The scent and sound of sizzling garlic and onions waft in from an unknown source at Backyard Social in Fort Myers. Plates and paper boats piled high with crispy truffle fries, overloaded lobster rolls and saucy slabs of ribs accessorize outdoor tables and the faces of the people digging into them. Basket pendant lights sway to the thumping R&B remixes from a DJ who’s proven he can handle the demands of the throngs that swarm the 9,000-square-foot space. Somewhere nearby, the rhythmic knocks and tumbles of falling pins from the on-site bowling alley punch into the air.

This is the scene at one of Southwest Florida’s newest food truck parks. Over the past few years, hip, alfresco, social hubs with a range of mobile canteens have popped up locally, from Backyard Social and Bay Street Yard in Fort Myers to Rooftop at Riverside in Bonita Springs and Naples’ Celebration Park.

The then-innovative Celebration blazed the trail in 2018 when it opened in the Bayshore Arts District, quickly cultivating a strong millennial and Gen Z following. The pandemic’s demand to safely gather alfresco fueled the park’s popularity. Post-Hurricane Ian, in 2022, a slate of new parks emerged, filling the need for outdoor-driven, adaptable social spaces with affordable eats and electrifying energy—places where locals could reunite, heal and embrace a remodeled future.

[caption id="attachment_71900" align="aligncenter" width="850"] A slate of events and activities fills food truck parks’ calendars—from the seasonal maker markets at Backyard Social (above) to the dance nights at Bay Street Yard to the Wooftop Wednesdays for dog lovers at Bonita’s Rooftop at Riverside. Photography by Brian Tietz[/caption]

Beyond touting contemporary architecture, striking public art and built-in social games, the venues pump out a wealth of high-quality cuisine. Pick a table at any of these locales, and you’ll be surrounded by a range of skilled home cooks-turned-restaurateurs, barbecue masters in the making and classically trained chefs testing their next ventures. And, each truck offers something distinct.

At Backyard’s No Manches, self-taught Peruvian chef Vanessa Franco Goñi infuses her homeland’s flavors into familiar Mexican dishes for inspired creations like quesabirria bao buns and pork carnitas tacos stuffed in fresh-pressed blue corn tortillas (which Vanessa picks up daily from Tortilleria La Guera in Lehigh Acres). “Cooking my food means independence and doing my own thing,” she says. A few trucks over, Fort Myers-raised, mid-twenties Tyler Goguen brings Central Texas craft-style ’cue to the game with Beau’s BBQ. Thick slabs of beef ribs and brisket by the pound (with a simple dry rub smoked low-and-slow for 15 hours over post oak wood) dance out of the truck alongside soft slices of white bread, pickles and paper boats brimming with picnic sides.

[caption id="attachment_71901" align="aligncenter" width="850"] Chefs revel in the creative challenge of serving from a 120-square-foot food truck. The need for experimentation leads to dishes like quesabirria bao buns at the Mexican-Peruvian No Manches truck at Fort Myers’ Backyard Social. Photography by Brian Tietz[/caption]

Chefs appreciate the creative challenges and freedom of cooking in a 120-square-foot truck. Having no set restaurant menu to occlude the imagination has drawn big-name restaurateurs, like 21 Spices’ Asif Sayed and the Neri family, owners of Naples’ beloved Molto Trattoria. Both restaurateurs have satellite locations at Celebration with blessedly stripped-down versions of their established fine-dining menus (think: roasted lamb naan flatbreads with mint chutney at Asif’s Deccani Bites and classic, deep-fried arancini rice balls at Molto Street Food).

With more options at your fingertips, it’s easy to find something to satisfy everyone—even restricted eaters. The gluten-adverse find pie heaven at Rooftop at Riverside’s Zoey’s Pizza, from father-daughter duo Doug and Zoey Lester. Born partly out of necessity (Zoey has celiac disease), the Lesters’ menu of gluten-free pizzas (plus, free-range chicken wings and salads) relies on flour imported from Italy and recipes informed by Doug’s experience as a Le Cordon Bleu Australia-trained chef.

Not feeling pizza that day? Go to any of the other trucks around Zoey’s for po’ boys with Gulf-caught shrimp at OCN Seafood Co.; savory galettes and sweet crêpes from the French-run Ma Petite Crêperie; and small-batch wholesome and booze-spiked ice cream at Crooked Cow Creamery.

[caption id="attachment_71902" align="aligncenter" width="850"] Backyard Social’s clubby atmosphere—filled with psychedelic murals, old-school games and neon signs—reflects the decidedly youthful tilt of the food truck park craze. Photography by Brian Tietz[/caption]

The vibe within these ‘eatertainment centers’—as Backyard Social’s co-owner Mat Baum calls food truck parks—is decidedly youthful. Backyard exudes the energy of a hip Miami club, with its sprightly, 1980s-inspired synth-wave aesthetic (psychedelic murals, old-school games, neon signs). “There’s no pressure—it allows for people to relax and do what they think is fun,” Mat says.

