Downtown Pensacola briefly became part of a national food competition in May 2017. Six brightly branded trucks arrived from around the country, television crews set up their cameras, and local customers gained an opportunity to influence the outcome simply by ordering food.
The teams were filming the second stop of season eight of Food Network’s The Great Food Truck Race. They had begun their journey in New Orleans before traveling east to Pensacola, where they faced a military cooking challenge at Naval Air Station Pensacola and then competed for sales across the downtown area.
On Wednesday, May 24, the trucks were expected to begin selling downtown after 3 p.m. They returned on Thursday between approximately 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Several operated near Pensacola City Hall, while others searched for productive locations around the Palafox Street area.
The public did not yet know which team would win the Pensacola stage or which truck would leave the competition. Residents encountered six very different concepts: Southern cooking, breakfast dishes, po’boys, empanadas, French-inspired comfort food, and grilled skewers.
How The Great Food Truck Race Worked
The Great Food Truck Race combined cooking with the practical demands of running a mobile restaurant. The contestants had to develop menus, buy ingredients, prepare food, choose selling locations, attract customers, control expenses, and earn more money than their competitors.
The teams participating in the 2017 season were food truck newcomers rather than owners of long-established mobile businesses. Each group entered with a concept and culinary experience, but the competition tested whether that idea could work inside an actual truck.
Host Tyler Florence assigned challenges in every city. Teams could earn additional money, receive immunity from elimination, or face unexpected restrictions that forced them to change their plans.
Sales mattered most. At the end of each stop, the truck with the weakest qualifying result was eliminated. The last team remaining at the end of the Southern route would receive a $50,000 prize.
Seven teams began the season in New Orleans. Wicked Good Seafood, a New England seafood concept from Falmouth, Massachusetts, was eliminated during the first stop. That left six trucks to travel to Pensacola.
Braised in the South
Braised in the South represented Charleston, South Carolina. Its team consisted of Nick Hunter, Steven Klatt, and Brandon Lapp.
The concept focused on Southern food influenced by Lowcountry cooking, South Carolina barbecue, and seasonal ingredients. Braising was central to the team’s identity. The cooking method uses low heat and moisture over an extended period to turn tougher ingredients into tender, deeply flavored dishes.
That approach gave the truck several possible menu directions. Slow-cooked meat could be served in sandwiches, over rice, with vegetables, or alongside familiar Southern side dishes.
The team members brought formal culinary experience to the competition. That background could help with flavor development, kitchen organization, food preparation, and adapting ingredients to unfamiliar challenges.
A food truck, however, creates conditions different from those of a conventional professional kitchen. Space is limited. Storage must be carefully planned. Equipment may be smaller, and every menu item must be prepared quickly enough to serve a line of waiting customers.
Braised in the South therefore had to convert its chefs’ restaurant experience into food that could be produced and sold efficiently from a mobile workspace.
The Pensacola stop did not produce the team’s strongest sales result. Its broader performance improved considerably as the season continued, however. Braised in the South eventually reached Savannah and won the entire 2017 competition.
The Breakfast Club
The Breakfast Club arrived from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The team included Ashanti Dixon, Taylor Randolph, and Mikey Robins.
Its menu centered on breakfast and brunch. That gave the team a familiar category with room for both sweet and savory dishes.
Breakfast food can translate well to a mobile format. Eggs, breakfast meats, potatoes, waffles, pancakes, sandwiches, and other recognizable ingredients can be combined into meals that customers understand quickly.
The concept also allowed the team to serve food outside traditional breakfast hours. Brunch-style dishes had already become popular throughout the day, especially when they offered a more creative or filling version of familiar comfort food.
Running a breakfast truck still presented challenges. Eggs and other temperature-sensitive ingredients required careful handling. Some dishes needed to be cooked individually, potentially slowing service during a rush.
The team also had to convince customers that breakfast food remained a good choice during an afternoon downtown sales period. Clear menu descriptions and visible presentation could help overcome that problem.
The Breakfast Club entered Pensacola with momentum. It had earned the highest sales total during the opening New Orleans stage and therefore received an advantage when teams were paired for the first local challenge.
The truck performed strongly in Pensacola and remained in the competition after the local stop. It eventually finished third overall during the season.
Mr. Po’ Boys
Mr. Po’ Boys represented Dallas, Texas. Cedrick McCoy, Ryan Thompson, and Esther Torres formed the team.
