By Karen Parr-Moody
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Michael and Josie Cassady operate their Good Eats food truck with international flair. Instead of dispensing a steady diet of one cuisine, they dispense multi-cultural fare throughout Clarksville. Each day they operate they feature a menu culled from a different culture.
Monday is Filipino, Tuesday is German, Wednesday is Mexican and Saturday is a hodgepodge.
Good Eats began in September of 2013 after the couple retired from the Air Force. Two of their five children – Anna, 15, and Joey, 17 – assist in the operation.
The couple met while both were stationed in the Philippines, where Josie was born. During their careers, Michael and Josie were stationed throughout Europe and the Pacific, with stops in Heidelberg and Miesenbach, Germany, as well as in Japan. They picked up an array of recipes as they globetrotted and Josie even taught cooking classes in Germany.
“Everywhere we went, I learned about the culture,” Josie says. “I love to cook; that is my biggest passion. So everywhere we went, I tried to make what everybody was making.”
This is seen through Good Eats’ menu, which includes cultural favorites such as the lumpia, a Filipino spring roll, German schnitzel and spaetzle, and Mexican chicken adobo.
On Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays the truck parks on Fort Campbell from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. near 160th SOAR.
These are a creation that Josie Cassady calls “cupcake fries.” They are French fries drizzled in melted cream cheese and topped by rainbow sprinkles and toffee crumbles. “They’re a sweet and savory dessert,” Josie says./Karen Parr-Moody
On Saturdays the Good Eats truck rolls up to the Downtown Market, which runs from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at One Public Square. There Michael and Josie start the day by serving Belgian waffles and coffee for breakfast. Later they shift into a lunch menu, which often includes nacho fries, vegetable egg rolls, banana egg rolls and meatballs.
At the market Josie also sells her six homemade sauces. Flavors include cilantro-garlic, creamy jalapeno, chili pineapple, green jalapeño chimichurri, red habanero chimichurri and creamy hot jalapeno.
On Saturday, Aug. 2, the Good Eats truck will travel to MB Roland’s Distillery at 137 Barkers Mill Road in Pembroke, Kentucky to sell food during Pickin’ on the Porch. Good Eats can also cater for private parties and is a member of the Clarksville Food Truck Association, which is an organization for street vendors.
To learn more about Good Eats call 931-217-1185 or by visiting the truck’s Facebook page.
Karen Parr-Moody began a career as a New York journalist, working as a fashion reporter for Women’s Wear Daily, a beauty editor for Young Miss and a beauty and fashion writer for both In Style and People magazines. Regionally, she has been a writer at The Leaf-Chronicle newspaper and currently writes about arts and culture for Nashville Arts magazine each month.