Louisiana-style po’boy sandwiches are now on the menu at Cajun Po’boys, Sonoma County’s newest mobile eatery.

Founded by Louisiana native John Gasquet in collaboration with War Pigs BBQ owner Larry Hillix, the food truck brings hearty sandwiches to local breweries and taprooms, including Rincon Valley Tap Room & Bottle Shop (4927 Sonoma Highway, Santa Rosa) and Parliament Brewing (5865 Labath Ave., Rohnert Park).

Offerings include “beef debris” (a New Orleans-style shredded beef), fried shrimp and other Cajun staples. Muffulettas (think of them as a Cajun twist on the classic Italian sub) are expected to join the menu, along with pickled okra and freshly fried, Cajun-seasoned potato chips.

For updates, visit Instagram.com/cajunpoboys.

You can reach Dining Editor Heather Irwin at heather.irwin@pressdemocrat.com. Follow Heather on Instagram @biteclubeats.

The post Cajun Po’Boys Mobile Eatery Launches in Sonoma County appeared first on Sonoma Magazine.

What happens when you merge crab Rangoon and mozzarella sticks?

A fantastical Franken-croquette stuffed with gooey cheese, dots of artificial crab and cream cheese enrobed in a crispy crust. It’s over-the-top like a hot fudge sundae with extra whipped cream — too much, but never enough.

It’s also how a trio of fine dining chefs have put their fledgling food truck, Shokakko, on the radar of Sonoma County foodies.

That, and their loaded fries with Spam.

“It’s the things we liked eating on our days off. The stuff we couldn’t find in Sonoma County,” said chef Elijah Trujillo of the food trailer he cofounded with his partner Kayla Hendrix and friend Kazuya “Kaz” Makishima in August 2024.

Tired of fine dining foams and tweezers, this merry band of young chefs drew inspiration from the late-night yatai food stalls in Japan that sell ramen, fish cakes and skewers of grilled chicken. The trio uses highbrow culinary skills to create cream-filled fruit sandwiches, skyscraper-sized fried chicken sandwiches, pork katsu fries and husky crab and cheese-filled croquettes.

Shokakko, which means small but certain happiness in Japanese, is all about salty, sweet, creamy, spicy, hot mess dishes that go better with a pint of IPA than an oaky Cabernet.

 

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In the weeds

On a warm Thursday evening in January, the 8-by-16-foot Shokakko trailer was parked outside Old Caz brewpub in Rohnert Park. It’s one of several breweries they visit in a monthly food truck round-robin. Some days, they are at private events or visit surefire nosh spots like Outer Planes comics and games in Santa Rosa, where they first set up shop.

By 5:30 p.m., there’s a growing line of hungry customers. Inside the narrow galley kitchen, Flo Rida sets the beat as the crew weaves around each other without a missed step. All three sport dark aprons, black shirts, messy buns and tattooed forearms, giving punk rock vibes.

But tidy containers of saffron threads and bias-cut scallions are unmistakable giveaways of their white-tablecloth backgrounds.

“Two dons all day,” says Trujillo, while wrapping an intimidatingly large “Mother-Clucker” sandwich and relaying orders for donburi rice bowls ($16-18), best eaten with braised pork belly or Japanese curry. Vegetarian options are also available.

Makishima mans the fryer, turning out piles of Kamakazi fries ($12-$16) that are required eating. The weight of this overly-generous pile of seasoned fries is wrist-injuring and is drizzled with a sweet chili sauce mayo, gochujang glaze (made with chili crunch, fermented chili sauce and savory red chili paste) and furikake (a Japanese condiment). Add cubes of fried Spam to the unholy mound, because you can.

Twice-fried chicken sandwiches ($16) are five-napkin affairs. Go for the “Mother-Clucker” with piles of slaw, pickled jalapeños and “Bang Bang” dip made with gochujang, chili crunch and fermented chiles on a brioche bun. It’s fiery and filled with umami but not tongue-singeing.

