‘Fresh, local, squeaky-cheese food truck’ business arrives in the Bradenton area
Eric Primeau is on a mission to bring the poutine — a hearty meal of crunchy French fries and squeaky cheese curds covered in savory gravy — to the land of gator bites, pulled pork sandwiches and Big Macs.
Primeau and his Florida Poutine Co. food truck debuted Friday in the parking lot of Myakka Ranch & Farm Supply, 36140 S.R. 70, and got 18 orders in two hours, including four “Quebeckers” who somehow found him.
“I was shocked because there was no real marketing, said Primeau, 50, himself a native of Quebec.
Poutines, sometimes ridiculed and dismissed as low-brow cuisine in Quebec where they originated, have grown in popularity well beyond the borders of Canada.
First-timers may find the first bite of a bowl of poutine a little different, but one bite tends to follow another and soon enough they get the hang of it and a new craving is born.
Primeau makes his cheese curds using the facilities at Dakin Dairy, 30771 Betts Road, Myakka City.
The origins of poutine are a little obscure and in dispute. Internet websites differ. But Primeau says it was an American visitor to Quebec who was the first to ask for a serving of cheese curds on her French fries and gravy.
The menu at Florida Poutine Co. includes exactly two food items: poutines and Montreal-style hot dogs.
Primeau demonstrates how he makes his hot dogs. He cuts multiple vents into one side of the wiener and then places it on the grill to sizzle. Next he takes a bun, paints it with butter, and toasts it on the grill. The two pieces are assembled, topped with mustard and pickle relish and a healthy helping of cole slaw.
“Yes, sir, we use real butter,” Primeau says of the Montreal-style hot dog. A tricked out hot dog is what Canadians called “all dressed.”
Primeau is comfortable in his Myakka City surroundings, saying that although he is originally from Quebec, he lived in the country.
There may be a third menu item coming to Florida Poutine Co., influenced by living in Myakka City since 2013.
Fried cheese curds with pulled pork, cole slaw, and onion gravy is something he has been experimenting with. He calls it a “southern poutine.”
Prior to getting into the food business, Primeau worked as an IT technician. He says his IT skills and experience cooking come in handy operating a food truck.
“I have been cooking for more than 25 years. Every job that I had, I cooked for the department or the company,” he said.
“I taught myself to fix fryers. I am a multi-tasker, a mechanic and an electrician. There are benefits to being a nerd,” he said.
“The hardest thing about the business is finding a place to park,” he said. That and finding a way to keep the interior of the food truck at least as cool as the outdoors.
As he cranks up his business, he continues to steamline his processes to make the customer experience the best it can be.
“Eat, smile and be happy. That’s what I’m looking for,” Primeau said.
And he’s not kidding. Primeau stops by the Dakin offices and tells one of the office workers, “If it wasn’t for your awesomeness, there wouldn’t be any of my awesome cheese curds!”
One door down, Dakin account executive Wendy Milburn, said Primeau is a very open, kind, and considerate person.
“He is a new, great customer for us. He is down there making the cheese curds himself,” Milburn said.
Primeau came to Myakka City through online gaming, where an online friendship with a Myakka resident developed into a romance. Today, his wife, Valerie, helps with the family food truck business.
Primeau hopes to expand Florida Poutine Co., what he calls a “fresh, local, squeaky cheese food truck,” to Lakewood Ranch and beyond. For more information, visit https://www.floridapoutine.com/ or call 502-4144232.
This story was originally published September 28, 2021 at 3:33 PM.
