On Wednesday, July 20th, we served at the Taste of Somerville in the historic Nathan Tufts Park. And devils, we served the best nuggets we’ve ever made. They should rename the space Nugget Nugs Park. We've been perfecting our batter and frying methods for weeks, so this was the perfect moment to hit our stride.
What a crazy fun evening! We handed out nugget samples with our house-made dipping sauces to everyone, from loyal Bartleby’s devils, to local Villens who had never before heard of seitan. It was so great to see each and every person get excited about our truck, our food, and then seek out our service schedule. What really struck me during ToS was just how unique the Bartleby offerings are―our signature seitan stood out! Seitan is not something you come across often, which is surprising when you know what a great source of protein it is, and how versatile of an ingredient it is. You can bake it, steam it, grill it, marinate it, or—like Bartleby’s does—fry it up Southern style. Watching people try our nuggets and seeing their faces light up confirmed for me that there should be more seitan on these streets.
There were tons of other amazing vendors there, too, including one my favorite places, Whole Heart Provisions (have you been to their new location in Cambridge yet?). I also had the pleasure of meeting the owners of Veggie Galaxy, one of the best restaurants around! Near the end of the night, I was able to sneak away from the truck for a few minutes and take in the entire scene. I had so much fun connecting with each person who came to the truck.
I live right around the corner from Tufts Park, so it was an honor to be parked and serving the devils in my own neighborhood for a change!
