Do you remember a time about a year ago when this city was seemingly strung out as tightly as a rubber band ready to snap whenever the subject of Food Trucks came along? It was about this time last year that the dialogue with the City of Savannah was pretty hot and heavy over what exactly the food truck industry would look like in this area. Some were a little squeamish, others were all for it. Whatever our food truck culture was going to look like was going to be a work in progress. Everyone involved pretty much agreed with that.
Since then there have been all kinds of trucks spotted on our area streets. Some coming from existing brick and mortar spots like Blowin’ Smoke Southern Cantina or Molly MacPhersons, still others took advantage of the opportunity to roll out a truck and do something completely different. The Big Cheese Grilled Cheese truck that we featured on our television show last weekend is just one example of that.
I am here to tell you that the quality of food coming off of our trucks is not all created equally. Frankly, quite a few of them offer some items that are just flat out underwhelming. It’s been disappointing to see that because -as one accomplished chef in town told me-food truck food should be some of the best things you’ve ever eaten. “Not just OK.”
We’ve got a lot of “just OK” out there right now.
Still, as is the case around here, I am going to leave them out of the discussion. The good news is, the infrastructure surrounding the Food Trucks is getting better. The Savannah Food Truck Festival (the group overseeing it all) has absolutely taken a step forward in their organization of the events. The Golden Isles Food Truck Festival last week was fantastic, in a great setting. I absolutely believe everything is going to get better. The quality of the food, the variety that is offered on the street and the availability of the food. For now though, if I had to pick one truck to recommend to anyone to try? Right now? Today? Pizza on wheels.
Big Bon Pizza, like so many other concepts out there when it came to trucks seemed like a good idea as the food truck movement gathered momentum a couple of years ago. “We thought about doing Korean food on a truck.” says Kay Heritage, owner of Big Bon Pizza. “But everyone loves pizza, so it made it easy. Maybe later on we’ll do a Korean food truck. Who knows.”
Kay admits to me that she didn’t know much about the art of great neopolitan style pizza. It took a trip to the company she bought her oven from in Maryland to convince her that she could make fantastic pies off of the back of a trailer. That she has done.
For months, she along with her sister and niece, practiced making dough and pizza. “They were awful.” Anna Heritage recalls. “Dumpy, doughy and just nothing.” Kay agrees “I look at what we are making now and we laugh and beg each other to remove older photos we were once so proud of from social media.”
After some training from a reputable pizza maker in Chicago, she says it took them making over 3,000 practice pizzas to begin to get the hang of it. “That was when everything started to come together.” Kay says. That was roughly a year ago.
Today you’ll find them here and there, there and here. Not always part of the most popular food truck events. They are doing quite a few private events already. Word of mouth will do that for you. “We’ve had people call.” Kay says “Wanting to hire us for a graduation party. And they admit that they have never had our pizza. Just been told it was really good.”
That right there is gold when it comes to your marketing dollar, don’t you think?
The pies are fantastic. As good as your favorite spot in New Jersey? Meh, I’m not going to go there. Not only are we not in New Jersey, but this is different and should be accepted as such. Creative and most importantly quality ingredients make a big difference in that regard. Kay is buying some of the best she can find to put on those pizzas. Even the flour is imported, and there is nothing cheap about it. “Those bags were costing us $50 per 25 kilo bag. It almost killed us.” she recalls.
Of course, those prices will get passed along to you. Her pizzas will cost you around $15 a pop. Are they worth it? Absolutely. Are you going to bring your 5 kids over to the truck for gourmet pizzas and drop $60? Probably not, but they are aware of that. They are certainly not for everyone. But if you are in the mood to chase down some food trucks, Big Bon Pizza should be either at the top or very near the top of your list.
See you on TV,
Jesse
5 thoughts on “Big Bon is a Big Deal on Wheels”
The folks at Big Bon Pizza are doing it right. They did their market research; they invested in solid branding; they didn’t launch until they had a solid product; and their friendly smiles keep fans following every event. Take note, food trucks of Savannah. And please, if you haven’t already, eat this pizza!!!
Great article!! I’m OBSESSED with Big Bon. Everything about it. The pizza. The family. Everything.
The Big Bon team is amazing!! Truly some of the hardest working people in Savannah. Their love for quality food and creating a memorable experience for their customers shows in every detail. Some of my favorite events in the last year have included Big Bon!! By far some of the best pizza in the South!!
I love Big Bon! They catered my best friend’s rehearsal dinner and made it one of the most fun nights this year. Kay and this team are so kind and I can tell they love what they do. My dad asked so many questions about their incredible oven, and Kay answered them all so paitientlt hahaha. Savannah has needed a truck like this!
LOVE BIG BON! I come from the land of NYC pizza, and this stuff is the closest thing I can get to the real Neopolitan style. Not to mention that every time I go I feel like I’m at home.