Jovito’s Opens Food Truck in Waldo
By Kathy Feist
It was Fourth of July and children were lighting firecrackers while parents set out games in front yards. It was a neighborhood block party. The main focus of celebration was the launch of Jovito’s Back Alley Grinders food truck, an offshoot of Jovito’s Italian Cafe, 123rd & State Line Rd.
Alex Fiorella filled orders for meatball, sausage and pepper and Italian beef grinders.
The sandwiches were served with an order of Parmesan potato chips and washed down with a glass of Italian cream sodas. Also on the menu: cheesy corn bake, a dish known for its barbecue origins (not Italian).
Fiorella has been working with his mother Leasa Caron at Jovito’s for the past few years. Fiorella is a name most Kansas Citian barbecue lovers are familiar with. Alex’s paternal grandfather Russ Fiorella started Smoke Stack Barbecue in the late 50s. His aunts and uncles started variations of the restaurant. Jack Stack Barbecue is the most famous.
“We are all restaurant owners,” quips Fiorella. “But my mother, who is not Italian, is the only one who opened an Italian restaurant.”
Fiorella credits his mother for coming up with the idea of a food truck in the Waldo area.
The food truck will be at the Red Bridge United Methodist Church, Sunday, August 13 at 11:30 a.m. and around 75th and Wornall Rd, near City Gym, on most weekends. Fiorella hopes to have it at First Fridays in the Crossroads. For now, the food truck is also for hire for private events. You can call 816-943-9988 for more information.