71dine
71dine, the podcast that invites you on an immersive journey through the heart and soul of southern Colorado. Whether you're a seasoned local or a first-time explorer, join us as we savor the rich flavors and craft lasting memories together. Welcome to where southern Colorado's captivating narrative unfurls through its vibrant people, rich culture, and delectable cuisine. Join us as we delve into the tapestry of this extraordinary region, one episode at a time, celebrating the people, the culture, and the food that make it truly exceptional.
71dine
Creole Roots: Fun, Family, & Flavor
What happens when a family with a passion for Creole cuisine decide to take their love for family meals on the road? Discover the heartwarming story of Creole Roots, a food truck venture that transitioned from catering football games to delighting a broader audience with their New Orleans-inspired dishes. From humble beginnings to serving up crowd favorites like gumbo and red beans and rice, even during the hottest Pueblo summers, this episode celebrates the culinary diversity and deep-rooted family traditions that fuel their venture.
Ever wondered why many aspiring food truck owners find the journey more challenging than they expected? We unravel the impact of the movie "Chef" on the food truck industry and underscore the indispensable role of family support in these ventures. With heartfelt contributions from Janice and Janay, who share insights on their collaborative cooking process and the unique dynamics of involving kids and extended family in the business, the episode highlights the blend of passion and community that makes Creole Roots stand out.
Food truck events are more than just a gastronomic delight; they're a celebration of community and culture. Join us as we reminisce about vibrant food truck gatherings, recounting memorable experiences from the Battle of the Food Trucks to spontaneous meetups at Benning Lewis Ranch. Whether it's savoring a perfect Philly cheesesteak or laughing about a failed gumbo experiment, this episode paints a vivid picture of the joy and excitement that food truck culture brings. Plus, get a sneak peek of Creole Roots' future plans, including a second truck focused on delicious snowballs!
Ugly people. Put your hands down. You wanna throw down? Go and put your hands up. Stop the party now. Go and put your hands up. One listen up loud and clear Because we got a little something to put in your ear. Step two raise those arms off your side. I have a feeling we should be dealing.
Speaker 2:With the facts. What's dripping from the ceiling?
Speaker 1:In fact, step three is so, whack, you're listening to Joe and the 719 podcast.
Speaker 2:Yes, it is Joe, and this is the 719 podcast, don't call it a comeback.
Speaker 2:Yes, this is Joe and the 719 podcast and this is kind of a comeback. Been traveling, been working. You know what they say life is what happens when you're busy making other plans. Before I kick things off, I do want to say how much I appreciate Creole Roots and their patience. I know they have been anxiously awaiting this episode to be released. So thank you, thank you, thank you.
Speaker 2:This is an interesting, fascinating, very entertaining, full of laughter episode with, as I mentioned, creole Roots and John A and John Nese, and as a special bonus since this is kind of a quasi At the end of the episode there's about eight minutes of bonus footage and what it is is my two youngest daughters and I go and visit Creole Roots, and so you might not be able to hear exactly what they're saying, because we were mic'd up and we were in different locations and so on and so forth.
Speaker 2:But listen to the fun and the laughter and just the joy and the songs that my daughters sing as they're waiting for their gumbo. It really does paint the perfect picture of what food can do and the type of impact it can have on our life, our hearts, the people that we are around. It's just a great example and I had so much fun visiting Creole Roots with them. And just so you know, we actually visited Creole Roots before I recorded the podcast with Creole Roots, so you kind of get it out of order, but it works better this way and since I am the post-production master, I get to do it any way I want. So, that being said, here comes Creole Roots. Hope you enjoy, so I have to be nice.
Speaker 2:All right, so John A and John E from Creole Roots. So let's start with the name. I certainly understand what Creole and Roots means, kind of put them together. But just give me a background of what led to the food and the passion.
Speaker 3:So I mean, growing up, it's all we did. We hung out, we ate, we cooked. I mean it was a family thing for me and I tried to do that with my kids as well. And my husband brought him in. He learned how to cook a lot of the dishes and so we all just kind of did it all together. And one day he said we should start a food truck so, and he came up with the name and we just ran with it. That was the family history, yeah.
Speaker 2:Oh, so just we're making this, we should get a food truck. A lot of people don't jump Speed marker and action, jump right to food truck. They'll say restaurant, so we'll start there or we'll continue there. Why a food truck?
Speaker 3:We were with my sons. My sons played football, little League football, and we would always get together with the other families of the players and kind of hang out after the games and cook for the coaches. We all put in, made dishes for the coaches, the referees.
Speaker 2:That's really good for marketing, don't you think?
Speaker 3:All of that and everybody loved the food so much. So we just, you know we would do catering events from time to time and my husband just thought we should get a little bit more serious about doing this. Everybody wants the food. We probably should be getting paid for it. Like I said, we did the catering a lot and as that progressed it started getting busier. We needed something more substantial. We looked at maybe doing a restaurant, but it was just so much money and overhead and all of the things. So he said let's try out a food truck and see how this goes.
