Chef puts new spin on street food

Think of Jamaican street food, and items like pan chicken and bread, roast breadfruit and saltfish or soups and porridges come to mind.

But for Chef Haleem Card, his take on street food takes on a different look, and he shared it last Friday as part of the Pepsi Food Truck Pop-Up, which was held last Friday at Mall Plaza in Half-Way Tree, St Andrew.

Chef Card's menu items included escovitched snapper tacos with Tostones (fried breadfruit) and Pepsi-braised chicken sub-sandwich with roasted sweetcorn. His take on street food is all about adding flair and technique to traditional dishes, while still maintaining the original essence.

Card said, "Ideally, a menu with oak wood smoked cauliflower and pesto can't compare to the perfect simplicity that is pan chicken, bright red ketchup and a piece of hard-dough bread. But with that being said I believe my take on street food is something relatable with a little flair and technique that leaves you humbly satisfied and secretly craving more."

Having the desire to own a food truck someday, Card added that being part of the food truck pop-up was a great experience for him. The atmosphere at the event was lively and energetic, including music. Foodies lined up to try Chef Card's dishes, which were served with complimentary Pepsi.

This was the food truck's third pop-up; the other two were at Carnival Road March on April 16 with Chef Yassi Brissett, and on Main Street, Ocho Rios, St Ann, on April 29 with Chef Aaliyah Terrelonge. The fourth and final pop-up is slated for Montego Bay, St James, on May 29 with Chef Andre Sewell.