It was in February that Jason Tepper began thinking about his culinary life on the road.
Now he’s about to hit the pavement in his brand-new Farm to Truck.
He won’t be traveling far. Tepper has booked Blue Point Brewery through Saturday, then it’s off to Martha Clara Vineyards in Northville Sunday to round out the weekend.
The idea for Food to Truck is exactly as it sounds. But aside from cooking on it, he’ll be using his new wheels to purchase fresh produce, meat, fish and shellfish direct from local farmers, butchers, baymen and fishermen in his travels.
Yet you won’t find him traversing Mexico this winter; Tepper is more of a homebody than, say, a young Jack Kerouac.
“The reason I did the truck, honestly, is because I’m a single father of two little girls and I want to be around them as much as I possibly can; they’re growing up,” he said.
Tepper’s most recent full-time gig was at the new Flight in Patchogue, from December until now. It was a stint that rounded out a brick-and-mortar career that began at Brickhouse Brewery in 1996.
In the meantime he’s helped open restaurants in Miami, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
A Blue Point native, Tepper moved back to Long Island from Vegas last year and is now living in Patchogue Village.
His older girl, Lilliauna, 11, will be joining him on the truck this summer. She’ll be in the kitchen, he says, learning how to cook and more.
“You don’t have to be a woman to teach a little girl how to be an independent woman,” he says proudly.
His other daughter, Khloe, is 6 and a bit too young for the heat of a food truck.
Tepper’s girlfriend, Donna LaRocca of Patchogue, will be a major component of the operation. He’s also lining up a chef friend from Las Vegas and a director of operations for bookings.
And Farm to Truck’s schedule is packed. While the truck is brand new, being in the food business for two decades makes it feel like old hat, Tepper said. Even though he’s now on four wheels.
“I’ve opened up like four or five restaurants, from reality chefs (namely Vic “Vegas” Moea and Beni Velazquez) in Vegas to Jamie Bonnano at Flight,” he said.
“Though there is a bit of a learning curve coming from the West Coast to the East,” he added. For one, finding quality seasonal help is tough for all the restaurants here.
“Next year I’ll have more notice and bring some cooks in from Vegas, where it slows down in the summer,” he said.
Farm to Truck will will be all over the island this inaugural summer and beyond, setting up at street fairs, vineyards, breweries, and lots of weddings — for both cocktail hours and after hours.
It will be easily recognized on Sunrise Highway, the LIE or Main Road by its black and wood pallet paint job, with red trim.
As for the food concept itself, the overall idea is to offer fresh, locally sourced, elevated dishes.
The other part of the concept is Jay Tepper on a paper plate.
“It’s bright colors meets great flavors; that’s what my food is,” he says.
That doesn’t change on a truck.
Click her for Tepper’s 10-item Farm to Truck menu.
Photo: Jay Tepper and his Farm to Truck at Mascot Dock in Patchogue. (Credit: Benny Migliorino/Benny Migs Photo)
