BORDEN-CARLETON, P.E.I. — Anyone looking for a smoothie from Terry’s Berries in downtown Charlottetown will be out of luck this sumer.
For 2020, Terry Nabuurs fired up his bright pink 1981 Dodge B200 and drove away from smoothies and the old menu his company delivered at the corner of Great George and Water streets. He pulled the parking brake on the grass outside Lone Oak Brewing Co. in Borden-Carleton and is offering some food served up by one of Canada’s top chefs, Lucy Morrow.
“Borden is definitely an up-and-coming place,” said Nabuurs, adding Lone Oak has tapped into something special and gained a lot community support.
“A lot of our normal customer base in Charlottetown just wouldn’t be there this year, with no tourism,” said Nabuurs.
He almost didn’t open the truck this year, but when he heard the new brewing company was looking to collaborate with someone to serve food, Nabuurs knew he could do it.
Especially with Morrow at the helm.
“We’re really happy to have chef Lucy on this summer. I think happy is a tremendous understatement,” said Nabuurs, about the second-place finisher on Top Chef Canada. “I don’t want to say it because she’s here, but, to me, she’s the best.”
Morrow called her decision to run the food truck “one of those COVID plans”.
“I had my plans for the summer and then everything got changed.”
Morrow was looking for a kitchen for the summer and likely expected to be considered for work in one of Nabuurs' other establishments – Wheelhouse in Georgetown or Thatcher’s at Bogside Brewery in Montague.
The offer she received was a curveball.
“What do you think about being on the food truck out in Borden?” Nabuurs pitched his idea.
“That sounds kind of fun,” Morrow replied.
She knew Lone Oak was bringing some life to the coastal heart of P.E.I., and wanted to be a part of it.
To design the menu for the little pink truck, Morrow collaborated with Nabuurs’ executive chef.
“We just wanted people to be able to see things they enjoy and serve a couple really good sandwiches – and support as much local as we can,” said Morrow.
The summer 2020 menu includes the best-selling Saltdaddy lobster melt – a combination of fresh local lobster, chives, their house cheese blend and duxelle – a local mushroom paste with garlic, shallots and butter.
Another popular choice is the Ceretti’s sausage sandwich featuring sausage made by the local grocer on a ciabatta bun with marinara, cheese, bacon and scallions.
“The locals are really happy to see that name on the menu,” said Morrow.
“It’s a pretty renowned name around here,” added Nabuurs. “I’m biased now, but trust me, it’s one of the best sausages I’ve ever had.”
Nabuurs plans to keep the food coming four days a week in Borden-Carleton year-round, as he continues to grow his enterprise from its modest start making smoothies in the refurbished delivery truck.
“People have been really supportive,” said Nabuurs. “It’s something I’ve always appreciated.”
Alison Jenkins is a local journalism initiative reporter. She can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @AlisonEBC