Speaker 3:And got the food truck and fell in love, yeah.
Speaker 2:It must be nice to be able to have your restaurant on wheels and go to where the people are.
Speaker 3:Right right.
Speaker 2:So when you were doing these events for football and stuff, was it like the old MCI commercial where it's like you could save money because you tell two people and then they tell two people and then they tell two. So now you've got all these people coming. Yeah.
Speaker 3:Like I said, we started out it was the families of the players, the players themselves and the coaches, and then the referees got wind of oh, you guys have food after the games. We're going to come over and hang out with you. And they started bringing more people, they started telling other people, the organization leaders, they came over and so it just became a thing.
Speaker 2:So were you ever there? Like, aren't you a parent on the other team? Yeah, nope, nope.
Speaker 3:I'm not.
Speaker 1:I'm on your team.
Speaker 3:They said can we come and join y'all? We got food for everybody.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:Big old pot of anything, yeah.
Speaker 2:Oh man.
Speaker 3:Coming from New Orleans, you fed everybody. You fed the neighborhood.
Speaker 2:That's just what we did. You know, I think that kind of gets missed on the US and the, I would say, the old school, like big family meals. And you know, I remember being in Paris, which sounds way fancier than I am, but people couldn't believe we ate in our car. You know, everything was an event, and Barcelona as well. Again, not as fancy as it sounds, but every single meal is a reason to get together, right, right. And when I started doing this podcast and I thought you know what I just love the independent restaurants and and like you're saying, I mean, you know, at a restaurant people are welcoming you into their home In the food truck you're bringing your home.
Speaker 3:Exactly yeah.
Speaker 2:And then it's, it's the great equalizer. You know that for me and comedy are the two great equalizers, and food has always been right, yeah. You know, and sitting there, sitting at those tables and talking, and just yeah, I remember watching a movie and he was like this is all your family and she's like it's like 100 people there and she's like, yeah, I guess some people couldn't make it and I was like yeah, right, oh man. So how long did you?
Speaker 3:talk about. They talk about um different love languages. Mine was always feeding people. If I can do anything for you, the first thing is going to be to feed you. And then everything else falls in line.
Speaker 2:I brought home tamales one day and she's like where'd you get these tamales? I said I don't want to tell you. She's like where'd you get them? You get these tamales. I said I don't want to tell you. She's like where'd you get them? I said this this little old hispanic lady selling them out of the back of her honda civic, out of a cooler. She's like what are you talking about? And my kids came over that night and they're like oh my gosh, are these? Are those the tamales? And they just went bonkers. Yeah, my wife was like, all right, maybe there's something to these. So yeah, there really is. Just you, just, that's one of the things. Like off the beaten path, I love finding things that are just you're not going to find anywhere else. And like I saw she was sitting in one of those old school folding chairs, like with the nylon fabric that's in there. She had signed.
Speaker 2:It said mild and hot and I, I have to stop, I just have to yeah, I love it I love it and getting to meet all these, these food truck owners, I mean.
Speaker 2:So I've asked everyone I've spoken to and they've all had the same answer. But if you have a different answer, that's fine. But you know, I always thought a food truck community would be, I don't want to say cutthroat, but very competitive. And what I've noticed is you got this person like making wings, and they tried this person's wings and they run over and they say, hey, how did you cook it like that? Or how did you make that sauce? And they're like yeah, let me show you what I did, or let me tell you what I did. Like they're very, it's like. It's like a family community. They're very welcoming of each other.
Speaker 3:Yes, very much so. Yeah, we enjoy that community aspect of it because, you know, that's the way that we take back our power as people in the community, like we want to build something better and greater than what we can ever dream of, right? Yeah? Yeah, we are turning to I had it in the last, on the community aspect, like we just want. We want to be able to go to different people and be like, hey, can you do this for me, and then someone will do this for you, and oh yeah there's.
Speaker 3:There's no competition between anybody like we may compete, but we ain't competing, not in a negative way. The competition is more of a we're going to help each other be better. There's plenty of times where you know we may have forgotten something or something looks a little different, and somebody come up and be like hey, I got this extra, you can use this.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and then you know, we'll find them again and be like hey, I got something for you and it's a lot of uh lessons to be learned in this business. It's a lot of things that we didn't know. We, we went into it. We know how to make the food, you know, I feel personally that the food is great, so we knew how to do that part of it. But some of the other things it was. We learn as you go. And there's some people that's been doing it for a lot longer and they're like hey, I have this tip for you, or hey, can you, you can do this like this, and it might be easier for you if they see a struggling. So it's been a, really it's been, I mean, building that community. You know, working with other people that are going through the same things. It's been great.
Speaker 2:When I talk, to folks about customer service or like sales coaching.
