Former Annie Gunn’s sous chef Samantha Mitchell is striking out on her own with a new mobile eatery, Farmtruk, as reported by Feast. She hopes to roll out in November but “definitely by the end of the year.”
Mitchell, a 13-year kitchen veteran, declined to classify her food as farm-to-table or regional cuisine, saying she wants the flexibility to create different kinds of dishes. “Everything I do has a twist or a fusion to it,” she said. “I cook based on what I feel, what I can get locally. Seasonality will always be important. I don’t want to feel limited.”
One of those local ingredients will be the Swabian Hall hog from Such and Such Farm. Mitchell described the fatty pig as the Kobe beef of pork, and she plans to use every bit from nose to tail. Expect to see headcheese and pork belly, as well as offal bits offered up as charcuterie and sausage, including sausage-stuffed beignets.
Mitchell said she enjoyed her time at Annie Gunn’s, but she was ready to run her own business with a more family-friendly schedule. “I’ve loved working for Lou (Rook), and I’ve learned a lot and got to do so many cool things,” she said. “Now it’s time to grow up and move on.”
This article appears in October 2015.