source: Lloyd Taco Truck FB Page
If you love and visit Lloyd Taco Trucks as much as I do, there’s a good chance you know their sous chef Teddy. He’s basically on the truck every time I visit and his profile was raised when he assisted head Lloyd Chef Chris Dorsaneo take down the Richert brothers (Torches, Smoke on the Water) in the 20th Nickel City Chef competition. I’ve gotten to know Teddy over the years and aside from being an awesome guy, he was long over due for his own Buffalo Foodie article. As you’ll read, Teddy’s been in the restaurant game for a long time and has some serious skills in the kitchen. I sent Teddy our usual list of questions, here’s where he likes to eat, drink, hang out when he’s not serving you the best taco’s in Buffalo….
Right now, where are some of your favorite places to eat in Buffalo?
Teddy: I have worked fine dining for my whole life, so I tend to like the more casual spots… I love Savory’s in Hamburg for great breakfast and awesome soups. I would probably say for a good sit down dinner Mulberry’s is tops in my book. I LOVE sushi, so I hit up Fuji Grill in Amherst like once a week. We also have all our staff parties at Kyoto and eat a lot of sushi. Thai Orchid cafe on Evans in Amherst has really good Thai food. I love Johnny’s pizzeria by my house, the super white pizza is AMAZING, and chicken finger subs are great. Also will hit up Joe’s Deli anytime I’m near Hertel for a Muffalta Sandwich.
Where do you like to grab a drink and relax after work?
Teddy: I’m not a big drinker, but if I do my favorite place is probably in the parking lot before a Bills game. I also hang out at Thirsty Buffalo like every Friday and Saturday…because we serve tacos there. Ha ha.
If you had a friend visiting from out of town, where would you take them for a good “Buffalo” time?
Teddy: It all depends on who it is, but I usually take friends to a Bills game, the atmosphere is awesome and they can enjoy the best tailgate food they ever had. I would also have them try Lloyds, I heard they are good.
What are some food memories you have from your childhood?
Teddy: My number 1 food memory is being around my Grandpa. Every time we went to visit he would cook everyone a huge breakfast. So every weekend I would cook my family breakfast and I took it serious…and took a lot of pride in my pancakes.
What would you like to see more of in Buffalo’s restaurant/food scene?
Teddy: I would love to see more badass food trucks rollin’ around Buffalo. It would be cool to see Buffalo’s best chefs with trucks (Mike A, James Roberts, Steve Gedra, Kate Elliott etc…) I would also love a great Mexican market. I was spoiled in Dallas, I had an awesome market right across the street from my house. They had everything you need to throw a bad-ass Mexican cookout on the weekends, and all the traditional items you can’t find here.
How long have you been in the restaurant industry and how’d you find your way onto Lloyd?
Teddy: I have been in the industry for 12 yrs. I started washing dishes at Root 5 in Hamburg when I was 15. I moved to Long Island and went to vocational school, then I went to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. After school I went to Las Vegas and worked for Bradley Ogden, Michael Mina, Mario Batali and Wolfgang Puck. After Vegas I moved to Dallas to help my friend open his own restaurant and stayed for about 2 yrs as his sous chef before returning back to NY.
Then started working at Fiamma Steak, and heard about a food truck (Lloyd) here in Buffalo. I have been interested in them for a while and I saw they were hiring and wanted to check it out. I started about 2 months after Lloyd started, so I have been on board almost 2 years. We just got our new truck up and running so its a pretty exciting/busy time for us. I still wanna have my own food truck someday, but for now I’m riding the Lloyd wave and seeing where it takes me.
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We’d like to thank Teddy for answering our questions, at the moment the boys at Lloyd have been having some issues with their trucks but once both are up and running you can expect to see Teddy’s face all over the city. And, personally, I can’t wait for him to start his own truck. If you’d like to keep up to date with Lloyd’s status, follow them on twitter or facebook.
Still making the headlines son!!! We miss ya down here in Texas chef!! You guys are lucky to have him. One of the funniest people I have ever known and he truly loves what he does.