Truck of the Month:
Corner Taco, Jacksonville

What do you do after an intensive chef’s apprenticeship at The Cloister at Sea Island? Right, you thought I was going to say, “Go to Disneyland.” Not quite but close.

You restore a 1965 Airstream and make tacos your way.

Chef Chris Dickerson of Corner Taco in Jacksonville, Florida, took his classically-trained skills and put them to use making tacos, coming back to his hometown after stints in kitchens all over the country because he wanted to be a part of the fun food scene that is growing in the city.

“I was inspired by the simple flavors, the freshness of the cuisine when I visited Oaxaca,” he explains. “And tacos really became a riff for me to play with. The traditions might be different but the techniques under it all are the same.”

So he started serving up what he terms “Mexclectic tacos”: selections such as 24-Hour Carnitas, Local Tempeh, and Dijon Buttermilk Fried Chicken. He worked with local purveyors to form relationships for reliable supplies of local foodstuffs. He got the Slow Food Stamp of approval (the only food truck in Jacksonville to do so to date). And along the way he built a business that has now moved to a brick and mortar location in Jacksonville’s 5 Points neighborhood.

But the Airstream is still in heavy rotation about town and regionally at larger events. And people still stand in line for those fried chicken tacos. Create some taco magic of your own with Chris’ recipe, no Airstream required.