Speaker 2:When I talk to folks about customer service or like sales coaching, I always say you know, you don't want to bash your competition because you want to protect your industry, you know. And someone says, oh, that food truck's not very good. Well, maybe you didn't find it good, right right. But other people do Exactly. And so I remember my brother-in-law at the battle of the food trucks. He's like Joe, we got to go over here, they got grilled cheese, and he's six foot eight. Yeah, he's in his late forties. He comes back with this big smile. He's like I found another grilled cheese truck and this was a guy there. I don't know if you saw him. He had like the chef's apron on and this big, huge mustache and these glasses.
Speaker 1:I did yeah.
Speaker 2:It looked like my brother-in-law, like six foot eight kid, just at Disneyland. You just see all that camaraderie and it sounds like you know you guys are people, people, you know, you know how to cook. So, yeah, I totally understand. It's the the truck side and the business side. You know that because that's those are the things you can teach. You can't. You can't teach people character or being a people person or just like. I remember I walked up to your truck and I was like all the other trucks are gone and I'm like you still got something back there, like, yeah, yep, we sure do. Yeah, I had a. I had brain surgery a number of years ago and they had to take out one of my olfactory nerves so I can't smell. And so my my girls sometimes think it's funny. So we're driving back to the house. They're like dad, this smells so good.
Speaker 2:You wouldn't even believe how good this smells, and yeah playing me like that but yeah yeah, they were.
Speaker 3:We were just blown away and we like we, we just we love people, we love food. We want to make sure everybody is good. If you need a hand, if we can lend it to you, we will. Um, so we're just just out there, like she said, making a community.
Speaker 2:You know, or if I say, hey, man, where's your favorite place to eat or what's your favorite type of food, or tell me about a time you just had a blast around a meal and everybody has a story like that.
Speaker 3:You know, nobody has ever said food.
Speaker 2:I don't like no food. What are you talking about? Food?
Speaker 3:right.
Speaker 2:Sometimes you keep because you don't want people to take all the yeah, yeah, right but nobody's ever said go over there and get that, because it's so good I promise, no one's ever said oh, I had this roasted duck and this, uh, filet mignon double sampler and this you know 1967 bottle of wine. They're like no, check this out. Someone took a hot dog, split it in half, put cheese in it, wrapped it in bacon and deep fried it. You know what is it? What is this sauce you're using? Oh, that's melted cheese whiz, it doesn't taste like that at my house.
Speaker 3:I know.
Speaker 2:No.
Speaker 3:You got to put your secret spin on it, your little secret recipe to it. So that's what people say when they're eating the Hawaiian rolls. Yeah, they don't know. You got to put them in the oven first right I love it, man.
Speaker 2:So. So if I were to say, hey, with creole roots, what? What's your signature dish like? If you say this is us, this, if we were gonna, if we were gonna explain our family to you through food and I know that might be a lot of pressure what?
Speaker 3:would you? Serve somebody the gumbo, the seafood gumbo, because it's a mixture of flavors. Yeah it is absolutely delicious and you get a whole bunch of everything, just like with us.
Speaker 2:You get a whole bunch of everything, yeah yeah we're all a mixer of everything, so yeah, yeah, yeah, my, my daughter like what kind of sausage is that? And my other daughter, I think she was like it's andouille and I'm like I said we'll give it to you, We'll give it to you.
Speaker 3:That's about right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, beautiful yes, yeah, but you said we got gum gumbo. It's not seafood gumbo but yeah we did. That was good.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I even took a picture of it and sent it to you, look we like pictures too, so if you could share that with us on the page or whatever you do.
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, yeah we absolutely will, boy. So what? So if you're not cooking, uh, gumbo or jambalaya, any red beans and rice, which I love, what do you guys like? Do you ever just sit there and go? You know what I'm gonna make this it.
Speaker 3:It just depends on the day, okay, because we do a variation of Chinese food, some type of Asian something. I can throw some different things on. It may not be authentic, but it's pretty similar in flavor and we always usually find a good mix or a good balance to make it to what we want. I know what this needs Saffron, a little saffron would make this, and we dabble in the mexican a little bit, but I don't do too much of that. Every once in a while, yeah, we try some different things but the asian is a little bit more.
Speaker 3:We get into that a little bit more when we're cooking. Right, yeah, they can. They can be a little nice, be like oh this isn't my favorite. No no, we have we have that here sometimes they're like no, you have to start over, because that's not what I want, so I have to start all over again on some things. That's how the recipes are.
Speaker 2:They are, we'll be trying out on ourselves first.
Speaker 3:Right, we have to start all over again. I know where I messed up. I know exactly where I messed up. I can get back to it and get it right. Yep, oh, from a young age, I loved eat, like I will eat any and everything. So she was like you need to learn how to make this so I could leave go make your own food, yeah and that's what I did Cooking for the family, and then all the other my younger siblings got into it, so everybody was just cooking from a very young age.
Speaker 3:Now we enjoy it. We enjoy every aspect of it.
Speaker 2:So everybody that works on the food truck, are they all family?
Speaker 3:Yes, that's all family.
Speaker 2:Wow, yeah, you guys were out in force. Yeah on that day.
