Untruck'd Street Food Kitchen: Sizzling sandwiches, burgers, tacos and poke bowls

Deb Cram, Portsmouth Herald

BERWICK, Maine — Untruck'd Street Food Kitchen co-owners Justin Bigelow and Alyssa Rosenberg are partners in life and in business. They are ambitious with multiple menus offered at Untruck'd, where Bigelow serves as chef.

The couple invited us into the Untruck'd kitchen for our latest Taste of Local video on Seacoastonline.com and Fosters.com. Bigelow prepared the barbecue-bano sandwich, which sizzles on the grill with ingredients like pulled pork, smoked bacon, honey-dijon aioli, pickles, cheddar and swiss cheese. The eatery offers a grilled cheese menu, a poke bowl menu, a burger menu and a taco menu.

Rosenberg said the goal is to provide food that is "affordable and approachable" but "still a little bit sophisticated."

Alyssa Rosenberg and Justin Bigelow have opened Untruck'd Street Food Kitchen in downtown Berwick, Maine
Alyssa Rosenberg and Justin Bigelow have opened Untruck'd Street Food Kitchen in downtown Berwick, Maine

Bigelow answered our Taste of Local interview questions:

Do you have a family? Yes, I live with my amazing girlfriend (and business partner) Alyssa and our adorable dog, Fae. My son, Addison, is a senior at UNH and he works with us at the restaurant as well.

Why did you want to become a chef? When I was a senior in high school, the law enforcement class I signed up for was canceled at the last minute. I was randomly placed in a culinary arts course. I hated it at first but by the end of the school year, with encouragement from family, friends and teachers, I decided to pursue a career as a professional chef.

What made you want to work in a restaurant in Berwick? Alyssa and I love everything about Berwick: the local businesses, the people, and the small town charm. The one thing missing in Berwick is restaurant options, so we literally created Untruck’d to be exactly what the town wants/needs.

Untruck'd Street Food Kitchen of Berwick, Maine, offers a variety of burgers, tacos, specialty grilled cheese sandwiches and build-your-own poke bowls.
Untruck'd Street Food Kitchen of Berwick, Maine, offers a variety of burgers, tacos, specialty grilled cheese sandwiches and build-your-own poke bowls.

Where did you train and for how long? After high school, I attended The Atlantic Culinary Academy (Le Cordon Bleu program) in Dover, New Hampshire, where I earned an associate degree in just 18 months.

What did you learn in your training? I learned the fundamentals of French cuisine. However, the most valuable training would come a bit later through on the job experience, working alongside talented, seasoned professionals.

Have you worked in any restaurants previously? If so, where? Yes, I’ve worked in many Seacoast area restaurants, most notably as sous chef at The Carriage House in Rye, executive chef at Mombo in Portsmouth, and as a relief chef throughout Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. I was also the chef and co-owner of The Daily Planet in Burlington, Vermont, from 2014-19.

Have you won any awards? If so, what award and how did you feeling winning? I absolutely love competition, and have quite a few trophies in storage, including a 4-foot-tall spoon from a Vermont Restaurant Week “Best Bite” event and a beautiful handcrafted cutting board from the Vermont Fresh Network Annual Forum Competition (which I somehow won two years in a row) and was also named “Best New Chef” by vermont.com in 2014. Other awards include “Best Restaurant on the Seacoast” (Mombo) in Taste Magazine 2012 and a top five award for Vermont’s best Mac & Cheese in USA Today’s 10 Best poll.

Are you involved with any community events? Untruck’d was created for the Berwick community (and neighboring towns) and we have big plans for the future, including community dinners, guest chef pop-ups, benefit dinners, and so much more. We’re also super excited to be involved in Envision Berwick’s “Bring your Lawn Chairs to the Square” event this summer!

Alyssa Rosenberg and Justin Bigelow share a laugh at Untruck'd Street Food Kitchen in downtown Berwick, Maine.
Alyssa Rosenberg and Justin Bigelow share a laugh at Untruck'd Street Food Kitchen in downtown Berwick, Maine.

Is there a fun or interesting fact you'd like to share about yourself? I once had a working interview for a line cook position at a Seacoast area restaurant, and when it came time to “show my creative abilities,” I completely froze up. Needless to say, I didn’t get the job and received an email from the owner that read “Unfortunately, the team felt that you still need to develop your creative culinary skills.” I was so disappointed in myself that I carried a copy of that email in my wallet for several years as a reminder to take chances and not be afraid to show my creativity to the world. I’m inspired by just about everyone I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with.

Who inspires you? I’ve always been inspired by the hard-working and passionate people that I get to work with. At the top of that list are two guys who always treated me like family and taught me how to truly be a great chef and manager. So, I’d like to shout out and thank former Carriage House owner Paul Mackey and former Carriage House chef Jimmy Lancaster.

More Seacoast chefs featured in Taste of Local videos:

This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Untruck'd Street Food Kitchen offers tacos, poke bowls, sandwiches

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