famous orange food truck goes green

The truck is still bright orange, but it’s gone green. The new Fresh Local mobile restaurant that started making its way around the Seacoast last week is a gear shift from the late night guilty pleasure of cheese fries from Gilly’s in Portsmouth and Matty’s Good & Late in Dover. As the name implies, it serves fresh food made from local ingredients, and it will be gone before last call.
The food truck, now owned and operated by Michelle and Josh Lozuaway, was previously the catering vehicle for Dos Amigos Burritos and, before that, it was Pepe’s Taco Truck. Dos Amigos, which has locations in Portsmouth and Dover, decided the truck didn’t fit with its mission, according to restaurant co-owner Jay McSharry. Pepe’s was a seasonal lunchtime venue started in 2003 by Dawn Pepe.

The Fresh Local truck does not have a set location, but is permitted to park in any regular spot in Portsmouth and hopes to get permission to stop elsewhere. It began last week in the parking lot off Junkins Avenue near the tennis courts in Portsmouth. It will likely be open Wednesday through Sunday for lunch, starting around 10 a.m. and going into the late afternoon.

The current menu, which is subject to seasonal changes, includes a falafel pita pocket made with chickpea and fava beans, a New Hampshire bison burger with Vermont cheddar cheese, and a salad with organic hard-boiled eggs and local goat cheese. There is homemade lemonade and home-brewed iced tea from Portsmouth Tea Company. Dessert is oatmeal cookies made from a recipe by Michele Lozuaway’s grammy, who was an inspiration for the way she eats. 

“In our opinion, there was no healthy in-and-out restaurant focused on local and fresh foods,” said Michelle Lozuaway. The couple has a small organic farm in Newington where they grow a garden and raise organic chickens. Josh Lozuaway is a former chef at Lindbergh’s Crossing in Portsmouth. They wanted to start a healthy restaurant, but also wanted to spend as much time as possible at home with their family and farm.

The Lozuaways decided to cooperate with other local farms and businesses to keep money within the community. They are getting some produce from Golden Harvest in Kittery, Maine, which does not acquire all its food locally but is a locally run business. Even the soap they use to wash their hands is from a local goat farm where they also get cheese.  

They want to make the truck available for functions, but will only do so within a reasonable driving distance so as to save on fuels. The truck runs on biodiesel, but kitchen needs a separate source of power, such as an outlet or generator. They are looking into solar power options instead. The packaging for the food and drinks is all biodegradable, compostable or recyclable. 
“That’s the direction we want to head in and get everybody else to head there too,” Michelle Lozuaway said.

To find out where the truck is parked or headed, call 603-988-4881 or visit www.freshlocaltruck.com.