Speaker 3:Oh, we, yeah, we like to have fun and and I was just yelling at people come on over here. Oh yeah, I just like talking to people and when we're out there, why not have some fun with it, you know?
Speaker 2:so when? When's the second food truck coming?
Speaker 3:Oh yeah. Wheels are turning, we just don't know when yet. But my son, my youngest son, he does snowballs. I don't know if you know what those are. It's similar to a snow cone, but the ice is shaved a little finer, so it's not crunchy ice, it's really soft, soft texture as snow nice if, if we do anything, that'll be the next one to come up and then we'll work on something else after that how often do you change your menu? Here goes um, yeah or add to it um, yeah, or add to it, we, yeah.
Speaker 3:So the base is usually the, the gumbo, one of the gumbos, and then a red beans and rice usually, and then we add other stuff to it, um, depending on the day and what event we have going on, and um, things of that nature. But we we try to stick with the bases, though the gumbo and the red beans and rice is usually our top sellers, so we try to keep those in rotation as much as we can. It amazed me when we first started and we was doing Pueblo on Fridays. We was going to Pueblo on Fridays every Friday and it was summertime and it would be a hundred and plus in Pueblo and one day I didn't do gumbo one day Cause I said, oh, it's too hot, nobody's going to want that. And they just was so upset with me Because I didn't have gumbo and I was like it's maybe like 115 is Pueblo is steaming hot, and they were mad with me because I didn't have gumbo.
Speaker 3:They bought what we had, but they were really. So from then on I was like well, I can't, so you put that in the. I have to make it every time because they always wanted it. Yeah, I was getting messages. It was like y'all going to have gumbo next week, right?
Speaker 2:Right, y'all gonna have gumbo next week right, right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we're gonna have gumbo. They was calling the gumbo yeah playing with y'all. All right, we'll have the gumbo, so. So I tried to keep the gumbo on every single time and then, like I said, we'll add other things, and but the red beans and rice is pretty popular as well, so we try to keep those two things at all times, and then we add switch around and and different variations of everything. But yeah, I talked to my.
Speaker 2:Those are the staples. Yeah, I talked to my wife I'm like I'm gonna get some red beans and rice, and she's like red beans and I'm like and rice'm like and rice.
Speaker 3:I like the and rice.
Speaker 2:You know I've become kind of a snob because I like the independence. But a lot of people have said like my kids have said, like I'm so glad dad does this because whenever he goes somewhere and he invites us I'm going because I know he's taking us.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 2:Awesome, and you know, I remember one time I was taking my daughter out, we were having daddy daughter date and I said my oldest daughter? I said what are you in the mood for? She's like Ooh, italian. I said all right, I got a question for you do you want Italian food or do you want food made by Italians? Yes, he goes, food made by Italians, and so she still talks about that. She's off and married now it's totally different.
Speaker 3:We, we tell people that all the time. When they'll say, oh, you guys are, oh, I haven't had Cajun food, I, I was like it's, there's a slight it's similar, but there's a slight difference. And I don't want to be a snob about that either. But we we're it's different, we know because we live it, you know and it's hard to.
Speaker 3:I don't have any issue with Cajun at all. I love Cajun food and if you know how to make it, it's great. There's a lot of people that don't know how to make it, so that makes it hard. But when we say, okay, we do it just a little bit different. It's a similar but it's a little bit different. A lot of people don't understand it. But you know, it's all subjective. At this point it and you, you can tell a lot of people know, okay, I've had this type of food before.
Speaker 3:I haven't had this type of food before, so it's a little different, but right.
Speaker 2:I love, I love the show mash and one of the guys wants to play the piano concert level and he has a patient who can do it and he says, look, I can play, play the notes, I can't make the music right I can go to the store and buy zatarans right it's not going to taste like what you guys make yeah, yeah, I mean just you know the way it is you have to, you live it, and you know that my husband always tell people all the time too, he's like a lot.
Speaker 3:There's a lot of chefs that go into New Orleans and they're like, oh, I trained here or you know, I worked in this restaurant, but you didn't grow up with it, you know it's family. That's a different layer of the city that a lot of people don't get, the city that a lot of people don't get. You got it from grandma, grandpa, uncles, aunts, mom that you know. You get it from those different generations and it just tastes different.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Or as my daughter would say it just, it just hits different.
Speaker 3:It's different. Exactly, I like that.
Speaker 2:Whatever that means. Yeah, but I can imagine. I can see family battles, you know like oh, you think you make gumbo, well, you know my dad's mom was a great cook.
Speaker 3:She always had new things going on. My grandma, my mom's side, was a great cook. Um, my mom, her brothers, her sisters, everybody just had something special that they did, and when we all came together we got to taste all of that. So my, my cooking is a collection of all of that my grandma on my dad's side, my grandma on my mom's side, aunt's uncle it's just a mixture.
Speaker 3:So I took all of the good and I yeah, yeah that's kind of what you do, but you know you kind of that's my cooking make it your own, you know yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2:I learned a while back like you can make things hot, you can't make them unhot, right, and so you can always add a little bit. I was talking to a friend of mine. I was like what are you doing? He said what do you think I'm doing? I said it looks like you're putting hot sauce on potato chips.
