Food

It’s a Southern Thing

Food Trucks Going Strong

Find chicken, tacos, cheesesteaks, cakes, crepes and more at more than 40 local trucks and trailers

BY LAURA LINDSAY

The food truck scene took off in “Our best seller right now is strawberry popularity this spring when COcake, and we have all kinds of desserts. VID-19 forced these small business M&M’s cake is my favorite family recipe owners to rethink their plans to work at that I offer because every year growing up, festivals and events. When people started my nanny would make me this cake for my staying home, many of the food trucks birthday. I knew when I started the dessert came to them—serving brunch, lunch, dintrailer that I had to put that on there.” ner and desserts in the neighborhoods. Business is also going pretty well for

“On the fi rst night we went into a Cedar Valley Kitchen, which had its grand neighborhood, we sold out in 27 minutes,” opening on April 18, said Sam Elliot, who said Haley Griffi n, who co-owns the desco-owns the sandwich wrap company with sert business It’s a Southern Thing with his wife, Ellen. her husband, Jason. “About three months ago, I retired from

“I thought, ‘Oh my goodness, why have my real job, and we built our food trailer,” we been sitting at home during the coroElliot said. “Everything is brand-new and navirus when we can be out in all these we are really proud of it. neighborhoods?’” she said. “This put a “We were looking to fi nd something in spark under us. the marketplace that you don’t see very often, and we decided on a healthy wrap. All of our product is fresh with nothing processed other than our all-beef hotdog wraps. Our barbecue is fresh-smoked and our pulled chicken has no additives other than some minor seasoning. We have a BLT wrap that is popular with a lot of folks, and we also have a chicken salad that we serve up. Everything is served up like it is unless the customer wants to pick from a variety of toppings and sauces. They can load it up and take all the toppings and sauce that they want.”

The 12-inch wraps come in spinach, tomato-basil, fl our and whole wheat.

“Once someone has eaten one of our fresh wraps, they love them. We haven’t had a complaint and our prices are very competitive,” he said. “Things started slow and steady in April, and that gave us a chance to learn the business. We’d like people to try our product, which is an alternative to greasy or fried food.”

Another healthy new alternative, served

out of a food truck, is Boro Salad Kitchen, which opens in July 2020.

“We serve hot salads, cold salads, salads inside tortillas and salad inside egg rolls,” said Darlene Pleman-Voakes, who co-owns Boro Salad Kitchen with her husband, Paul Voakes.

“Our salads are colorful, tasty and healthy. I have always wanted to cook for people,” she said.

If you are missing fair food, there are several food trucks in town that will serve you those kinds of meals and treats.

Chicken Shack Express comes to a lot of neighborhoods in Rutherford County, serving up family recipe chicken wings and tenders, catfi sh, fries and okra—and, the same company just opened a dessert truck.

“My kids will help run the dessert truck,” said Kenyatta Pumphrey, who owns the business with his wife, Debbie, and their children, Kenadi and Kylan.

“We have many fl avors of slushies, cheesecake on a stick, chocolate-covered Oreos and bananas on a stick,” he said.

You can also fi ll your stomach at the Steaming Goat food truck.

“I don’t serve goat and never will,” said owner Jeff Romstedt. “People call me The Goat because I will eat anything in my sight. I am a big foodie.”

Romstedt will serve you one of his big, messy steamed sandwiches. The meat is roasted or grilled ahead of time and then steamed in chicken or beef stock, or in beer from a local brewery.

“If the sandwich isn’t messy, we didn’t make it,” he said.

Other food trucks in town offer foods originating from different corners of the world including Mexican, Thai, Lao, French and Colombian, just to name a few. 