The truck built its identity around po’boy sandwiches, a food closely associated with Louisiana. Traditional versions commonly place seafood or meat inside French bread and may include lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, sauce, or other toppings.
The format offered several advantages during a competition. A sandwich was easy for customers to carry, required no formal dining area, and could be adapted to local ingredients.
The team could also offer several fillings while keeping much of the preparation system consistent. Bread, toppings, sauces, and side dishes could support seafood, beef, chicken, or other central ingredients.
Mr. Po’ Boys had already performed well in New Orleans, where its concept fit naturally with the city’s food traditions. The team also won a challenge involving the flavors of the Hurricane cocktail before traveling to Florida.
In Pensacola, the truck recognized that Stick ’Em Up had attracted customers near City Hall and moved into the same area. The decision placed it close to a successful competitor but also gave it access to an established crowd.
That strategy worked. Mr. Po’ Boys earned the highest sales total of the Pensacola stage and continued to the next city.
The team remained one of the strongest competitors throughout the season. It reached the final stop in Savannah and finished as the runner-up behind Braised in the South.
Papi Chulo’s Empanadas
Papi Chulo’s Empanadas came from Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Its members were Luis Lara Polanco, Carleena Lara-Bregatta, and Sarah Hasbun.
The family-based concept drew from Dominican cooking and presented traditional Latin food with contemporary American influences.
Empanadas were the center of the proposed menu. These filled pastries are well suited to mobile service because they can be held in one hand, prepared with several fillings, and served without extensive tableware.
A truck can offer meat, cheese, vegetable, or sweet empanadas while using the same basic production process. Customers can also order several smaller items rather than commit to one large meal.
Yet the team encountered a serious supply problem in Pensacola. It could not locate the dough needed to produce its signature empanadas in the expected way.
Ingredient availability is one of the hidden difficulties of operating a traveling food business. A team may design its menu around products available at home but discover that an unfamiliar store does not carry them.
Papi Chulo’s responded by changing its menu and selling tacos. The adjustment allowed the team to continue operating, but it weakened the direct connection between the truck’s name and the food offered to customers.
The problem illustrated why a successful mobile kitchen needs backup recipes and flexible purchasing plans. A central ingredient can disappear, equipment can fail, or local conditions can make the original menu impractical.
Papi Chulo’s Empanadas recorded the lowest sales result among the qualifying teams in Pensacola and was eliminated after the local stage.
The Southern Frenchie
The Southern Frenchie represented Little Rock, Arkansas. Its team consisted of Donnie Ferneau, Meaghan Ferneau, and Amanda Ivy.
The concept brought together French culinary influence and Southern comfort food. This combination allowed the team to use established cooking techniques while working with recognizable regional flavors.
French and Southern cooking share several useful characteristics. Both traditions value sauces, carefully developed flavors, slow cooking, and the creative use of relatively simple ingredients.
The concept could therefore include refined versions of sandwiches, meats, vegetables, and traditional comfort dishes without becoming too formal for a food truck.
In Pensacola, The Southern Frenchie was paired with Braised in the South during the military cooking challenge at NAS Pensacola. The two teams produced the meal preferred by the participating service members.
Each winning truck received $200 to add to its final total. That advantage initially led The Southern Frenchie to concentrate on preparation rather than immediate downtown sales.
When team members saw competitors attracting customers, they changed their approach and quickly prepared sandwiches to begin selling. The moment showed how a strategy that appears safe can become risky when other teams are earning money.
The Southern Frenchie later joined the group of trucks operating near City Hall. It survived the Pensacola elimination and continued through Tuscaloosa and Nashville before finishing fourth in the season.
Stick ’Em Up
Stick ’Em Up came from Rogersville, Tennessee. Justin House, Landon House, and Shona House made up the family team.
The truck specialized in grilled skewers. Its concept placed meats, vegetables, and other ingredients on sticks before cooking and serving them with sauces or sides.
Skewers were especially practical for a food truck competition. They were visually distinctive, easy to carry, and adaptable to many ingredients. The team could change proteins, vegetables, seasonings, and sauces while preserving the central idea.
The format could also support quick service when ingredients were prepared in advance. Customers could see what they were ordering, and the food did not require a complicated plate.
Stick ’Em Up had already demonstrated strong selling skills in New Orleans. During the opening beignet challenge, it earned more money than any other team from the assigned dish.
The truck also found a productive location near Pensacola City Hall. Its visible customer traffic attracted the attention of Mr. Po’ Boys and later The Southern Frenchie.