Speaker 1:That sounds good, I'll have that.
Speaker 2:And I'm like I said, all right, can I try it? He goes. Yeah, I said, man, that's good he goes, but it's got to be Louisiana hot sauce.
Speaker 3:Yeah, always. That's the only one you use.
Speaker 2:Right, I'm like all right, is Tabasco not? He said no, no Tabasco. So the next day he brought me a little thing of his Louisiana hot sauce and then you bring it home. Your kids are like what are you doing? I'm like, what does it look like I'm doing? You know, go through that whole thing again.
Speaker 3:That's the stuff. That's why Look at this, yeah Right.
Speaker 2:How many? How many times do you like to get the food truck out? Is this what everybody does, full time.
Speaker 3:Yes, yes.
Speaker 2:Nice.
Speaker 3:Everybody works. Yeah, every day, every day. Yeah, sometimes twice a day. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Every once in a while we'll take a little break, but we try to get out as much as we can a little break, but we try to get out as much as we can, yeah, yeah, um, one of the first food trucks I met was flighty foul. My girls keep trying to get there and and I'm like I'll go anytime. And they're like, well, you need to. I said, no, you need to. Yeah, I can go anytime. You guys, you know, figure out when you guys are off work and right right. Do you guys do the the commissary thing where you cook off site somewhere, or or is it all done?
Speaker 3:we, we do mostly everything in the trailer. Oh, nice yeah, we have all of the equipment to do it right on site so did you do that at the house?
Speaker 2:no we do it on the trailer yeah so you're talking like cook to order type?
Speaker 3:stuff, I cook everything. What will we go out? We get set up. We leave early enough to get set up and nice yeah, so all the stuff you're smelling is fresh.
Speaker 2:Yeah so you, so you don't have people in your neighborhood coming out the doors like zombies.
Speaker 1:They're cooking.
Speaker 3:When we lock it up for the night they're like what do you have left Right?
Speaker 1:We need some, I think we sold it all.
Speaker 3:We're done we don't have anything else?
Speaker 2:We're done. We don't have anything else. That's got to be a great feeling to come home with that truck clean and cleaned out. They bought everything.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:That's awesome, I know Right. It sounds like such a good problem to have yeah, it is actually, it really is yeah to do everything fresh and on the truck. See, that's a big, a big selling point yeah you know, especially you can make it so good because I've had stuff, oh, dad, that tastes really good and I'm like it's gonna taste better tomorrow. You, you know, because it's going to mellow. But if you guys are getting out there early enough and you've perfected your trade, you know how to get that that seasoning and everything.
Speaker 3:Right then, and there that second day holdover taste yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there we go, not to take anything away from other food trucks, but what? What you guys produced on that day at Harley Davidson, knowing that you made it that morning?
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Blows me away yeah.
Speaker 2:You know because you know, and again, it would have it tasted great. But now, knowing like you guys are up early to make it fresh that day, I'm like damn, that's, that's, that's an art form, really, you know, and man, I think people knowing that, like just for them to say, man, you guys made this today and most of the food trucks I see, you know are making everything fresh your complexity of ingredients and the rice wasn't goofy, you know, it wasn't like it wasn't crunchy, it tasted just like gumbo and rice. Geez, it tasted just like gumbo and rice.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Do you? You know, the movie chef came out.
Speaker 3:I love that movie.
Speaker 2:Right, and we happened to stumble across it one night and we were like you want to watch that. And I've learned if my wife and I agree on a movie, turn it on right now you know, but I talked to a bunch of people about the food truck boom, so to speak, that happened after that movie. Did you meet any of those people that maybe got into it and didn't realize, like man, this is hard.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we have. We've met a few people that that had that. They say, oh, I know my food is good and I want to cook, but I just didn't realize it was going to be this hard. And for us, I think it it became easier, as it's not easy, but it's a little bit better because we have all of the kids involved and we have nieces and nephews that help us out as well from time to time, and it just makes it pleasurable to have the people we know that we can count on in our behind you know, in our backs and helping our, helping us out. I don't know.
Speaker 3:Yeah I know what you mean and yeah but yeah, it just really, it really it's really she's still every day, because every every day it's different.
Speaker 3:And you know some, some of the my she's the oldest and some of the other ones were kind of slow about coming into it, but now they're a little more involved. But it's really nice having that backup when you know dad and I are tired. We have them. They can back us up, they can help us out, because they all kind of know what to do. If they don't, they'll learn and they figure it out as they go.
Speaker 3:And but nobody is complaining about not wanting to do this. Everybody's on board with doing it, so that helps out a lot, and I don't think a lot of people have that support and I think that's a lot of times. I think that's why some of them are saying it's too much, I can't handle this, because they don't have the support system. But I feel like we do, so it works out Definitely do yeah, that keeps us going. Yeah, that's the driving force. Be like, oh, if you want to do it.
