He once ran local government in Florida — and now dishes it up at Pee Wee’s food truck
Pee Wee’s Canteen food truck brings focuses on soul food, barbecue, seafood, sandwiches and salads.
And focusing behind the stove? A former administrator of Manatee County’s local government.
It’s all a labor of love and a tribute to his mother, says owner Lee Washington.
Pee Wee is his mother’s nickname from the years she worked as a short-order cook in Punta Gorda restaurants, while raising Lee and her other eight children.
Altamese Jones, now 84, was there last week for the soft opening of Pee Wee’s Canteen, which is making its formal debut this week.
What’s on the menu?
The select tastings menu, from Pee Wee’s soft opening, bears names from Washington’s military career and offers an idea of what the food truck is all about:
▪ The Bag Limit: Fish, shrimp and sides
▪ Tidal Tacos: Shrimp tacos
▪ High and Tight: Fried chicken dinner
▪ Heavy Guns: Barbecue rib dinner
▪ The Sergeant Major: Shrimp po’ boy sandwich
▪ Sides: Semper Fries, collard greens, baked beans, mac ‘n’ cheese and coleslaw
Among those who left a review for Pee Wee’s Canteen, were County Commissioner George Kruse and his wife, Jess:
“Went out for an early dinner to check out the soft opening of Bradenton’s newest BBQ food truck, Pee Wee’s Canteen. It was excellent; the ribs, pulled pork, fried chicken, all delicious. Good luck on your new, (hopefully) less stressful, venture Lee! It is sure to be a big hit! We’ll be back!”
A long history of cooking
“I am number eight of nine children,” Washington said this week, while seated in the 36-foot-long, red food truck, with white trim which he had specially built for his business.
“I grew up in restaurants. I started out as a 12-year-old dishwasher. Later I was a busser, helped with food prep and began cooking at 16,” he said.
The lessons learned in the kitchen served Washington well, beginning when he enlisted in the Marines at age 18 and served 11 years in the infantry.
He started his career with Manatee County Government in 2009 as a veterans service counselor. Later, he was named veterans services officer, overseeing the advocacy and benefit support for Manatee County’s nearly 50,000 veterans and their families.
In 2022, Washington was promoted to director of Community and Veterans Services, before being named interim county administrator in February 2023. Washington stepped down for personal reasons about six months later.
Washington had been thinking of the idea of starting a food truck business for some time.
His departure from the county allowed him to focus on his food truck idea.
“I am grateful for it, honestly,” Washington said. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here with the food truck. It allowed me to be where I needed to be.”
Washington first announced his plans for a food truck last year on the Big Picture Manatee podcast with former County Commissioners Reggie Bellamy, Misty Servia and former County Administrator Cheri Coryea.
Since then, he has worked methodically to have a new food truck built to his expectations and develop his business plan.
“I have a lot of support from my extended family,” Washington said. Among those helping with the day-to-day operation of the food truck is his daughter, Victoria, a 21-year-old business major at USF Sarasota-Manatee.
“My parents were hard-working people and didn’t allow any couch potatoes. Everything I do is for my family. I need to be intentional about that. I put my best foot forward every single day,” he said.
Food truck information
▪ Name: Pee Wee’s Canteen
▪ Address: Look for the red trailer flying U.S. and Marine Corps flags in the parking lot across the street (on the south side) of the Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 Third Ave. W., Bradenton
▪ When: 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Also available for special events
▪ Online: Pee Wee’s Canteen Facebook page
▪ Phone: 941-281-4861