 BORO AREA FOOD TRUCKS

1 AJ’S BURGERS Burgers, fries, hotdogs, nachos 2 BIG DADDY SUGAR SHACK Hawaiian shaved ice 3 BORO BOWLS Organic acai and pitaya bowls with granola and fruit toppings 4 BUTTERMILK SKY PIE Homemade pie 5 CATARINA’S Mexican food 6 CHANG NOI THAI-LAO Asian fusion cuisine 7 CHICKEN SHACK EXPRESS Wings, catfish, shrimp, chicken 8 CHILITO MEXICAN 9 CREATIVE CULINARY

CREATIONS

Wings, chicken tenders, nachos, sandwiches, sides, peach cobbler 0 D&J BBQ AND CATERING Brats, burgers, chicken, ribs, brisket, turkey, and more q DELICIAS COLUMBIAN RR Arepas, empanadas, picadas, plantains w DEMOS’ FOOD TRUCK Favorites from Demos’ Restaurant e DOUBLE D’S STEAK,

WINGS AND THINGS

Wings, tenders, cheesesteak, hoagies r ET VOILA BISTRO & BAKERY BBQ shrimp, buffalo chicken, beef bourguignon t FRIED GREEN TOMATOES Fried green tomatoes, fried pickles, sandwiches y GYPSY CREPE COMPANY Ham & cheese, chicken, steak, vegetarian, dessert crepes. u HILLBILLY SHACK DELIGHTS Sandwiches, nachos, tacos, cheesesteak, peach tea and more i IT’S A SOUTHERN THING Desserts o KIRBY’S MINI DONUTS p LITTLE CANCUN ON THE GO Tex-Mex a LITTLE OAK FARM Cookies baked onsite s LAOVIN IT Lao-inspired traditional food d MAGGIE MOO’S ICE CREAM f MARK’S SPECIALTY SEAFOOD

Calamari, fish, shrimp, scallops, shrimp, oysters, gator g MEADOWS MELT’S SHAVED

ICE & COTTON CANDY

20 flavors of shaved ice h MEXIVEN Mexican, street tacos j ML ROSE FOOD TRUCK Craft burgers and waffle fries k MRS. GRISSOM’S SALADS Salads and sandwiches l MUSIC CITY BRISKET Brisket, tacos and other sandwiches ; MUSIC CITY CATERING Barbecue and sides z MUSIC CITY WAGYU Farm-to-table gourmet, sandwiches and salads x SMOKIN BUTTZ Slow-smoked BBQ c SMOOTHIE KING v SOMETHING SOUTHERN Comfort food and desserts b SOUTHERN THYME Southern cuisine n STEAMING GOAT Pork, chicken, roast beef, ham or veggie sandwiches, salads, coleslaw

m TACO LOVERS Mexican , THAT’S MY DAWG Gourmet grilled hotdogs, sausages, burgers, Cajun fries and desserts . THE ALLEY ON MAIN Steak, specialty seafood and pasta / THE DOUGH BOX Pizza ! THE EMPANADA SONATA Home-made sweet and savory empanadas with 15 different dipping sauces @ THE HOLY SMOKER Smoked brisket, hotdogs, bologna, fish, loaded potato chips # THE LOVE BUS Barbecue $ TENNESSEE COBBLER CO. Cobblers, fried pies, treats, ice cream % TRINIDADDY ISLAND GRILL Trinidadian and Caribbean cuisine ^ WAWA EXPRESSO Lattes, cappuccinos, coffees and teas & YAYO’S OMG Mexican

To find food truck schedules, follow your favorite food trucks on Facebook or find them on the StreetFoodFinder app.

Food  RESTAURANT

A Tasty Tennessee Tradition Sylvan Park Restaurant Serving Southern Favorites

STORY BY BRACKEN MAYO PHOTOS BY SARAH MAYO

SYLVAN PARK RESTAURANT offers some tremendous traditional Tennessee cooking for breakfast and lunch, and for dinner a couple of nights each week, at its Broad Street home on the banks of the Stones River.

Find fried catfish, meatloaf, green beans, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, turnip greens, country steak drenched in brown gravy, squash and all of the breakfast favorites—“Grandma food,” as one diner describes it.

“Comfort food” comes up often when Murfreesboro residents speak of Sylvan Park; whether that means they find comfort in fried chicken, biscuits and gravy, meatloaf, a burger or pie, they can find it at Sylvan Park Restaurant.

