Eat First

Food Rescue Food Truck, Syracuse

The 1988 Grumman rescue vehicle that chef Gerald "Jerry" Bolton and partners rolled out as a food truck this summer had a long life traveling to fire scenes a couple counties away, in Geneva. Now it's a state-of-the-art mobile restaurant kitchen, serving upscale, firehouse-themed food at public and private events around Syracuse and Central New York.

"It's fun,'' says Bolton, who is best known as the executive chef at The Oncenter in downtown Syracuse. "We have a good following. We change the menu up every time we go out.''

 

Partners in the project are Bolton, his wife, Susan, and Chuck Wilhoit. They purchased the retired rescue truck, which had 100,000 miles on it, in May of 2019 and left it in the capable hands of Edward Pacelli, a retired steelworker and metal fabricator in Auburn. Pacelli stripped out the truck's interior and added a four-burner stove, fryer, charbroiler, salad unit and work station with a large cutting board. A two-and-a-half-foot aisle separates the stations in the 16-foot space, so it doesn't feel cramped, Bolton says.

 

The food truck became a welcome stay-at-home project for the partners when Governor Cuomo ordered restaurants and event venues to close in March to help stem the spread of the coronavirus. The Boltons and Wilhoit used their new-found free time to work on menu items and make plans to launch the food truck. The Food Rescue Food Truck made its debut at a private event in July and started making appearances at local breweries, including Middle Ages Brewing Company in Syracuse and ONCO Fermentations, in Tully. They've also been doing a lot of corporate/business/employee events. They hope to eventually collaborate with local fire and police departments on events and donate a percentage of proceeds to first responders.

 

At each gig, the chalkboard menu features about five items. The partners keep an eye on the weather when deciding what to serve and have started adding in cool-weather fare, like soup, chili and chicken and biscuits. Some favorite menu items so far include EMS Chips 'n Dip (housemade seasoned potato chips with caramelized onion dip); Pyro Piggy Poutine (crispy french fries topped with pulled pork, barbecue sauce, cheese curds and creme fraiche); Firehouse SPO (grilled sausage, peppers and onions on a toasted roll); Smokin' Quattro Formaggi (four-cheese grilled cheese with smoked gouda, asiago, fontina and sharp cheddar on sourdough); Hook and Ladder Chicken Riggies (chicken breast, cherry peppers and pink sauce over rigatoni, "with just enough fire''); and the Stop Drop 'N Oyster Roll (fried oysters with lettuce, tomato and “Rescue Sauce” on a toasted hoagie roll). Desserts (by Sue Bolton) might include jumbo chocolate chip cookies or  brownies.

 

                EMS chips and caramelized onion dip

 

                   Chicken riggies

                    Pulled pork quesadilla

 

We caught up with the Food Rescue Food Truck on a recent Saturday at ONCO Fermentations, a small farm brewery in Tully. We ordered more than we could realistically eat, but wanted to sample several of the items on the menu. All three items were easy to share. Potato chips of any kind are my downfall, and the seasoned EMS chips with caramelized onion dip ($6) were outstanding -- warm, thick, crisp and lightly seasoned. The chicken riggies ($12) had plenty of fire and the pasta was perfectly cooked. The serving was huge and more than half of it came home with us. The pulled pork quesadilla ($10) featured shredded pork tossed with a savory bourbon barbecue sauce, topped with cheddar cheese, garnished with scallions and a drizzle of sour cream. The quesadilla was nicely grilled, so everything was hot and melty inside the crispy tortilla.

 

We hadn't been to ONCO since it opened last year. Owners Erin and Brian Bullard make a wide range of beers and their plum saison and signature session New England IPA hit the spot on a warm fall day. ONCO has added outdoor seating and the doors to the warehouse space roll up, making it nice and airy inside.

 

Chef Bolton recently returned to his position at the Oncenter, where he has worked for 26 years, overseeing the food end of events for hundreds and sometimes thousands of guests. He's there two days a week, for now, preparing for the time the facility gets the go-ahead to resume special events. Prior to COVID-19, he figured he'd work on the food truck on his days off. He's glad to have the food truck "side hustle" and grateful for the positive reception it has received so far in the community.

 

 "It's something different,'' Bolton says. "We get along well and work well together. We're learning as we go.''

