Crystal Wise
Last year, almost to the day, Fort Worth-based author, cook, and online personality Scotty Scott released his debut book, a terrific cookbook called Fix Me a Plate: Traditional and New School Soul Food Recipes from Scotty Scott of Cook Drank Eat (Page Street Publishing).
Little did we know Scott would follow up the book by bringing to life some of those recipes via a food truck. In March, he opened Cheezy Does It, a food truck devoted to gourmet grilled cheeses and other chef-inspired takes on comfort food staples. Located next door to The Holly Natural Wine Bar + Bottle Shop on the Near Southside, the truck is open for lunch, dinner, and brunch Thursday-Sunday.
Scott chatted with us about his latest endeavor.
FWTX: Dude, you didn’t say anything about a food truck when I talked to you last year.
SS: At that point, it was still just a thought spinning around in my head. I knew I wanted to do something, maybe a little café, something chill and laid back, something that flew under the radar a bit. But then the book came out. It surpassed all my expectations, so I was gone a lot last year and didn’t have time to focus on opening a restaurant. When I got back into town, I started looking for spots.
FWTX: What made you go in the food truck direction?
SS: I stopped by The Holly to look at renting a small studio space, and the owner [Liz Mears] was there. We decided the studio space wasn’t going to work, but she asked if I’d ever thought about doing a food truck. It was definitely more of an investment than renting a space, but the more we talked about it, the more sense it made. We worked out a deal where I would set up next to them. I would sell grilled cheeses, and they would pair my food with their wine. Wine and cheese — sounds like a great combo.
Crystal Wise
FWTX: Do you have a particular affection for grilled cheeses?
SS: I love making them. Each one is like a blank canvas. They’re like pizzas. You can do anything with them. You can put your own spin on them. I’d say mine are approachable but elevated a bit.
FWTX: Tell us about the menu.
SS: Right now, I’m doing three grilled cheese sandwiches. My favorite is probably the one made with gouda, apple, mint, and truffle butter. The Holly has a wine that pairs beautifully with it. I’m also doing a few sides — duck fat fries, a blistered pepper and cucumber salad, and a secret menu item, karaage-style chicken bao bun.
I have a weekend brunch menu with some dishes that are based on recipes from my book, like chicken and brown butter sweet potatoes with maple bourbon sauce; blackened shrimp and fried grits; and biscuits and gravy. I’m also doing a collaboration with Smokeaholics — their pecan smoked chicken with my white Alabama barbecue sauce, provolone, and avocado. That’s called the Bammy Bird.
FWTX: It’s not easy to open a food truck or restaurant in Fort Worth. What were some of the challenges you faced?
SS: It was my first time so there were a lot of things I had to learn — the city likes certain things done in certain ways. The truck was built from scratch, so I didn’t think I’d have any problems with it, but I’m on my fourth, yeah, fourth, hot water heater. The one that came with the truck broke in that bad freeze we had a while back. I got another one and accidentally broke a piece off — I almost cried. A couple days before our soft opening, the third one caught on fire. I was washing the dishes, and this thing’s on fire. This time, I got an electric one, and now we’re off and running and everything’s great.
305 W. Daggett Ave., instagram.com/cheezydoesit