Try everything

Hendrix is the doyenne of sweets. On my visit, her banana pudding layered with sweet-savory miso sauce is served in a cheeky 16-ounce Solo cup. It’s nostalgic and genre-bending but will inevitably give way to another of pastry chef Hendrix’s whims — like the Japanese milk bread sandwich filled with whipped cream and fruit that sends the Sonoma County Foodies Facebook page into a frenzy.

“It got ridiculous. They would sell out in an hour,” said Makishima of the snaking queues for the dessert. I hint that they should return them to the menu, but Hendrix isn’t biting. They all agree that changing the menu frequently is what makes the job fun.

There are plenty of other Shokakko goodies on the menu, including Spam Musubi ($6), black garlic string beans with fried shallots ($9) and a kids menu with chicken fingers or a veggie and rice bowl.

Hendrix encourages people to dive into the menu with abandon and take a leap of faith.

“Don’t be afraid to order something you don’t know,” she said. “We’ve always got something new.”

You can find the Shokakko’s latest schedule of stops at Instagram.com/eat_shokakko. They’re typically open from 2 p.m. until they sell out Wednesday through Saturday, but the schedule changes frequently.

You can reach Dining Editor Heather Irwin at heather.irwin@pressdemocrat.com. Follow Heather on Instagram @biteclubeats.

The post Japanese-Style Shokakko Food Truck Serves up Unique Dishes in Sonoma County appeared first on Sonoma Magazine.

Neither heat nor mechanical issues nor Lazy Bears can keep the College Confectionista’s new cheesecake-mobile from its appointed rounds.

After nearly a year of rehabbing a 1984 postal truck (and covering it with countless cans of cherry red paint), baker and dessert entrepreneur Anamaría Morales has rolled out her first mobile cheesecake dispensary. You’ll recognize it by the giant slice of cheesecake bolted to the top.

On its first day of service last Saturday, Morales sold out her entire inventory of slices in just hours to hungry he-bears attending the annual Lazy Bear Weekend in Guerneville.

“I didn’t even have anything left to sell,” said Morales, who quickly returned to her kitchen for a long day of baking as she geared up for several more days of cheesecake truck adventures parked at Guerneville’s Sonoma Nesting Company (16151 Main St.)

“I knew I wanted to do this, but finding the right truck took a long time,” she said. Then came the restoration, which she mostly did herself.

“Every day, I was at my uncle’s shop for eight hours after baking to work on the truck,” she said. Teacher and cheesecake client Cristy Miranda created the giant slice of cheesecake on top of the truck.

“I had always pictured the truck with a slice of cheesecake on top, and I can’t even tell you how divine the intervention was. I just put it out in the universe,” Morales said.

The cheesecake truck will be slinging slices in Guerneville until Aug. 5, then (hopefully) be at events and festivals throughout Sonoma County.

There’s just one hitch: the truck still needs a bit of mechanical work to get it reliably from one spot to another, and Morales is hoping for a little more divine intervention to get over that hurdle — though she isn’t one to let a little hiccup sideline her for long.

Morales, known as the College Confectionista, received national attention for starting a cheesecake business when she was 18 to fund her education at the University of California Berkeley debt-free. The young Latina comes from a low-income family and was determined to be the first in her family to graduate from college. She has created a foundation to help other low-income Latinas in Sonoma County get college degrees.

For more details and locations, visit collegeconfectionista.com or Instagram.com/collegeconfectionista.

The post Say ‘Cheesecake’ at New Sonoma County Dessert Truck on the Russian River appeared first on Sonoma Magazine.

The well-worn Wagon Wheel Saloon in north Santa Rosa has been called many things over the years, but a food truck hot spot is not one of them — until now.

Once infamous for its cast of colorful (and sometimes felonious) characters, the faded green bar is now ground zero for some of the county’s best quesabirria.

In late May, fluttering banners advertised Tacos Tijuana would be coming to the 3320 Mendocino Ave. location. Curiously, the owners of Tacos Tijuana posted on social media that the business had permanently closed in May.

So, was the new Santana-themed mobile kitchen emblazoned with the Tacos Tijuana logo the same taco favorite, or an impostor?