The most important local challenge required each team to develop and sell a dish featuring fresh red snapper. The team earning the greatest profit from the special would receive immunity.
Stick ’Em Up adapted the fish to its skewer-based concept and sold the most qualifying dishes. The victory protected the team from elimination, regardless of its position in the general sales ranking.
The truck advanced beyond Pensacola and Tuscaloosa before finishing fifth overall.
Serving Military Personnel at NAS Pensacola
Before selling to the public downtown, the six teams competed at Naval Air Station Pensacola.
They were divided into three pairs and given one hour to prepare coordinated meals for approximately 50 service members. The diners then selected their preferred combination.
The Breakfast Club worked with Stick ’Em Up. Braised in the South partnered with The Southern Frenchie. Mr. Po’ Boys was paired with Papi Chulo’s Empanadas.
Working with another truck added a new layer to the challenge. Two teams with separate concepts had to create dishes that made sense together rather than simply preparing unrelated menu items.
Braised in the South and The Southern Frenchie won the vote. NAS Pensacola commanding officer Capt. Christopher Martin joined Tyler Florence when the result was announced.
The setting connected the television competition with Pensacola’s naval aviation identity. It also gave service members a direct role in determining which teams received an early financial advantage.
Where Residents Could Find the Trucks
After the NAS Pensacola challenge, the teams moved into downtown Pensacola.
City officials announced that trucks would begin operating after 3 p.m. on Wednesday, May 24. They were expected to return between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Thursday, May 25.
At least two trucks were expected near Pensacola City Hall. Other teams searched for vending locations around Palafox Street and the wider downtown area.
The trucks’ movements were part of the competition. Teams needed to find legal locations with enough pedestrian activity, tell potential customers where they were, and begin selling before competitors gained an advantage.
Social media played an important role. A team could announce its location and ask local followers to visit. Competitors could also see where another truck was attracting customers and move into the same area.
For residents, this meant that locations could change quickly. The event was not organized like a conventional food truck festival where all vendors remained in one assigned space. Searching for the right sales territory was part of the show.
Pensacola Customers Helped Shape the Competition
People who purchased food during filming became participants in the episode even if they never appeared clearly on camera.
Every sale increased a truck’s total. A long line could help keep one team in the competition, while a quiet location could place another at risk.
Customers were not judging only culinary skill. Their decisions were affected by price, signs, menu clarity, waiting time, truck location, portion size, and the ability of team members to promote their food.
This made the downtown portion a practical business test. A technically excellent dish could not help a team if too few people knew where to find it or if service moved too slowly.
The six concepts also gave Pensacola customers noticeably different options. Someone could choose a breakfast dish, a Southern meal, a po’boy, Latin-inspired food, French-Southern comfort food, or grilled skewers.
What Happened After the Pensacola Stop
The Pensacola stage later appeared in the episode titled “Battle for the South: New Marching Orders,” which aired on August 27, 2017.
Mr. Po’ Boys won the local sales competition. Stick ’Em Up advanced with immunity after selling the most profitable red snapper special. Papi Chulo’s Empanadas was eliminated.
The five remaining teams continued to Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Later stops included Nashville, Tennessee; Athens, Georgia; and Savannah, Georgia.
Braised in the South ultimately won the season and the $50,000 prize. Mr. Po’ Boys finished second, and The Breakfast Club placed third.
Those results were still unknown when the trucks appeared in downtown Pensacola. During the two days of local filming, residents saw six businesses at an uncertain point in their development. Each team had a concept, a truck, and a limited amount of time to prove that customers would buy what it served.
A Brief Food Festival Created for Television
The Great Food Truck Race did not visit Pensacola as an ordinary touring event. The trucks were operating businesses, but their locations, menus, and decisions were shaped by a television competition.
That made the visit unpredictable. Menus could change after a challenge. Trucks could move when sales were slow. A local ingredient could become central to the day, and a few hours of customer demand could determine whether a team remained in the race.
For Pensacola residents, the filming created a temporary food festival spread across downtown rather than contained within one venue.
The event also preserved a snapshot of food truck culture in 2017. Mobile restaurants were becoming increasingly visible, social media was changing how vendors found customers, and specialized concepts allowed small teams to introduce regional food in unfamiliar cities.
For two days, Pensacola became the place where six aspiring food truck businesses tested those ideas. Some struggled with ingredients or locations. Others found crowds, won challenges, and continued toward Savannah.
Every team arrived with a different menu. All six faced the same question: could they turn a food concept into enough sales to stay on the road?