It’s not a secret that the food truck business has spread nationwide,
giving chefs the opportunity to show case their unique “foodie” creations or to
simply provide the public with some good ole fashioned traditional food on the fly
and St. Augustine, Florida is no exception to this ongoing, ever growing food
phenomena.
Tropicali
Food Truck, located on 246 San Marco Avenue, next to Old City Tire, is one of
St. Augustine’s newest editions to the Food Truck scene, providing Southern
Californian – Baja Style food with Caribbean flavored infused meats and vegetables.
Delicious items on the menu include , burritos , tacos , rice bowls , and
lunch platters which include your choice of pulled pork , jerk chicken ,
shredded beef , chipotle shrimp and of course veggies for those of the
vegetarian persuasion . Sides include Spanish rice, Salsa Fresca, Plantains and
Avocado. I myself had a shredded beef taco with “Cali” cabbage , Salsa Fresca ,
cheese , avocado and topped with a lime , which by the way really brought out
the delicious flavor of the beef , made fresh daily.
I was
fortunate enough to get a few minutes to sit down with Co-Owner Troy Blevins. A
Florida native, Blevins grew up in Deland, Florida. “I actually leaned how to
swim in the Deleon Springs,” Blevins recalls. A graduate from Flagler College
in 1989 with a degree in Recreation, Blevins then started his career with St. Johns
Parks and Recreation and has since retired in 2011. Retired being the operative word, in
conjunction with his employment to Parks and Recreation, he also had and still
has his Trivia business, where he MC’s Trivia games at local restaurants. This
in turn is where he met Co-Owner of Tropicali Food Truck, Chef Rick, having
over 30 years experience and the food mastermind of their new adventure, as
Chef’s son worked for Blevins’ Trivia business and introduced the two.
One thing
that struck me and what will make me continue to support this local business, I
asked Blevins what he wanted the goal of Tropicali Food Truck to be. He said, “I
want people to feel good about being here, people forget what you do or say,
but people never forget how you made them feel.”
Tropicali Food Truck is open Monday through Saturday 10 A.M.
to 8 P.M. and they also DELIVER!!! So please check them out! Both indoor and
outdoor seating provided. Tropicali can
be reached at 904. 466.4527.
121 King Street 
