Food Truck Serving Llama, Lion Back on the Road

Carrollwood area residents who have become accustomed to getting a wild game fix from Jeremy Gomez’s Not Your Ordinary Food Truck may have noticed its absence at recent rallies in the Tampa Bay area.

There’s no need to fret about missing out on the wild boar, turtle, venison, llama and possum treats the truck is famous for. Gomez, a Carrollwood resident, says his truck with an unusual menu is back on the road after taking about two months off.

While Gomez is no longer behind the wheel, he’s hired a new main chef and a sous-chef to get things rolling again. John Thompson and Lynsey Dissing are taking the driver’s seat, so to say. Both Thompson and Dissing have an extensive background in cooking and food service. Thompson, who will serve as the chef, has even won trophies for his creative dishes.

Thompson admits he’s new to rustling up wild game, but says he’s ready for the challenge. If you can cook domestic meat to perfection, wild game is a breeze, he said.

“It’s awesome for me to get to take this (to a whole new level),” he said.

Dissing agreed.

She said plans are in the works to add a variety of menu items. Escargot on a Stick is one dish that’s coming soon, joining customer favorites like Roo on a Stick – yes, that’s Roo, as in kangaroo.

Where’s Gomez Going?

While fans of Not Your Ordinary Food Truck won’t see Gomez in the kitchen or behind the wheel any longer, he’s still actively involved in the business as its owner. His attention, however, has turned to Generation Food Truck – his new company that’s dedicated to promoting food truck rallies and fundraisers. He owns both businesses with his wife, Candy.

Generation Food Truck has been responsible for putting together many rallies over the past few months, including recent events at Ben Hill Middle School and Bearss Groves. The demands of that job forced Gomez to take his own truck out of the circuit until Thompson and Dissing were hired.

Gomez, who has worked in the food service industry off and on since he was about 14, says the new promotion company enables him to help others in the business while giving back to the community. Recently, Generation Food Truck has taken to organizing fundraising events, such as the one for Ben Hill.

“After my daughter was born, I wanted to give back,” he explained.

Why Wild Game?

When asked why he opted to go with a food truck that features wild game, Gomez simply replied that “nobody was doing it.”

He says all the meat on his truck is farm raised, much of it imported from other countries, such as the kangaroo from New Zealand. The truck also serves up lion meant, but Gomez says that has to be special ordered in advance because of its price.

Want to find out more about Not Your Ordinary Food Truck and where it will be next? Just visit its Facebook page. You can also find out more about upcoming rallies on Generation Food Truck's Facebook page.

Have you checked out the menu from Not Your Ordinary Food Truck? What’s your favorite dish? Tell us by commenting below!

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