Tucked behind Cindy’s Home & Garden in Kingsville lies a culinary hidden gem that draws in foodies from all across Essex County and beyond: T-Jay’z Cookery food truck.
Despite its unassuming appearance, the little pink truck packs a punch, both in flavour and creativity. Now in its fourth season, T-Jay’z offers more than just your traditional food truck fare; with a focus on fresh, locally sourced ingredients, the truck specializes in inspired dishes that combine bold flavours and fun combinations.
“When we came up with the concept for T-Jay’z, we wanted it to be more than just your standard burgers and fries,” says owner Jason Martin. “My cousin is a chef and helped us create the initial menu with a focus on high-end quality and menu items you wouldn’t expect, but that could still be made in a food truck.”
Jason says the original idea for T-Jay’z was born out of customer demand. For years, Jason and his wife Tish had repeated heard from customers that they’d love to be able to stay and explore the property more while they enjoyed a bite to eat.
“We always had customers saying, ‘Oh we wish you had food here,’ so it was something that had been in the back of our minds for a long time,” he shares. “When COVID hit, we thought, people might not be able to sit in a restaurant, but they can come and enjoy a meal outside. That’s when we decided it was finally time.”
Established in the spring of 2020, T-Jay’z now operates seasonally from April to October, open Thursday through Sunday from 11am to 5pm. In just four short years, the truck has gained a loyal following of customers, some even coming from as far as London to enjoy signature menu items like perch tacos, dill pickle poutine, coney dogs, and more.
Jason says the team is proud to source most of the food truck’s products from local suppliers, including right from their own storefront. Many of the dishes are made with olive oils, vinegars, and spices from their gourmet food selection, located in Cindy’s Too; the fanciful country store adjacent to the truck.
“Pretty much every sauce or topping or marinade or anything like that is done with ingredients or items that are from our Cindy’s Too gourmet store,” he shares. “All of our meats are locally supplied as well, so really we just try to keep things as fresh and close to home as possible. Supporting local is huge for us.”
Keeping things fresh also means coming up with new culinary creations each season. While all of the aforementioned favourites remain on the menu for the 2024 season, Jason says they’re looking forward to a few exciting new additions, including a mouthwatering mac and cheese sandwich with several different variations.
“We’re launching a full line of mac and cheese sandwiches: a hoagie-style bun stuffed with mac and cheese which is then topped with your choice of protein, like our pulled pork. We’re also introducing a delicious Korean beef as well.”
The team also likes to change things up with limited edition features, which Jason says always seem to get a great response.
“We post about them on our social media and within 45 minutes we have people who are pulling up to try it,” he laughs.
Customers also have fun with not-so-secret menu hacks, like ordering the funnel cake fries and bringing them into Cindy’s Too to have them topped with a scoop of ice cream from the store’s ice cream counter.
Jason says the team is looking forward to another busy season, with extended hours and offerings for special events like their popular Cindy’s night markets.
“Once the weather is consistently nice out, things get pretty busy,” he shares. “It’s gotten pretty popular and we get a lot of requests for caterings, but right now we just aren’t able to. We’re looking forward to trying out some different things this year though, so we encourage people to come visit and check us out.”