Co-owner Uriel Brena considers it more like Tacos Tijuana 2.0. His former business partners, Miguel Canseco of Taqueria El Paisa and Chef Jose Rodriguez of El Fogon Taqueria, left the business after the truck struggled to make a profit in its first six months at Shady Oak Brewing, according to Brena.

“We tried really hard, but it just wasn’t paying the bills,” said Brena, who continues to handle the business side of the food truck. A marketing professional and political consultant by day, Brena got into the restaurant business after volunteering his services to local restaurants during the pandemic. That led to co-ownership in Tacos Tijuana, whose tasty quesabirria tacos were tapped as favorites by The Press Democrat.

So, without partners, and stuck with a $60,000 used food truck, Brena decided to forge ahead and strike a deal with the Wagon Wheel’s owners to host the mobile kitchen. Tacos Tijuana’s original chef, Edwin Hernandez, and two of Hernandez’s family members have become Brena’s new business partners.

The menu remains much the same, with their signature quesabirria — a crispy, cheesy, beefy handful of happiness — as good as it ever was. New items are coming onto the menu weekly, including conchinita pibil and tacos al vapor (steamed tacos).

In early July, chicken parmigiana and Philly cheesesteak sandwiches will also be added to the menu, Brena said. He tapped Chef Gerard Giudice from Sally Tomatoes Catering and the Heirloom Cafe in Rohnert Park to help perfect his sandwich game after working with Giudice on his successful campaign for Rohnert Park City Council.

Brena plans to add his mother’s chile rellenos as part of an expanded vegetarian menu that includes Soyrizo Nachos, zucchini blossom quesadillas and huitlacoche (a corn fungus with a mushroom-like flavor) tacos. He cautions that although the items are prepared vegetarian and vegan, the grill is also used to cook meat.

For now, quesabirria remains the top seller, but meatless options like the flor de calabaza (squash blossom) are also popular. Paired with a stiff gin and tonic at the Wagon Wheel, you can’t possibly go wrong.

3320 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa. Open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily with $1 tacos on Tuesday. Delivery orders at 707-296-3000. More details on their Instagram page, @tacostijuana707. Parking can be a little tricky, and the only exit is a right turn onto Mendocino Avenue.

The post Popular Santa Rosa Taco Truck Is Back in an Unexpected Location appeared first on Sonoma Magazine.

Inside what may be the tiniest kitchen in Sonoma County come some of the most epic flavors of Southeast Asia. But first you’ll have to find it.

Jamilah Nixon-Mathis, the “bastoni” (sticks) of the former Forchetta Bastoni in Sebastopol has quietly been hawking her curried noodles, banh mi, breakfast jok (a savory rice porridge) and specials like rice cake waffles with bits of Spam and green onions in the mix.

Just opened is her tiny brick and mortar on the Sebastopol Square. Little more than a walk-in closet filled with culinary pizzazz, Jamilah turns out one of our favorite banh mi sandwiches. More than just a snack with attitude, it’s a masterpiece of crusty French bread, savory barbecued meat, pickled carrots, cilantro and a swipe of pate.

Jok is especially lovely. It’s a warm and hearty breakfast (or lunch) dish with prickles of spicy ginger, Khao man gai sauce (a traditional Thai street food sauce of fermented soybean paste, tamari, sugar) with a custardy six-minute egg, herbs, fried shallot and green onions. You’ll never look at oatmeal the same way again.

Look for the pink, yellow and blue chairs under the trees. You’ll be glad you took the time to search it out. You can also find Jamilah at many events inside her colorful food truck. Open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. 150 Weeks Way, Sebastopol, facebook.com/jamsjoybungalow.

The post Flavortown is Really at Jam’s Joy Bungalow in Sebastopol appeared first on Sonoma Magazine.

We’ve been every year, and the food just keeps getting more impressive. A few we’re especially excited about this year

– Wanna-E: A Mandalay-style food truck featuring the region’s mash-up cuisine of Chinese, Indian and Thai

– Estate Events by Meadowood: We’re not sure what this will actually turn out to be, but with the name Meadowood, it has to be good!

– Goose and Gander: Mostly because we haven’t been to this St. Helena restaurant yet, and we’re dying to try their food.