“Amazing lunch!” Kris Young shared after a meal at Sylvan Park. “Meatloaf is as good as my mom’s and I have never said that before. The fried okra rocks and breakfast is the bomb!”

The menu is not huge, but there should be something for almost anyone.

Every day for lunch, Sylvan Park offers catfish fillets, fried chicken, meatloaf, crab cakes, country fried steak, ham, chicken livers and a hamburger steak, along with burgers, a fried bologna sandwich, a grilled chicken sandwich and an assortment of sides, salads and pies. The country steak here is more of a Salisbury steak than the heavily breaded and white-gravycovered chicken-fried-steak variety.

Sides include perfectly seasoned turnip greens and fantastic cheesy squash casserole loaded with butter, onions and cheese. Some report the fries and mac and cheese are not the best in the world, but they are there if you want them.

Fridays mean fried oyster day, and Sylvan Park will offer a daily special each day such as turkey and dressing, pork tenderloin, barbecue ribs or chicken and dumplings.

And for those with big appetites, enjoy all you can eat of the excellent fried catfish for $15.

“So happy we found this little diner,” one Yelper, Mike, said. He said the country fried steak and the catfish were “over the top . . . great service and friendly people.”

“The grits, biscuits, gravy, sausage, pancakes, home style potatoes, fried bologna and eggs were all top shelf,” he continued.

Sylvan Park Restaurant opens early— at 6:30 a.m., six days a week—and its omelets, pancakes and other breakfast offerings have pleased many patrons.

“Best scrambled eggs I’ve ever had!

The Dish

RESTAURANT: Sylvan Park Restaurant

LOCATION: 1443 NW Broad St., Murfreesboro PHONE: 615-962-8735 HOURS: Mon.–Wed.: 6:30 a.m.—2:30 p.m.; Thurs.–Fri.: 6:30 a.m.—7:30 p.m.; Sat.: 6:30 a.m.—1 p.m. PRICES: Meat and three: $9.65; Cheeseburger or patty melt: $5.45; hamburger steak with two veggies: $10.95; Bacon or sausage omelet with biscuits and gravy: $7.25; Country ham with two eggs and home fries: $10.95

ONLINE: facebook.com/sylvanparkboro

Everything was perfect,” Ceile Phelps said.

For those who do not eat an early breakfast, this casual spot offers the full breakfast menu until closing time at 1 p.m. on Saturdays for brunch fans. (Breakfast service ends at 11 a.m. Mondays through Fridays.)

Christy Knox calls Sylvan Park her “all-time favorite breakfast joint. Fantastic food and service, and the most endearing small-town feel.”

The building at 1443 NW Broad St. has long offered the people of Murfreesboro meatloaf, catfish, burgers, bacon and eggs, chicken and vegetables.

Likewise, Sylvan Park Restaurant has a longstanding tradition of serving delicious Southern cooking. However, prior to 2015, the restaurant made its home in Nashville.

“Mr. Lynn Chandler started it in 1958,” according to Lisa Greer, who currently owns Sylvan Park Restaurant along with her mother, Eleanor Clay. “My mother bought it from him in 2001.”

However, the leases at both the original restaurant location in the Sylvan Park neighborhood of West Nashville, in ad

dition to a second Nashville location, expired about the same time in 2015, and the Sylvan Park team decided to relocate to Murfreesboro rather than paying increased rent in Nashville.

The restaurant made its home in the white block building situated on Broad Street in Murfreesboro that housed Stones River Grill for many years.

“Murfreesboro has been wonderful to us, helping us get through the coronavirus with to-go orders,” Greer said.

In addition to the breakfast and meatand-three offerings, the Sylvan Park banana pudding, chocolate meringue pie and chess pie get rave reviews from Murfreesboro diners. The pies boast a towering layer of a very fluffy and soft meringue, almost the consistency of bubble bath suds.

Randy Liddle said he enjoys the fried bologna—“breakfast of champions!” he says.

“Love this place! Food is always good,” another customer, Paul, said. “Reminds me of my grandmother’s meals after church.”