Phoenix is home to a wide array of food trucks; these are their stories. To read the last installment of the Phoenix Food Trucks series, click here.
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When the food-truck movement came to downtown Phoenix in October 2011, Eric Ireland brought creme brulee to the foodies of Phoenix with his truck, Torched Goodness.
“We’ve become a part of a revolution of street food in Phoenix,” Ireland said.
Owner and head chef Ireland started his creme brulee food truck in summer 2010. He serves creme brulee out of a white Chevrolet step van with green banners highlighting the dessert.
Ireland tries to use as many local ingredients as possible. The cream used for the creme brulee is from Superstition Farms.
Customers often walk up to the truck eager for dessert but unsure about what flavor to get. The creme brulee is topped off with a torch from Ireland.
After finishing their main meal, some Food Truck Friday attendees walked over to Torched Goodness for a taste of dessert. The smell of torched sugar made its way to the nostrils of those in line.
Amos Kyler, an ASU student at the School of Nutrition and Health Promotion, frequents Torched Goodness. He described the vanilla-flavored creme brulee as a dessert composed of a torched sugar crust with custard filling.
“They have really good creme brulee, and it’s not too expensive,” he said. “Usually they run out of everything.”
Darlene Thounsavath, who attends ASU at the Tempe campus, said that she goes to Food Truck Fridays once a month and stops by Torched Goodness every time. Thounsavath said she loves the sea-salt caramel, which is crunchy on the top and creamy underneath. It has the right combination of sweet and salty, she said.
“I like it better because of the alternative flavors,” Thounsavath said.
Ireland sees an opportunity in the food-truck trend. He said people see products working well and they want to be a part of it, which is why he thinks the food truck-movement has really taken off.
Torched Goodness offers more than 30 flavors of creme brulee, from vanilla to lavender, and it also offers seasonal flavors. For this season, Ireland has chosen several citrus flavors like zesty orange and zesty lemon.
Served in a foil oval cup with a plastic spoon and a paper towel, individual servings of creme brulee cost $4 each or 4 for $15, and customers can mix and match flavors.
A native of Topeka, Kan., Ireland has lived in Scottsdale since his sophomore year of high school. He is a Le Cordon Bleu trained chef with an associate’s degree in culinary arts. He said that he likes the urban feel and sense of community at the Phoenix Public Market.
“This has the most inner-city, urban feel, and I love it,” Ireland said. “This is where all the foodies are. Foodies are people who like new and trending food ideas and have an open mind in food, in a good way.”
Ireland said the cost for every venue is different, but most have a registration fee. For Food Truck Fridays, Ireland said he pays 10 percent of what he makes.
Ireland started a food truck because he wanted to do something on his own but did not have the finances to open a restaurant.
“It’s the best way to market my business, and do what I like to do,” Ireland said.
However, paying for gas and upkeep of the food truck can be a challenge.
“Just like a restaurant, there’s always something to fix,” Ireland said.
He likes being his own boss and sharing his business with his wife and daughter. He chose creme brulee as his specialty because it is his wife’s favorite dessert.
“Nobody does creme brulee,” Ireland said with a competitive tone.
When he’s not commanding his food truck, Ireland said he is always looking for new ideas.
“We’re foodies ourselves,” he said. “If we’re not selling, we’re always looking for what people are doing that’s new and exciting.”
Contact the reporter at cmeakem@asu.edu