Speaker 3:I got you yeah, let me go yeah.
Speaker 2:And Janice, it sounds like you have the trust, Like if you had to take a day off and she was cooking. Janay was cooking, cooking Joneigh was cooking.
Speaker 3:You know it's going to taste exact same, and this is what we do. She's the official test taster, so I know what everything tastes like. Taste tester. I can't even say it, right, taste tester. So every time I make something I'll say you have to taste this, because I'm smelling it all day. So it's kind of like I know what it tastes like, I know what it's supposed to taste like. I need a second opinion, and she's the first one that I grabbed.
Speaker 3:So we do the same thing when she's cooking it. She's like, taste this, please make sure it's right. So we bounce off each other all the time that with harley davidson, that was my gumbo, yeah I like it nice, nice yeah, no, yeah, no yeah it's awesome, it's hard to get that to be exactly the same when it's two different people, but we've. We work really good together so we made it work to where she gets it exactly how I get it right, johnny, have you ever run the truck by yourself?
Speaker 2:and then janiece comes over and says what did you do to this? What is this mess?
Speaker 3:When we first got it started, she was like um no.
Speaker 2:I didn't like extra salt in this. I was like what?
Speaker 3:I had Max tasting and she was like Max, don't like that. Yeah, we probably had some time to time, but we try to. We try to move past it. We'll hash it out right then and it's over and we'll get to work.
Speaker 1:Or something like that.
Speaker 3:And then I'll put my little. You know, I just drop my little seasoning in there and they're like they just needed your fingertips or something. It's like everything you call tastes good, but then they'd be missing that one little thing. You say how you get home is how you put yeah, we don't need no flavors out.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's awesome. Yeah, just a great story. You know I love how so many food trucks I mean the, the, the family is involved and you know I get it. The younger ones are kind of, you know, just catching on and it's nice to see where, like you're not just passing down food and recipes, it's it's love of family and the passion of food. And you know you can change the world. You just have to look at your world. You know your little world. You know your kids, the people around you. You know your little world. You know your kids, the people around you.
Speaker 2:And so you know, when you want to get involved in that community with food, it's so much fun to say, oh, you got to try this gumbo out at that food truck over there. And they come back and say, man, that was great. You know, because I want to recommend not just good food but good people. You know, because I want to recommend not just good food but good people. You know, and just, I mean it was early in the morning, it was hot, everything was just getting started. By the way, if you're listening to this podcast and you go to one of these events, buy VIP, get in early, because that line was long.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, it was.
Speaker 2:But you guys were just getting started and now, knowing that you were there, you know that long preparing, you guys all had smiles on your face and no, and having met you now, you know, in a more intimate setting you're, you couldn't wait to see those people.
Speaker 2:the food, the food is going to take care of itself, you know yeah you like seeing those people and you know I watched the food trucks and I'm like some people are coming back to get another round of it and, yeah, it's fun to see the smile yeah, what's going on? Oh, that's what happened.
Speaker 3:We did the um manitou springs gumbo cook-off as well and they we had so many people the line, our line kept coming. It was the same people and he's like oh, I'm back again you can tell I didn't like, it right, one guy kept saying that every time he came back he said you can tell I didn't like it because I'm back again. I was like I guess yeah.
Speaker 3:But, it was the same people over and, over and, over and over again. It was, it was, it was nice. It's nice having people that really enjoy the food. That, to me, is really I really. You know, I don't need any accolades or anything, but when people say your food is so good, I really like it, I really enjoyed it.
Speaker 2:it makes me happy, because that's all I wanted to do was to make you happy and enjoy the food, yeah, yeah, and I'm like, oh, you got to try this Creole food. And they're like what's Creole food? I said it means it's good.
Speaker 3:It means it's good.
Speaker 2:Creole is an old Louisiana word for that's some good stuff.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's exactly what it is, that's what I tell them.
Speaker 2:Well, I have to admit this has been every time I talk to people. It's just I love people, I love hearing about their story, I love the history and just how it's, you know, transitioned and this has just been so much fun. I love people, I love you guys. I know my daughters can't wait to get back out there, you know, to see you guys. I said, hey, if you go on my Instagram, you can see all the people I follow. You know you don't have to follow everyone like I do. Just follow Creole roots and you'll know where the truck is going to be. Everybody posts where the truck is going to be. You know, now I will be driving down the road. I see a food truck dive down union. Have I followed people to their house? Yes, but I'm.
Speaker 2:I'm usually thinking they're going somewhere, you know, depending on if it's 10 o'clock at night I'm not going to follow you, but if it's like right it's 3 30, then let's follow them. You know exactly.
Speaker 3:We've actually had people stop, roll the window down and say where are you guys going? I want to come and come back tomorrow. We're off now, yeah.
Speaker 2:Well, as we mentioned Instagram, as we close out, tell the people out there where they can find you, how they can locate you, your Instagram, all your social media website.
Speaker 3:So our social media you can follow us at Creole Roots Homegrown, that's Instagram, and then on Facebook, it's just Creole Roots.
