At first glance, Rosie’s Rolling Chef is anything but your average food truck. A 40 foot trailer with a slick paint job and an entirely stainless steel interior, this is the limousine of mobile food kitchens.
“We’ve been doing this for 33 years, so we know what we do best,” says owner Phil Barone. “It’s not really a food truck—it is more like a gourmet food station.”
Gourmet food station is right—the Rolling Chef comes equipped with a grill, deep fryer, soup kettle, pizza oven and even a full Bose stereo system. The Rolling Chef is a full Rosie’s kitchen on wheels—from lamb chops to fried calamari and of course, Hot Mama Bread, this RC has got an impressive selection of Rosie’s foods.
“My older brother local plastic surgeon Dr. Frank Barone was the guy behind the idea,” says Barone. “He was out of town and saw the great food truck options in other cities. He came right to me and said ‘you’ve got to start one!’ People have been asking us if we were going to open up new stores, and his idea got the juices flowing.”
Barone plans on parking the Rolling Chef in three locations across Toledo—downtown on St. Clair St., at Levis Square across from Toledo-Edison on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2000 Regency Court off Talmadge on Wednesdays and 3103 Executive Parkway near Central on Fridays. He plans on having the truck open from 11am – 2:30pm with three workers manning the kitchen in addition to the chef.
They also plan on using the mobile kitchen for private catered parties and even concerts and other big events.
“We have been thinking about taking it to music festivals,” says Barone. “We have also discussed partnering with the Red Cross to help out at the site of natural disasters—we could bring the truck and help feed the rescue team and people in need.”
The menu for the Rolling Chef, while not as extensive as the full Rosie’s menu, offers up options far beyond a normal food truck. Gourmet lobster mac and cheese, roman caprese salad, and margherita pizza jump off the menu, as well as a full pasta station where customers choose the type of pasta, toppings and sauce to create a custom masterpiece. Paninis, grilled cheese, and fresh Italian subs round out the choices.That’s the meal menu, but things are always subject to change, says Barone.
“We like to listen to the people with what they want on the menu. And of course, Rosie [Barone’s mother] still lets me know when things aren’t right [laughs]. We’ll get Rosie out there for a couple lunches and she’ll let us know what we need to change.”
Prices for the menu range from $4 for a small entree to $12 for a large entree with a side. Barone hopes to have the food truck up and running by the end of the month. Visit their website, rosiesrollingchef.com, and, check for updates on Rosie’s Facebook page [search Rosie’s Italian Grille] or the restaurant’s website rosiesitaliangrille.com.
