Po'Boys to bring Cajun flair to food truck scene

There will soon be a neon green addition to the Cape Region's food truck scene, as soon as Po'Boys Creole & Fresh Catch takes its new mobile restaurant on the road.

On Dec. 8, Po'Boys owner Mike Clampitt picked up the 14-foot truck, which will soon make its bright debut in Sussex County.

For two years, Clampitt has served up New Orleans-inspired dishes – crawfish etouffée, blackened catfish and, of course, seven different Po' Boy sandwiches – at the small restaurant on Palmer Street in Milton. It seats only 30 to 35 people, Clampitt said, but restaurant expansion or a second Po' Boys hasn't ever been part of the plan.

"We're the proverbial hole-in-the-wall and we've embraced that," he said. “The truck is our expansion."

The stainless steel equipment in the truck will allow Po'Boys staff to serve up about five or six popular items, such as fresh gumbo, beignets, flash-fried Brussels sprouts, jambalaya and red beans and rice.

“It's a mimic of our kitchen,” Clampitt said. “This truck is an extension of this place.”

The truck actually has one more fryer than what's available at the restaurant, and the mobile kitchen was custom designed so that everything is self-contained and easy to clean, he said.

Clampitt said he went with the bright green design, with a decal that mimics the restaurant's tattooed owner, so that when Po'Boys shows up at the next food truck event, people can't help but notice.

“It's not like a restaurant,” he said. “You want someone to see it and say, 'Oh my god, what is that?' So when they see us, they know exactly who we are.”

Clampitt said the rising popularity of food truck events in Milton and Rehoboth Beach inspired the new mobile plan, which will take the truck to Truckin' Tuesday in Milton, Food Truck Friday at Epworth and other events and locations along Route 1 in Sussex County.

“Especially in Sussex County, people are really into food, and any new niche, people respond to it really well,” he said. “The food truck events brings the community together in one place. Especially in Milton, it's kind of like a block party.”

The truck will also be available for private events, Clampitt said, and while he's still working out the specifics of pricing, he plans to offer the service to parties of at least 30 people. Clampitt said reservations and more information will be available on a new Facebook page dedicated to Po'Boys Creole Food Truck.

“It's all a learning experience,” he said. Clampitt said he also plans to hire two additional employees.

Upcoming event appearances are still being planned, he said, but local festivals, private events and popular spots are all fair game.

“I plan on pretty much pimpin' it out,” he said. “We're going to beat the street to make sure everybody knows.”