 

The Food Rescue Food Truck will be at Middle Ages Brewing in Syracuse the afternoon of Saturday, October 3 and at ONCO Fermentations on Oct 10, 16, 23 and 30. Hours are 3 to 8 p.m. Oct. 10 and 4:30 to 8 p.m. the remaining dates. Check the food truck Facebook page for more details and updates. 

 

For more information or to book the Food Rescue Food Truck, call 315-516-6770 or email [email protected].

 

 

 

Randolph O'Neill Vineyard, Cayuga Lake

There are many small, artisan wineries in the Finger Lakes region, but perhaps none so small as Randolph O'Neill Vineyard, on the west side of Cayuga Lake. It is literally a one-man operation.

 

The winery is owned and operated by Kelley O'Neill (above) and his wife, Angela. Kelley grows the grapes, manages the vineyard, makes the wine, bottles the wine and brings the wine to market -- he's a multi-tasking solopreneur. Angela, a financial consultant, manages the business end of the winery and helps out with the harvest -- which is coming up quickly, early October, Kelley believes.

 

Randolph O'Neill Vineyard takes its name from Angela's maiden name and Kelley's last name. "I thought Kelley O'Neill sounded like an Irish pub,'' Kelley explained when we visited.

 

Like many in the wine business in the Finger Lakes, Kelley started down other career paths. He grew up in Western New York, studied music and sound recording at SUNY Fredonia and played in bands. He moved to Atlanta to work in the music industry and visited the Finger Lakes most summers, where his grandparents had a cottage. He loved visiting the area and its wineries and was at the point in his music career, he recalls, where it was time to either move up the company ladder or do something else. "I decided that something else to do was to come up here and work in the wine business,'' he says. 

 

The O'Neills found a place to rent in Lodi and Kelley joined the staff at Lamoreaux Landing Wine Cellars, on the east side of Seneca Lake. He trained under and absorbed as much as he could from winemaker Rob Thomas, who went on to establish Shalestone Vineyards. He also spent a couple years at Silver Thread Vineyard, working with former owner Richard Figiel. 

 

The O'Neills eventually started looking for their own land and found it in Ovid, on the west side of Cayuga Lake. The 35-acre property slopes down to the lake and has three "active" acres, which are planted with Riesling and Cabernet Franc grapes. Good wine begins in the vineyard, Kelley says, so he is super attentive and hands-on there.

 

Randolph O'Neill Vineyard produces just 500 cases of wine a year. When we visited, we sampled a dry Riesling, an off-dry Riesling, a carbonated Riesling, Cabernet Franc and dry rose of Cabernet Franc. The dry rose has since sold out.

 

In COVID times, wine tasting has moved outside. There are just two picnic tables with umbrellas. We took a seat at one of the tables and Kelley poured us a sample of each wine. We like drier, European-style wines and liked everything we tasted -- I especially liked the dry rose and am glad we snagged a bottle. We also enjoyed chatting with Kelley. He's down-to-earth and personable and you don't often get the opportunity to converse with the winemaker, especially this time of year. We left with a bottle of each wine but the Cabernet Franc.

 

Kelley says the small size of the winery is off putting to some potential visitors. There's no live entertainment, no expansive tasting room and no gift shop. Some folks pull in off Route 89, see there are just two tables, turn around and leave. "The smallness scares some people away,'' O'Neill says. "And it attracts other people.''

 

We fall in the latter category. Drive away and you'll miss out on an intimate, truly one-of-a-kind tasting of limited-production wines with a person who is passionate about his craft and the Finger Lakes wine community.

 

Prior to COVID-19, Kelley had been getting together regularly with other winemakers from the area to talk shop, sample "works in progress'' and give each other advice. He hopes that can resume sometime soon.

 

"I've learned a lot through that,'' he says. "The better we all are, the better it is for the whole area. The more good wineries there are to visit, the better it is for all of us. My philosophy is do a few things well and concentrate on them.''

 

Randolph O'Neill Vineyard is at 6965 Route 89, Ovid, on the west side of Cayuga Lake (north of Hosmer Winery and south of Cayuga Ridge Estate Winery and Thirsty Owl Wine Company). Hours of operation are noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through September and by appointment after that. For information, call 607-351-8890. More information: Website Facebook

 

Can't get to the winery? Look for Randolph O'Neill wines in shops like The Underground Bottle Shop in Auburn and Red Feet Wine Market & Spirit Provisions in Ithaca.

 

                                                  (Courtesy of Facebook)
 
Photos by Margaret McCormick unless otherwise indicated