All photographs by Matthew Silvey of http://dancewithdevils.com.
Oakland local Javier Sandes built his culinary reputation in the city's back yards surrounded by friends who met often to hang out and enjoy his slow-grilled meats and freshly made chimichurri (a traditional marinade).
Starting this week, during lunch hours, Sandes is taking his show on the road in Emeryville with Primo's Parrilla, his truck-based mobile restaurant.
If you're the type who's squeamish about the kind of food that comes out of a truck, fear not. Sandes abides by the "sustainable, local, organic" creed. He offers free-range chicken and grass fed tri-tip, along with homemade chicken or vegetable empanadas, sides of sweet potato mash with spinach, and seasonal mixed greens with homemade honey-jalapeno-lime dressing.
Sandes was born in Argentina, and long dreamed of when he could share Asado, a tradition in his country, with the Bay Area. According to the grill master, a large part of his native culture is based around Asado, or grilled meats. As he describes it, it's common for family and friends to gather around the parrilla (grill) where meats have been grilled slowly for hours. The slow approach, it's believed, leads to more succulent, better tasting meat.
As the legend goes, Sandes built a community of friends "through the ceremony of sharing food." These friends began to call each other "primos." In Italian, "primo" means “best.” In Spanish, the meaning is "cousin." Calling his effort "Primo's Parilla" was Sandes' way to describe his mission: sharing good conversation around good people and good food.
His truck hit the streets in mid-March. (Worth noting, it's already been listed 25 times on Twitter, and has more than 200 followers).
"Primo has rewritten the standards by upping the quality of truck food by 10,000," wrote Yelper Jason C. from El Cerrito. After eating the "perfectly salted" tri-tip ($12), organic seasonal mixed greens and sweet mash, he said he was more than satisfied. "A fully belly later, I realized you'll have to call the EMT to use the jaws of life to remove my face from this truck."
Sandes eventually wants his own restaurant. But for now he'll serve you street-side during lunches, happy hours and dinners in the East Bay. Weekends the grill will be at local farmer’s markets, festivals and fairs and is available to cater special events.
Asado-hungry diners can watch Primo’s twitter feed to find out where the truck will be. Learn more on Facebook and at www.vamosprimos.com. Cash only.
See other Oakland Local coverage of inspiring local businesses here.