18 Acres food truck will make its public debut at festivals in Oconomowoc and Thiensville
18 Acres Hospitality, the private-chef company started by the former chefs of Coco’s in Oconomowoc, will roll out its new food truck at two public events.
First, 18 Acres will be at the Downtown Oconomowoc Fall Festival on Sept. 10. The festival is open until 9 p.m. with more vendors, live music, a beer garden and children’s activities.
The next weekend, 18 Acres will be at the Best “Dam” Blues Fest on Sept. 16 and 17 in Thiensville Village Park, along the Milwaukee River. Gates open at 4 p.m. Sept. 16 and at 11 a.m. Sept. 17; admission is free.
Those are the first public events for the truck — actually, a 16-foot-long trailer fully outfitted with a four-burner range, flat top, fryers and charbroiler — but owners Chris and Annie Ghobrial have been using it for private events. Those include dinners, barbecues, neighborhood gatherings and employee or customer appreciation events.
More: Here are 21 food trucks around the Milwaukee area that you need to try
For the festivals, the 18 Acres menu will include New England-style lobster rolls — chilled lobster claw and knuckle meat in tarragon aioli on traditional grilled brioche buns — as well as shortrib banh mi sandwiches and organic-chicken wraps. Dessert will be sold, too.
The Ghobrials said they plan to keep the truck out late into the season.
Meanwhile, the couple also has a new base kitchen for the truck, at a venue where they are the recommended caterer for events: the Inn at Pine Terrace, 351 E. Lisbon Road, Oconomowoc.
The 19-room, Cream City brick Victorian mansion is under new ownership and has been renovated. The Ghobrials hope to hold pop-up dinners at the inn down the line.
“This worked out to be a really great partnership for us,” Annie Ghobrial said. The location also is close to home for the couple and to the events they cater.
Beyond catering and serving at structured events such as dinners, the couple also have provided simple services since launching their business in summer, including dropping off meals and delivering charcuterie platters and finger foods at boat docks in Lake Country.
“We’re talking about how we can do it for ice shacks” when ice fishing commences in winter, Chris Ghobrial said.
The couple most recently worked at Coco’s Seafood and Steaks in Oconomowoc, where he was head chef and she was pastry chef. Previously, she worked in pastry at Bartolotta restaurants and elsewhere, and he worked for Il Mito, Buckley’s, Bartolotta catering, among others.
Contact Carol at carol.deptolla@jrn.com or (414) 224-2841, or through the Journal Sentinel Food & Home page on Facebook. Follow her on Twitter at @mkediner or Instagram at @mke_diner.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 18 Acres will roll out its food truck at Oconomowoc, Thiensville fests