Speaker 2:Creole Roots. Creole Roots on Facebook.
Speaker 3:On.
Speaker 2:Facebook Creole Roots Homegrown on Instagram.
Speaker 3:Your website is wwwcreolerootscateringcom.
Speaker 2:Grillrootscateringcom Well thank you both Johnnie's and John A for being here. I can't wait to see you guys out again and thanks for being here on.
Speaker 3:One more thing.
Speaker 2:Okay, yeah.
Speaker 3:We want to tell you. Do you know where the chocolate is?
Speaker 2:The special. I got a note over there. Yes, special news yes, and I'll mix. You know what? It's actually funny. I might just do it this way.
Speaker 1:Anyway, here's special news All right, we got breaking news, all right we got breaking news.
Speaker 3:So our good friends, the Chuck Wagon, they opened their restaurant recently. They worked Thursday to Sunday. They asked us if we would like to do Mondays and Tuesdays, since they're going to be off. So we're going to be doing like a little pop-up sit-down restaurant during Mondays and Tuesdays. Nice, yes, lunch and dinnerays and Tuesdays Nice yes.
Speaker 2:Lunch and dinner. You said, yes, nice. And where is that located?
Speaker 3:6453 Omaha Boulevard is the address. No, we love them. They're a part of our family now. We always say we don't make friends, we make family. So that's what we do. We go out and we make family, so and they're awesome, so we love that.
Speaker 2:Well, I'll make sure to go find them and and make sure they get a link texas barbecue.
Speaker 3:Texas barbecue authentic is delicious. Yeah, we just did a collaboration we used their brisket on one of our po'boy sandwiches Delicious.
Speaker 2:I was licking my fingers and everything. I'm in a mess. I love shrimp po'boy sandwiches with that rumelad. Oh my goodness, what's going on, man? I said it's room a lot. She's like. What is that? I said it's like if tartar sauce and awesome had a baby.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Right on. Well, thanks so much for being here. If both of you could just say 719.
Speaker 3:719.
Speaker 2:Nice. All right, I'm going to stop this, oh sorry, do it again.
Speaker 3:Yeah, 719. Nice, all right, I'm going to stop this. Oh sorry, do it again. Yeah, 719. Thank you so much for having us.
Speaker 2:It's so much fun. And there you have it, folks, just proof that the best thing about me doing this podcast, the thing I get out of it the most, is meeting the people. I'm able to capture their story and share it with you. So again, thank you to John A and to John E, both for inviting me into your story and being able to present it to Southern Colorado. And again, thank you so so much for your patience. So, as we close out this episode, keep in mind that Creole Roots are going to be doing pop-ups at Chuckwagon. On that note, I'll be doing an episode with Chuckwagon here soon, so keep an eye out for that. And, as I mentioned way earlier, as soon as we close this down, stick around for the bonus I don't know what you want to call it the bonus track for those of you who are old like me and remember records and cassette tapes. Anyway, thank you all so much for listening and your support, and until next time.
Speaker 1:Where can you find the 7-1-Dine podcast? Well, you can find the 7-1-Dine podcast wherever you look for and find podcasts. Don't forget to visit us online at 7-1-Dinecom. Put your hands up. Start the party now. Go on. Put your hands up One, listen up loud and clear, because we got a little something to put in your ear. Step two raise those arms up your side. I have a feeling we should be dealing with the facts whips dripping from the ceiling. In fact, step three is so wack.
Speaker 2:Psych. Oh no, they're packing up. We might have just missed it.
Speaker 3:Give us the gumbo.
Speaker 2:We'll go up and see what's going on.
Speaker 3:Give us whatever you have left.
Speaker 2:You want to go up? Yeah, what if they're gone? What if they're what? I see somebody in there. Go up and see I'll walk over here. That's not so sad.
Speaker 3:You guys still have food.
Speaker 2:What'd they say? You didn't go up all right don't be nervous. Don't be nervous. Hey, where are you guys gonna be next, since you're closing down? Uh, next we're gonna be at benning lewis ranch. Benning lewis ranch, not today, tomorrow night, tomorrow night, okay, okay. Yeah, yeah, we're doing the content tomorrow, okay, okay, do you guys have anything in there?
Speaker 3:um, yeah, we have like right now.
Speaker 2:Can they do gumbo? Can we do some gumbo? Can we do some gumbo? Yes, sir, we can do some gumbo Gumbo, yeah, gumbo, gumbo. It's so good to see you. I met you guys at the Battle of the Food Trucks.
Speaker 3:Oh nice, we don't have any seafood gums today, just chicken and sausage. Oh, that's perfect.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Alright, yeah, I just want to make sure Gumbo's ready to Wait.
Speaker 2:I'm so excited, right, we just made it.
Speaker 3:Did we get that for you?
Speaker 2:So glad you guys got out and saw us. Yes, well, she texted me and said the place I normally get gumbo is closed. Do you know anything about this food truck? And I said well, yes, yes, I do. So I posted her text. I'll put it on Instagram. That's awesome. Thank you guys really. Yeah, awesome Congrats.
