JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – I read through the latest inspection reports and there were no emergency closures in Jacksonville last week, so I checked in with a restaurant on wheels who aced their last inspection.
Matthew Hancock works at the Up In Smoke food truck and he knows his stuff when it comes to food health and safety regulations.
"If you're gonna put cooked food by raw food, that's equivalent to trying to make someone sick and that's one thing we never let happen," said Hancock.
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That's why he's not surprised Up In Smoke came out violation-free during its inspection last week.
"Treat it as if you're cooking for your family. One big rule I like to go by is, if you're not going to serve it to your mom, why serve it to the public," said Hancock.
Workers at Up In Smoke admit, the food truck is easier to manage than a traditional restaurant.
"We got less area to clean," said Hancock.
But it has its disadvantages, too.
"You gotta pack everything up you take, then you gotta unpack everything, before you leave you gotta repack it," said Hancock.
With the truck constantly on the move, the employees said it's important to keep the bar-b-que in and the bugs out.
"We sweep and hit the floors everyday, but once a week we actually throw soap all over the floor and death brush it really good and hose it all out," said Hancock.
Hancock said the owner of Up In Smoke is constantly training his employees on the rules and regulations of the food business but said no one is perfect.
"If anyone makes that mistake, they only make it once," said Hancock.
Hancock told me they hold Up In Smoke at such a high standard, that when new Health Inspectors are hired, sometimes they are trained using the Up In Smoke food truck as an example of what a kitchen should look like.