New Food Establishment to Open In Monterey

Do you have a hankering for something to eat that’s a bit different from the normal fare? Then a new business opening in Monterey this weekend may be exactly what you’re looking for.

Cane and Lauren Samson are launching their venture Bobbo’s this Saturday, November 14th. They will be preparing and selling delicious edibles from a food trailer located on Thrive Farm on the east end of Monterey. Mr. Samson talked about the idea behind the business, and what items will be available.

“Bobbo’s Food Trailer is in memory of my wife Lauren Samson’s grandmother. She was a very warm hearted person, very active in the community, and she often invited kids, Highland Rams, for generations, to come over to her house. She offered them a place to hang out until basketball practice, volleyball practice, and I got to be part of that tradition four years ago, when my wife was coaching volleyball, I would cook for her girls.

“So when Bobbie passed away, I just felt like something was missing, and the girls had no where where I could cook for them, so that’s what Bobbo’s is, it’s just, Bobbie basically. A place for the girls, and to give back to the community, and stuff like that.

“We’ll be serving things like tacos, but not ordinary tacos, fusion tacos; Caribbean jerk with mango sauce; we’ll be serving beef tacos with pico de guallo and fresh cilantro; pork tacos; wings with many different favors, and we’re going to include the maple, because this is a maple county; waffles and wings; and Jersey style subs, basically, you just gotta come and find out what those are about.”

“We’re going to start off with a three day schedule – Thursday, Friday and Saturday, to work out the kinks. We’ll be opening at 11:00, and probably run to about 6:00.”

He talked about procuring the preparation trailer, and working to get inspection needs in place.

“It’s a relatively new trailer. A guy built it in North Carolina, and I found out through another food vendor in Harrisonburg, and I called him, and he held it for me for three months. He said, basically, God told me to hold this for you – I know people in the restaurant business, they’re established, but I’d rather give a fresh face a run, get you up and running. And he saved it for me for three months – at a reasonable price.

“I have to say, the Health Department has been very helpful in the process of helping me with this, because it’s been about two months, and they’ve been side by side with me. Everything looks like a go, and even with that, they said if you don’t succeed the first time, we’ll let you try again – we just want to get you up and running.

“Basically, with Bobbo’s, I just want to bring something different to the town. Also, I want to use it as a way to keep money flowing in the town. I want to use the greenhouses around town, and other small businesses around town, and use some of their products, and just keep the money flowing throughout the community.

“When it comes to cooking, I’m basically self-taught. A lot of Food Network – Chop Kitchen, Cutthroat Kitchen, all that stuff that comes on Food Network. I guess that’s where it came from, and I like the colors – it’s like art in a way, when you put stuff together.

“Food is something that touches the soul, when you get some good food in you, so that’s where it really came from.”

Story By

Scott Smith

Scott Smith is the General Manager for Allegheny Mountain Radio and Station Coordinator and News Reporter for WVLS. Scott’s family has deep roots in Highland County. While he did not grow up here, he spent as much time as possible on the family farm, and eventually moved to Highland to continue the tradition, which he still pursues with his cousin. Unfortunately, farming doesn’t pay all the bills, so he has previously taken other jobs to support his farming hobby, including pressman/writer for The Recorder, and Ag Projects Coordinator for The Highland Center. He lives in Hightown with wife Michelle and son Ethan. In his spare time, he wishes he had more spare time, especially to ride his prized Harley-Davidson motorcycle. scott@amrmail.org

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