Rooftop at Riverside celebrates a local sense of place, with its beach house-like, two-story site housing the only rooftop bar in Bonita. Owner Chris Magnus honors his hometown’s heritage on the walls, with relics from the Bonita Springs Historical Society, and on the cocktail menu, developed by TV show Bar Rescue cohost Phil Wills. Special drinks nod to local landmarks and icons like the Belle Myers gin cooler, named after a 1900s ferry that went to and from Downtown Bonita. “People were worried about losing our small-town charm and [having] overdevelopment, so we said, ‘Let’s listen to the people,” Chris says. “Our history in Bonita Springs isn’t really old, but it is really cool.”

To foster a sense of community and make good on food truck parks’ experiential promise, Chris maintains a steady lineup of events, including bingo nights and the charming Wooftop Wednesdays, with dog meals at each truck.

[caption id="attachment_71903" align="aligncenter" width="850"] Celebration Park blazed the trail for Southwest Florida food truck parks in 2018 when it opened in Naples’ Bayshore corridor, fueling the neighborhood’s artful revitalization. Photography by Brian Tietz[/caption]

Entertainment and community are built into the fabric of all the parks, evidenced by the omnipresence of ping-pong tables, cornhole sets and socializing nooks. Fort Myers’ newer Bay Street Yard revolves around its outdoor stage, which hosts live music and has a big screen for sporting events. Renowned Fort Myers-based modernist architect Joyce Owens designed the showpiece venue, using shipping containers for the two bars and bathrooms (with a communal trough sink between) and the upstairs VIP platform. “There are all kinds of different spaces—the lawn with Adirondacks and high-tops; the covered seating area between the bars; upstairs, which has three curtained-off ‘suites’ you can reserve and a rail overlooking the stage,” Joyce says. The warehouse-chic space, across the street from Luminary Hotel & Co., solidifies the area’s reputation as a culinary hub, with three distinct food trucks painted to match Bay Street’s vibe.

Just like Celebration and Rooftop at Riverside are benchmarks for their neighborhoods’ revitalization, Bay Street fosters Downtown Fort Myers’ return as a dynamic urban center. “What’s nice is it’s a contained urban site,” Joyce says. Chance encounters by the trough sink and under the covered bar lead to friendships, lovers groove along to live music (the open-concept, alfresco setting means there’s plenty of room to boogie) and families let children roam free, knowing intrepid tykes can’t venture beyond Bay Street’s strategically walled-in perimeter. “It brings people closer together,” Joyce says. “Like every great party, it’s not spread out.”

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“Chic, baby, chic.” 

It’s chef Andy Hyde’s rallying cry for his dedicated staff of five—three in the back and two up front—at his boutique Hyde N Chic Restaurant off U.S. 41 in Naples.

The slender, dynamic chef who is Ghanaian by birth and raised between there, Germany and the United States could be equally at home emceeing an awards show or running a spin class. He fluidly moves between the kitchen and the floor, charming clients and playfully encouraging his team with his innate charisma. “The first rule is love what you’re doing. I really do love the challenge, and that’s what drives me to wake up every morning,” Hyde says.

In 2019, he achieved his dream of opening his first brick-and-mortar project: a restaurant much like him, small yet overflowing with panache. There are only 30 seats—with just 12 filled during each of the night’s two seatings—and he worked with a local artist to adorn it with striking art and design. “I feel less is more until there is more confidence out there,” he says referring to the pandemic.

The restaurant is a tasting room-only experience (at least for now; more on that later)—the only one of its kind in Southwest Florida. Hyde chose to make it that way pre-pandemic because it allows him to shoot for the caliber he knows he’s capable of. His conviviality belies the laser-like focus it takes for him to craft his fine-dining symphony. His menus are replete with ingredients sourced from farmers near and far, as well as molecular gastronomic preparations learned from training with culinary giants at the three Michelin-starred Alinea, plus brief stints working for Grant Achatz and Gordon Ramsay, before settling in Naples a decade ago.

