“Snacks and road trips are like peas and carrots,” says Bruno Zacchini, of Pizza Bruno. “They’re meant for each other!”
And Zacchini, whose lineage includes none other than the world-famous Flying Zacchinis, comes from a circus family, whose life was one long, incredible road trip.
“I’ve been traveling ‘to and from’ for as long as I can remember — from the school bus we lived in when I was an infant, where I slept in a dresser drawer, to the blue semi where I sat shotgun while we hauled carnival rides from Sarasota to Winnipeg — then across Canada from the west back to Toronto.”
All of it with a 50-pound bag of dry-roasted peanuts in the middle of the cab.
“Constant snack access for a hungry eight-year-old,” he laughs.
Unlike his grandparents, Zacchini gets his applause at the fiery mouth of a pizza oven but has retained his family’s passion for the road.
“We do one road trip almost yearly and that’s to and from the Jersey shore for summer vacation,” he says. “The drive is a solid 17 hours and there’s a list of almost mandatory items required to make it happen.”
The first must?
“McDonald’s pancakes and Egg McMuffins at 6 a.m. is a marker that the trip is underway and we are almost out of Florida,” says Zacchini, who adds it’s the only time he partakes of the Golden Arches. “Something about the sound of the interstate and the sunrise and the smell of diesel that just make those McMuffins taste so much better.”
Then, there’s the “meat stick,” a running joke with the family.
“The mid-part of the drive is a slog through Georgia and the Carolinas, but we always pack a cooler of treats to save on time and money.”
Among these, always, is jerky.
“When I’m driving, my snack assistant — my daughter, Alice — is in charge of filling orders and one time I made a request for a meat stick and then it began: my wife screaming ‘meat stick!’ my daughter screaming ‘baby meat stick!” and now it’s an ongoing joke on our road trips.”
Zacchini’s preferred meat stick brand is Frigo.
“The Queso Blanco & Chorizo is absolute fire if you can find it!”
The home stretch sees them on the Cape May Ferry.
“That gives us two hours of time to rest before the last 30 minutes of the drive. We catch the sunset with a pretzel and root beer knowing we’ll be in Jersey soon — with all manner of junk food waiting for us on the boardwalk,” Zacchini says.
Zacchini, however, isn’t the only chef with a penchant for garbage food. Turns out most of us have a favorite or two…
Chico Mendonca, chef-owner/Bem Bom on Corrine
Back home in the Azores, Mendonca says fried broad beans and chickpeas were his No. 1 road snack, but once the States became home — and he began living the food truck life — his tastes pivoted hard to American.
“I love Flamin’ Hot Cheetos!” says the man behind the 2020 Orlando Foodie Awards Restaurant of the Year win. “I discovered them on my long food-truck drives to and from places like Melbourne, Palm Coast and Lakeland. I’d stop at a gas station, grab a 12-pack of beer, a pack of cigarettes and some Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.”
He chuckles.
“That was living. Spicy, sticky and finger-licking good!”
Taissa Rebroff, baker-co-owner/Buttermilk Bakery
You’d think someone who bakes some of Orlando’s flakiest and most beautiful pastries would have higher standards than the rest of us.
Nope.
“My iconic road trip snack is Takis and Coke — in the can, not the bottle, and that’s important,” she says.
Rebroff fell in love with Takis in 2013. She was living in New York at the time.
“They had Takis in all the bodegas,” she says, “and the guacamole flavor beckoned this avocado lover. Not really sure what it tastes like exactly, but it’s so crunchy and salty and savory that it became a sure favorite.”
After moving back to Florida, she rarely encountered them anymore — except in gas stations.
“So, every time I found myself on road trips, I’d have to grab a bag. They’re easy to eat while driving and wash down great with a Coke!” she says. “Now that Takis are more popular, they’re everywhere — which demands more self-control. But I will grab a bag from time to time and rejoice!”
Christian Ziegler, director of operations, Taglish Collective/partner, Perla’s Pizza
Ziegler’s road trip junk food journey began with annual treks from Orlando to his grandfather’s farm in West Virginia. Each began the same way, with a stop near I-4, where they’d grab a supply of sour watermelon candies at a Blockbuster Video.
“They sold them by the gallon!” he says.
Since then, though, his taste buds have matured. When the road calls, so, too, does the interesting combination of Cool Ranch Doritos and Cheez Whiz.
“Most people I know are disgusted at the thought,” he says. “But even though I’m a chef, I can’t turn down good junk food. There’s something both satisfying and ironic about working long hours to make beautiful dishes for my guest and then getting fast food on my way home.”
Michael Le, sushi chef/Kabooki Sushi East Colonial
Le is new to the Orlando food scene, but road trips for the 32-year-old are old news. He’s been jumping from one coast to another for the past five years. His most recent stop: Philadelphia’s Hiroki, an omakase-driven fine dining concept helmed by executive chef Hiroki Fujiyama.
“Takis are a staple on my road trips,” says Le, who joined the team at Kabooki five months ago. “I’m a sucker for hot, salty and sour, so these are the perfect bad snack. Well, besides me.” (Rimshot implied.)
Le was on his way to Philly from Washington D.C. when he stopped at a rest area just outside Baltimore for a Takis fix.
“I crushed up the bag so I wouldn’t get my fingers dirty during the drive.”
Upon opening, however, the intended pour-in became a hot lime-tortilla inhale. Epic fail.
“Not the smartest idea,” he concedes. “All that dust hit the back of my throat and I started to choke-cough from all this goodness that was doing all the wrong things…”
Never again, he says adamantly.
“I’ll eat my Takis responsibly. Poor choices made by handsome chefs are the oldest tales in the book.”
Want to reach out? Find me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com. For more foodie fun, join the Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group.
