ! Stop in, say Howdy, grab a BarBCone, and tell them I sent you!
Find out where the South Side BBQ truck will be and when! Pittsburgh Food Trucks
@PghTrux
Follow South Side BBQ on twitter and Facebook!