– Napa Palisades Saloon: We’re fans of this recent addition to the Valley, and hope they’ll be serving up some of their terrific pub grub.

– Kollar Chocolates: Amazing chocolatier from Napa

– Bacon, Bacon: Because yeah, bacon. This pork-centric food truck is a festival staple.

– The Middle Feast: Middle eastern food truck with a few surprising twists

We’re preparing to start warming up our tastebuds now. More details and tickets online at bottlerocknapavalley.com.

The post 2016 BottleRock Restaurants and Food Vendors Announced appeared first on Sonoma Magazine.

From our food blogger, Heather Irwin of BiteClubEats.

As the year comes to a close, it’s always fun to look back at the best dishes of the year — or at least my favorites.

Choosing the best from hundreds of meals isn’t easy, and admittedly is rather subjective, but a few dozen rise to the top as truly special.

Anyone who’s dined with me knows the gratified look I reserve for these remarkable, memorable dishes and the hand clapping that usually accompanies it (I’m not subtle). So, what makes a great dish for me? It’s a combination of flavor, mouthfeel and elements of surprise that I find most delightful — which can come in almost any form, and at any price point.

Some are from fancy restaurants you know, others from food trucks or strip mall finds, or even a standout dish from a restaurant that I didn’t otherwise find memorable. For example, on the affordable end of the spectrum, I fell in love with a vegan chia parfait from Seed on the Go, Indian flatbread at the Outside Lands music festival in San Francisco and a bowl of shakshouka (basically eggs in a spicy, Mediterranean tomato sauce) from Goodman’s Jewish Deli. At the luxe end, a beautiful plate of seared foie gras at Valette captured my heart.

In the end, however, there had to be a single winner, and this year it was a Liberty Farms duck leg with pomegranate, baba ganoush and pistachio dukkah at SHED Cafe in Healdsburg. A perfect Mediterranean dish influenced by local ingredients with kicks of flavor — smoky, sweet, herbaceous and loaded with personality.

“Many dishes on the menu are vegetable-centric,” said Chef Perry Hoffman, who recently took over as Culinary Director, and created the dish. “The duck is almost an afterthought, but it works perfectly,” he said.

It was hard to pick a single favorite dish from Hoffman’s menu, with each course a surprise and delighted featuring root vegetables from nearby farms, fresh herbs and high-end plating, including dry farmed roasted potatoes with garlic aioli, carrot salad with bee balm and yogurt; wild fennel soup with smoked salmon (now off the menu until April) and braised beef cheeks with persimmons.

After multiple courses, I remember getting up from the meal and thinking it was one of the most intriguing and unexpectedly wonderful experiences of the year. Prices range from $9 to $25 for dinner.

See all the dishes in the gallery above.

See the original post on BiteClub here.

The post 30 Best Restaurant Dishes of 2015 in Sonoma County appeared first on Sonoma Magazine.

New Sonoma County Food Truck Alert: We’re loving the croquette-concept from Croques and Toques.

Here’s how to get all the flavors of the holiday into one bite: A roasted turkey, gravy, cranberry and mashed potato croquette! If you’ve never had the pleasure of stuffing one of these little fried balls of happiness into your craw, croquettes are crunchy, golfball-sized bites that can be filled with pretty much anything from meat to sweets.

SRJC cooking school alum and chef Andrew Jetson is bringing the croquette to the masses with his new food truck, Croques and Toques. His self-funded venture features these savory holiday feast croquettes ($9 for 5), along with the sweeter spiced sweet potato croquettes (cream cheese and sweet potato mousse, $8).

“They’re kind of a blank canvas,” said Jetson. Which makes sense considering that nearly every culture has some version, from Italy’s arancini to aloo tikka in India.

These tasty croques are super kid-friendly (just keep in mind the innards can be molten hot, so blow on them a little), and a new favorite at local farm markets around the county. Watch for the truck at the Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Building farm market on Saturdays from 8:30 a.m to 1 p.m., or follow the truck at croquesandtoques.com.

See the orignial story at BiteClub Eats.

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