SpoonFed Grill
SpoonFed Grill was a food truck owned by Jason Parkman and operated by Michael Brandon. Debuting in 2009, it made regular stops in downtown Birmingham, the Cahaba Center at Grandview, and Office Park, as well as in Tuscaloosa for Alabama Crimson Tide football games. Spoonfed Grill was also available for hire as a caterer for events.
In addition to its commercial kitchen, the truck was equipped with LCD TVs. As of August 2010, Parkman was spending Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays parked along 5th Avenue North outside the Wachovia Tower, and Tuesdays and Thursdays near the Daniel Building at 20th Street South near Powell Avenue.
In the summer of 2010, Michael Calvert of Operation New Birmingham sent a letter to the Birmingham Department of Planning, Engineering and Permits asking that Spoonfed Grill be forced to move from its usual spot in the passenger loading zone outside the Wachovia Tower because it was a public right of way, in which businesses are prohibited from operating under the current ordinance. Calvert also implied that Parkman may not have been operating his business legally, and that the food truck was a detriment to nearby restaurants. On August 11 Parkman was informed by the department that he could not operate downtown in public right of ways. On August 19, Calvert had softened his stance and vowed to work with Parkman in getting the ordinance changed. The owners of Trattoria Centrale and Brick & Tin, two of the restaurants named in Calvert's letter, said they support the food truck as long as Parkman is abiding by local ordinances. Later SpoonFed Grill began operating in a private parking lot near the Social Security Administration building.
In January 2013 SpoonFed Grill was listed as one of the "Best Food Trucks in the South" by Deep South magazine.
In 2014 Parkman, who had opened Taziki's franchises in Montgomery and Auburn, sold the food truck to Mike Wilson and Brandon Cain of Saw's Soul Kitchen. Michael Brandon remained with the new owners as operator of the truck, which was rebranded as Saw's Street Kitchen.
References
- Carlton, Bob (May 28, 2010) "Spoonfed Grill serves fresh food from a truck to downtown Birmingham diners on the run." The Birmingham News
- Carlton, Bob (August 17, 2010) "Spoonfed Grill food truck operator says he feels like he's "not welcome" in downtown Birmingham." The Birmingham News
- Carlton, Bob (August 21, 2010) "Update: Operation New Birmingham offers support to food truck operator who had been told to move." The Birmingham News
- "Best Food Trucks in the South" (January 31, 2013) Deep South
- Carlton, Bob (March 25, 2014) "Saw's Street Kitchen food truck could hit the streets of Birmingham by next week." The Birmingham News
External links
- Spoonfed Grill website
- Spoonfed Grill on twitter.com