Food Trucks of Napa Valley

Submitted photo

Kevin Simonson has kept his Crossroad Chicken mobile and catering events business going for 10 years.

Crossroad Chicken

just wants to do it right

ANDY WILCOX awilcox@napanews.com

Kevin Simonson, when asked why he ran a-fowl of food truck trends with his Crossroad Chicken mobile catering and events business, said he’s just trying to give people what they want.

“Most people eat chicken,” he said, “and there’s a lot to play with word-wise. That’s why I went with the name Crossroad Chicken.”

He calls his $1 coupons “coop-ons, because you get a buck off,” he said, repeating it with “off” in falsetto like a chicken.

Simonson doesn’t get cute with food from his 10-year-old business, though.

What you’re eating: According to the truck’s website, crossroadchix.com, fare includes a chicken mozzarella sandwich and lemon-basil aioli and organic baby arugula, wood-smoked chicken pizza with pickled red onion and jack cheese, a spicy BLT pizza with spicy jalapeno bacon and oven-dried tomatoes, and a beet salad.

The sandwiches are $10.

“I want to make delicious food that’s not pretentious, and I try to stick to as much local stuff as I can,” he said. “I’ve been using all compostable everything from Day 1, too.”

When and where: After shutting down for four months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Simonson was set to open back up April 29 and 30 on Soscol Avenue at Pearl Street. “I like that spot,” he said. “It’s visible and there’s lots of parking. I’ll be doing a couple of pizzas, a sandwich and a salad. I’ll keep it uncomplicated for whoever comes up, not a bunch of reduction sauces and all that. People don’t want that off a truck. But my aioli is unctuous.”

How business is going:

Simonson stuck to catering over the winter. “With the restrictions being lifted and everybody being more comfortable going out in public and the weather getting nicer, I’m going to get back out there,” he said. “I’m getting some catering requests now, too, because if you think about it, having a food truck come and feed your people, that’s about the safest thing going. Everything is all boxed up and we hand it out to you. It’s a pared down menu because, with the array I do, it’s a lot of work, on the truck. It’s a lot more than I really should. I make my own bread and all the sauces, and it takes a lot of time.”

Who is making your food: Simonson did the interview for this story while on the road, of course, driving up to the mountains to both attend his brother’s wedding and forage for morel mushrooms, a hobby.

“People are really weird about mushrooms, so they’re for my personal use,” he said.

Simonson’s friendly, relaxed personality probably wins him repeat customers, too, even if he’s generous to a fault.

“I’m getting better about not giving away the farm,” he said, “but I like people to be happy and satisfied. When I do my catering, people don’t go away hungry. I’m probably under-pricing, but $10 is tough to go above for a sandwich — even in Napa Valley, even though do all the compostable stuff and go to farmer’s markets to get produce. It costs more, but I feel good about it. I’ve always used Mary’s Chicken from Sanger, even though it’s three times as much.”

What drives him: Simonson always falls back on why he got into food in the first place.

“If you go to any small town in France or Italy, you’re gonna have this tiny place with a guy in the back who’s passionate about what he does. He’s not doing it to be a three-Michelin-star place and all of that. He’s doing it because he wants to do it right. In this country, food is not part of our culture. In Europe, food is part of your life, not just sustenance and survival.”