Garden of Eaten Food Truck and Moonlighter's Pizza
At Carolina Home & Garden, we love to hear the back stories of our local small businesses and this month’s spotlight didn’t have to go far! Folks just love and have asked about the Garden of Eaten food truck and Moonlighter’s Pizza, so I asked Jordan Watson for his story.
Jordan is the oldest of three children in the Watson family. He began Garden of Eaten (love the catchy name!) in 2019 as the first food option at the family business, Carolina Home & Garden, after they rebuilt in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence. Soon he had a following of locals and visitors alike who loved his pimento burger, fried chicken wrap, and most of all, his delicious Buddha bowl. Folks loved his unique delicious fresh menu items, asking him to come to other locations and now his following takes him from Beaufort throughout Carteret County and all the way to Surf City.
Owning, operating, and growing a food truck is hard hot work with many factors to be taken into consideration. His co-partner and wife Allie and their precious baby girl Isla can often be found working alongside him. Purchasing, stocking, prepping, selling, cleaning, transporting is not for the weak of heart, but this family makes it work. They have a knack for this business, keeping their fan favorite menu staples while offering seasonal variations. Whatever they’re doing is working well because their following is huge and they conveniently post their schedule for their fans to find them. Garden of Eaten has been featured in the very popular food truck rodeos around town and always sell out.
In addition to owning and operating a very popular food truck, Jordan and Allie also own Moonlighter’s Wood Fired Pizza that can be found at Carolina Home & Gardens on Wednesdays and can also travel to private events as well. With a commercial wood-fired pizza oven on a mobile trailer that can be driven to any location, Jordan gives new meaning to "hot and fresh, made to order". Jordan makes his own dough and savory sauce; recent pizza toppings were honey drizzled buffalo chicken, fig and goat cheese drizzled with balsamic glaze, and an unforgettable brisket pizza. Moonlighter’s Pizza can accommodate parties of any size, and offers pastas, wings, sandwiches, and dips as well.
Where do Jordan and Allie see themselves in the future? Their goal is to open a brick-and-mortar fusion of their two operations: a delicatessen market and wood fired pizza shop where they offer bowls, salads, wraps, wood fired pizzas, etc. and still have their food truck and traveling pizza oven for catering and private events.
I hope you get a chance to sample the amazing food that Jordan and Allie serve from their trucks. You’ll be a fan, I guarantee it! Follow them on social media @ Garden of Eaten Food Truck or GardenOfEatenFoodTruck@gmail.com.
by Margo Hickman