[caption id="attachment_33915" align="aligncenter" width="850"] Hyde guides guests as they choose between three-, four- or five-course meals, along with wine flights.[/caption]

Guests choose from three ($70), four ($110) or five ($130) courses (or more, on request), with Hyde there to guide and inform. Most people select a dish or two and the kitchen builds the rest, or they entrust the night’s progression to Hyde and his team. The menu can, and does, change often depending on what is available and inspiring. For early 2021, there were 13 dishes in his steady repertoire. Some had been there from the start, like his signature cacio e pepe, hand-spun fettuccine topped with a silky heart of palm velour spiked with Florida Tellicherry peppercorns. The surprise is that it doesn’t have a morsel of pecorino because he’s made the heart of palm sauce so velvety, it hugs the noodles with a similar richness, minus the fat. Others were the product of what he calls,  with his ever-positive attitude, “the R&D period” when he closed twice last year mid-pandemic.

He takes shopping seriously, browsing the Pine Ridge Road Farmer’s Market for fresh ingredients to incorporate into his dishes. He also splurges on greens from The Chef’s Garden, the famous Ohio farm that supplies renowned restaurateur and chef Thomas  Keller’s restaurants, among others, and he recently started a small garden in the back of the restaurant with herbs and other greens growing in wooden planters.

[caption id="attachment_33919" align="aligncenter" width="850"] In April, the chef plans to host a dinner with Lee Jones, owner of the The Chef’s Garden, the respected Ohio farm where Hyde and many top chefs source produce.[/caption]

Giving back is a big part of his ethos, and he does that by mentoring high school students and other young hospitality industry hopefuls. “I find true happiness when I can hire one or two high school kids and see them grow within the company, even if they don’t stay,” he says, adding that he allows the younger team members to help in the front-of-house on slower weeknights. “I have a three-year intern signed on in the kitchen now.”

If you let Hyde guide your way, for a three-course menu, he might select his wild mushroom strudel—a dish, he says, is “to live for” (“I don’t like saying ‘to die for,’” he says with a laugh). It’s served with the creamiest Époisses sauce, truffle shavings and parsley oil to balance the earthy blend baked within. Or, he might recommend the show-stopping Jack Sparrow—oysters on the half shell balanced atop tiny mountains of rock salt. The peaks are capped with caviar sourced from Marshallberg Farm in North Carolina, what Hyde reckons is the only sustainable black Caspian sturgeon operation in the United States. He partnered with them this year to donate a culinary experience to the Naples Winter Wine Festival’s online auction. Like most of his work, the Sparrow not only ensnares the eyes, but it has technically challenging elements, too. When it was first created, the dish included a scallop cracker (essentially a chicharrón made from the mollusk). But, as Hyde is always tinkering and perfecting his recipes, it now comes with scallop powder, which he says provides more balance.

[caption id="attachment_33917" align="aligncenter" width="724"] This summer, Hyde plans to expand to serve lunch a couple days a week, and launch an online platform for to-go meals, build-your-own picnics and take-home dinner parties.[/caption]

He then might finish the evening with Products of Ghanaian Sweets, an homage to his childhood, starring a grown-up version of his favorite bofrot: plantain donuts that were a lunchbox treat. Now, he serves them stunningly with a single edible gold-dusted number in a gilded glass dome with house-made ice cream of Ghanaian cocoa and raspberry pearls.

While his dishes arrest the senses, people rave just as much about the touchingly personal service. “If a guest is nice (wink, wink), there’s always an extra course. I say this out loud all the time, ‘This is my home.’ If people are keen and nice, a little extra gets sent their way,” Hyde remarks. Then, if someone doesn’t pick a dessert, he will usually end the meal on a complimentary sweet note, or an additional savory course.

To further enhance a visit, he greatly expanded his wine list for his second season, with options of adding flights of high- ($130), mid- ($90) and lower-priced ($60) pairings. “It doesn’t make any sense to not do that,” he says. Guests can also select from an extensive a la carte list with bottles and myriad by-the-glass options.

As of January, Hyde wasn’t doing take-out, a la carte or lunch—yet. He was forced to do take-out for a stretch during the pandemic, which he marvels actually helped his creativity. He came up with two burgers that he still gets requests for to this day, the Chicken-Nizzle (a nod to his German upbringing with schnitzel and sauerkraut slaw) and the Andy Man (ground wagyu on brioche with sherry-glazed caramelized onions). He’s aiming to open for lunch one or two days a week in the summer months and allow for a la carte ordering, too.

Before then, he’s hoping to launch Hyde N Chic Digital, a platform for online ordering of to-go individual meals, build-your-own picnic baskets and to-go dinner parties. After all, the precursor to his restaurant was Chef Hyde Gourmet, a catering company and personal chef service, so he has the wherewithal to execute demands of this nature—he just needs the time and kitchen space. “I feel much smarter and stronger than before the pandemic. It’s in my nature not to give up, and in trying times I focus on what is needed to be done and what can be improved. People say I have tenacity,” he says. “Slow growth wins the race, and I live by that. The one thing this past year has taught me is be grateful for what you have and to work for what you want to have.”

Photography by Brian Tietz

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