Old Dixie’s is a new Phoenix food truck that was started by a local Arizona chef, Michael Babcock, who wanted to give the people of Phoenix a true taste of authentic southern cuisine.
Everything on the menu is handcrafted and made with love. House specials include fried chicken and biscuit sandwiches, red beans and rice, Carolina style pulled pork, gumbo, housemade boudin sausage and much much more.
Fab AZ interviewed the founder and owner of Old Dixie’s, Michael Babcock, to learn more about this new food truck and how it got started:
Q: What inspired you to start Old Dixie’s?
A: Jenn and I had been living in Northern California. I was working in various restaurants and odd jobs and Jenn was working as Hydrologist for the Government. We had an itch to start our own business and an opportunity presented itself in the form of a big red mobile kitchen in the little town of Portland, Tennessee. So, we packed up all our things, quit our jobs, drove to Tennessee and towed the mobile kitchen all the way back to Phoenix, our home. We knew Phoenix would be a great place to start a food truck because the scene was still fairly new and exciting. Plus, we had the support of our friends, family and hometown. The southern concept was inspired out of a true love affair with Southern cuisine. I found southern food fascinating ever since a 2 month long road trip through the south a few years back.
Q: What sets Old Dixie’s apart from other Food Trucks?
A: Well, I have to say that the Phoenix Food truck scene has some amazingly talented people. What Old Dixie’s strives to do is kinda 2 fold: First, we aim to provide authentic and elevated Southern cuisine to the streets of Phoenix. This means making everything from scratch in small artisanal batches. It can be a pain but it’s a labor of love. Secondly, we produce food how true southerners tend to and that’s by using what’s locally available to them. We’ve reached out and developed relationships with local farmers, butchers, flour mills, sausage makers, dairy farmers, bakers etc and injected their products through our creative process. The end result is just pure deliciousness, drenched in Arizona pride.
Q: Where can people find Old Dixie’s? Do you travel around the city?
A: We’re all over the map. I’d recommend liking our Facebook and Twitter pages to stay in the loop!
Q: What will patrons find on your menu?
A: We’ve kind of plucked a few of my southern favorites from around the country and made a menu of them. We make these buttermilk biscuit sandwiches and they’re just nuts. It’s this giant handmade biscuit and all kinds of goodness goes in-between them. Then we do some traditional Cajun cuisine like Gumbo, Red Beans and Rice and House made Boudin Sausage.
Q: Do you have a signature item that every customer should try?
A: I’d say our most popular items are the Fried Chicken Biscuit topped with bacon, Extra Sharp Cheddar and Country Gravy. People get so stoked when they see this sandwich for the first time. It’s truly the climax of happy food. The Carolina Pulled Pork biscuit is also really popular. We braise Pork Shoulder from the Meat Shop in Kiltlifter and caramelized onions for 6 or 7 hours and then top it with our Housemade Carolina mustard sauce and a smoked spring onion slaw. My personal favorite though is our Red Beans and Rice. It’s prepared in classic Cajun tradition with ham hocks, bell peppers, onions, celery and then topped with Shriener’s Andouille Sausage.
For more information about Old Dixie’s visit their Facebook or Twitter pages.