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HAMPTON — Sometimes, when lifestyle shuts a doorway, it opens a window. In this situation, it is the support windows of Ben St. Jeanne’s and his spouse Molly’s Significant Terrible Foods Truck.
“I’ve normally wanted to very own a foods truck,” Ben claimed. “Molly and I have normally preferred just one. And I’ve usually required to perform for myself and not be tied down to one particular locale.”
So, oddly, when Ben lost his normal gig as govt chef at Portsmouth’s previous Mombo restaurant since of the coronavirus pandemic’s lock-down in March 2020, this approximately lifelong cooking enthusiast didn’t sit all over cursing destiny. He and Molly acquired occupied, making use of the down time to place collectively the system to acquire their food stuff clearly show on the street.
A serious motorcycle crash
It’s not the first time Ben and Molly rallied following lifestyle threw them a poor pitch. Next a bike accident in Canada in 2016, each Ben and Molly were laid up with significant injuries far from home. Hampton citizens raised $36,000 to enable with professional medical and travel expenditures and introduced them back to the United States, anything both equally will never ever forget, they mentioned.
Then, when Ben’s leg unsuccessful to recuperate from its injuries even with 13 surgical procedures, leaving it unable to support his lively life-style, he chose to have it eradicated in 2019 and move forward.
“It was a reduction,” Ben mentioned. “I have a genuinely very good prosthetic.”
Even with the requires of a chef’s daily life – which can involve 10 to 12 hrs on his ft – Ben does not request for special procedure.
“I get all-around just like anyone else,” Ben reported. “My top quality of lifetime amplified since of the amputation.”
And his lifestyle has been entire, performing in the food service field because he received his very first dishwashing position at Epping’s former Zampa cafe at the age of 14.
“It was an quick initial work to get,” reported Ben, who grew up in Raymond. “I was seeing men and women cooking and I liked what I noticed.”
He liked it so considerably he used element of significant college at Exeter’s Seacoast School of Technologies, in which he enrolled in its effectively-revered culinary arts program. What he uncovered served him perfectly, he stated.
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Immediately after doing work at Zampa, Ben worked at Liberty Lane Catering and the previous Bonta restaurant, both of those in Hampton. It was obtaining the career as executive chef at Stratham’s Golf Club of New England that would change his everyday living. It is in which he satisfied Molly in 2015.
They acquired married, generating a dynamic duo at the rear of not just the Massive Bad Food items Truck, but also their retail retailer in Hampton, Wicked Flannel.
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Even the symbol for the Large Undesirable Food Truck – a perform on Tiny Pink Riding Hood’s large, poor wolf – is a morphed graphic of the couples’ two pet dogs.
Ben describes the cuisine served at the food stuff truck as “Barbeque ease and comfort foodstuff,” which depicts the entrees beautifully from the sound of them.
“We provide a fifty percent-pound, 13-hour-smoked key beef brisket sandwich with our Major Bad BBQ sauce,” he claimed. “It’s the Entire Moon, our best-vendor, although our hand-minimize seasoned fries are just about tied with it. If you are likely to check out one factor, attempt the fries. They are only $3.”
There is the customary meals truck fare of pulled pork, hamburgers, scorching puppies and sausage sandwiches, but those with particular nutritional tastes aren’t left out. Ben has a little something for those who go dairy-cost-free, gluten-no cost and meat-no cost.
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“We have the VBQ Jack,” he reported, “It’s vegan, sluggish-roasted jackfruit seasoned with our signature spice rub, topped with refreshing lettuce, thick-cut tomato and our vegan BBQ sauce. And we just additional the Meltdown, it is cheddar, provolone and gouda cheeses grilled with a slab of thick-reduce bacon and our BBQ sauce. It is been very well-known.”
Given that launching the 14-foot long Huge Bad Food Truck on May well 15, Ben has put in most of the time in Maine, Portland in distinct, at sites like Big Moose Harley Davidson. He attends community exclusive situations, but he welcomes calls requesting him to deliver his ease and comfort foods at personal functions as properly.
Very last Saturday, Ben and his BBFT was at the Seaside and Brew Fest on Saturday at Hampton Seaside Point out Park.
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Ben will make all his food and seasonings by hand from scratch. For these who want to have a bit of the BBFT in their pantry, St. Jeanne stated, they’re seeking forward to bottling their signature Large Poor BBQ Sauce, which should be readily available for sale mid-July alongside with their spices on the business’ website www.bigbadfoodtruck.com.
On the site, visitors will not only discover the BBFT’s full menu and pricing – credit cards are honored – but St. Jeanne’s site routine.
