Banana Joes brings the food truck fun to El Socorro

Sinanan, a senior member of the faculty of the Academy of Caribbean Fashion and Design at the University of Trinidad and Tobago, joined forces with two business partners who have worked in the area and seen it grow. She joked that it wasn’t so much a passion for cooking but rather, her friends’ desire for something more interesting and appetising to eat near to their offices.

“There are a lot of companies now — big companies — and there’s a gap in the market because people want somewhere good to go to eat,” Sinanan, told Business Day at Banana Joes launch party last Saturday.

Banana Joes has a prime spot in the middle of the burgeoning industrial estate sprouting along El Socorro south, where huge warehouses — including Newsday’s production offices — are located, but where options for a quick lunch or after work lime are limited.

Sinanan and her partners saw the opportunity and capitalised, purchasing a brand new trailer outfitted with restaurant standard equipment, a 50-gallon water tank and a generator. They hired three chefs who whipped up a classic American-style menu, featuring sliders, popcorn chicken and wings slathered in three signature sauces. There’s also dessert — a signature brownie topped with caramelised bananas.

So far they only cater for lunchtime orders, but soon they hope to expand their menu items to include breakfast prepared by Sous Chef Krystal George from August 4, and of course, after work limes.

On July 1, they made their debut at the 2nd Annual Trinidad and Tobago Food Truck Festival, Hasley Crawford Stadium, and then a second appearance a week later at Bessfest: Taste of Trinidad and Tobago Food Festival at the Queen’s Park Savannah.

Sinanan says the reception so far has been good, especially because food trucks, a growing trend in TT, provide affordable and varied options to good quality meals on par with even fancy restaurants.

Now that they’ve established themselves as a contender in the market, she added that Banana Joes is looking to get the required permits from the various Regional Corporations to set up its mobile shop in designated vending zones around the country.

Sinanan — and Banana Joes — is also ready to be an advocate for the industry.

“The food truck industry is a growing industry and I think it needs some recognition. In fact, there are a number of them now and we are trying to form ourselves into a movement. We definitely have to become more organised and meet with the authorities and get them to understand that it’s an industry that’s growing,” she said.

The industry is also a premium employer for graduates of the various hospitality institution graduates in Trinidad and Tobago, she pointed out.

“It can’t be just fast food and there’s not enough high-end restaurants they can all go to, so this is a good in between industry they can enter,” Sinanan said.

In fact, Banana Joes’ chefs are recent graduates of the Trinidad and Tobago Hospitality and Tourism Institute (TTHTI) in Chaguaramas.

Chef Stefan Taylor has an Associate’s degree in Culinary Management, from the TTHTI, and says he enjoys seeing customers’ faces light up when they taste his food.

“We use the freshest ingredients. We create our own stuff. We don’t follow the trends, we try to set them,” he said.

His Sous Chef, Keon Cooper also has an Associate’s degree in Culinary Management from the TTHTI and has interned for the Hotel Imperator in Nimes, France.

“It’s the whole idea of making our food from scratch and cooking it perfectly. We’re also a family. That’s how we operate,” he said.

And just where did the name Banana Joes come from?

“When we were younger, there was a show on TV with a man who used to relax on a beach all day. That was the inspiration for our mascot — a banana lounging in a beach chair with a cocktail,” Sinanan said with a laugh.