Speaker 3:It's going to be so good.
Speaker 2:Right on, just give us a couple minutes and we'll get it together.
Speaker 3:Sounds good.
Speaker 2:Thanks, what's up, fellas?
Speaker 3:I thought that that was the gumbo. Oh, I flipped it. Hi, how are you? Thanks for coming with us.
Speaker 2:Of course, especially since you guys are like, I don't know, she was just like the happiest nicest person. What's that?
Speaker 3:She was just like the happiest, nicest person.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, they're so super cool. Oh, I'm so excited and.
Speaker 3:I was going to say how many pizza I was like Kylie, this is so cool.
Speaker 2:That guy's pretty excited.
Speaker 3:Cupbo Gumbo I'm happy the chicken and the sausage. That's my. I like chicken sausage gumbo. Yeah, remember when we tried to make gumbo.
Speaker 2:Yep, that didn't go well at all, and we made shrimp water or whatever it was.
Speaker 3:Bro, we tried to make a roux.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, a roux. I can make a roux. Now Sounds like a it's yeah.
Speaker 3:It's actually pronounced a roux. I think I still have it. It's called WTF. It says for where's the food truck? Oh nice, sometimes it'll just send me a notification and be like this food truck is here, you want to try it? No, well, he talked up that one. Now I want that one. Majority of the food trucks are like crepe food trucks, like why are there so many? Because something original. Like well, there was that one food truck that they brought to work that one time and it was cookie ice cream sandwiches and you pick your cookies or brownies and you can have like two different ones in the same one and then you pick your ice cream flavor and then they make it right there and then they can put toppings on it man that does sound good, it was the best snickerdoodle cookie I'd ever had.
Speaker 3:Oh, when you started a food truck, I went back and just asked for a snickerdoodle cookie. You should serve cupcakes.
Speaker 2:I could start a food truck with cinnamon roll cookies, just that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you'd be rich.
Speaker 2:Oh, they're so good good Nice, I'm so excited. Also had a really good at the Battle of the Food Trucks a really good um Philly cheesesteak so good.
Speaker 3:I feel like people who have food trucks. Their food is just better.
Speaker 2:I know a place that has them in their food truck.
Speaker 3:Okay, so next time there's like a big food truck thing, can we go? Can we come?
Speaker 2:Yes. Okay, so next time there's like a big food truck thing can we go, can we come?
Speaker 3:Yes, okay, great, absolutely, this one was huge.
Speaker 2:I love this. I should show you the picture of the line and, if anybody's listening and you guys, I always get VIP because it has air conditioned area where you can hang out and it has early access like early entry, so when? Is the next one. Next year. There's a Best of the West Wings Fest.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, joy.
Speaker 2:Wings, wings.
Speaker 3:I only like boneless chicken nuggets. I like my chicken nuggets with bones in them, but not in the style of the wing.
Speaker 2:Ew, like little salmon bones. Yeah, so here's the line Human bones.
Speaker 3:Oh my God, oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and then I took some panoramic photos of it.
Speaker 3:Oh, is this the one you took John's car to?
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's John's car right there.
Speaker 3:Solid.
Speaker 2:Sponsored by 7 Wonderland.
Speaker 3:I saw Karen posted it on her Instagram. She's so cute with her little Instagram.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah.
Speaker 3:She likes my stories on Instagram.
Speaker 2:And you know, I got to interview this guy right who makes grilled cheeses. Yeah, he was having a good time.
Speaker 3:That's a good ass grilled cheese. I'm so excited. I want there to be another one right now. Oh my god, they're the same type Ribs and brisket. I love me some brisket.
Speaker 2:There was all the food trucks over there.
Speaker 3:Wow, crate oh, nice Cripes and dough. The saucy pig Go fish. What is the saucy pig? Pork Bacon. It doesn't feel like June, not today. It's cold.
Speaker 2:Not today.
Speaker 3:But we're going to warm up. We're still gone.
Speaker 2:It is kinda chilly.
Speaker 3:So when was that one? Oh wow, opie, opie.
Speaker 2:This was I hope you can hear me Was it two weeks ago? We're standing in a the first Sunday in June there's motorcycles and we can smell Gumbo.
Speaker 3:Do they happen often?
Speaker 2:About once a year. Oh RIP. But there's always rallies and stuff you can go to. Okay, what are you laughing at? I can't wait, she's making noises over there.
Speaker 3:I'm like beep-a-bop-a-beep-a-beep.
Speaker 2:Jeez Louise.
Speaker 3:Oh, you should have waited. Oh, there's other stuff.
Speaker 2:You definitely might. Oh, here we go, guys, the gumbo is ready.
Speaker 3:It's in a cup. Yay, I'm so excited. Hallelujah, yeah, girl, this is the best day of my life. Oh, fork down, I got it, I got it. It's so warm in here, it smells so good. I'm so excited.