OK, let’s get this over with. Go ahead and look at the photograph below.
That’s how a “smash burger” is prepared by the folks at Izzy’s Food Truck. Ball of beef, a literal smash, and a burger is born.
And, if you order onions and cheese, this (below) is how your “smash burger” appears moments before it gets bunned and all dressed up to the customer’s liking.
Pretty glorious, now ain’t it?
And Izzy’s owner, Josey Stern, gets to make and sell those burgerlicious beauties for a living. The food truck has traveled to Cameron, Wheeling, Moundsville, Bethlehem, Grand Vue Park, Oglebayfest, Barnesville, Cabela’s, and the Belmont County Fair, and that’s only since September 1 and doesn’t count the Cameron football games, the trunk-and-treats, or the weekday locations.
Bluntly, Izzy’s is IT, and the success really couldn’t happen to a more pleasant and sincere young man. Stern was a single-digit Cameron kid when he started cooking in his mother’s kitchen, and now he’s a decorated graduate of the Culinary Arts Department at West Virginia Northern Community College.
And yes, he has the chef coats to prove it.
But see, Stern’s different when it comes to tickling our tastebuds. He doesn’t just wear a chef’s toque and cook a few courses of food because this guy chases flavors by simmering every zing and zest of each ingredient so he can satisfy his passion for provoking palates.
And right now, Josey Stern delivers his culinary craftiness with his food-truck “smash burgers,” and we sure do adore them, now, don’t we?
What’s the difference between a “smash burger with cheese” and a cheeseburger?
A “smash burger” is a hand-smashed patty that is thinner. A regular cheeseburger tends to be a little bit thicker but with the same amount of cheese either way. Depending on the restaurant or food truck, sometimes “smash burgers” are smaller in size.
That’s not the case with ours. We sell ours as a 1/4lb patty.
What is the best lesson you were taught by Chef Chris Kefauver at West Virginia Northern Community College?
Simply said, “Work smarter, not harder.”
Chef Chris has taught me hundreds of techniques and tricks in the kitchen to make my work faster and more efficient.
What were the reasons you decided to own and operate a “food truck business” instead of working full-time in a restaurant?
This business honestly fell right into my lap.
I always thought I would end up in the industry as a chef which potentially could still happen in the future if I ever decide to walk away from the food truck. I always like to challenge myself and set strict goals. This is something that I’ve always wanted to do so when the opportunity presented itself, I couldn’t pass it up.
Why a culinary career and not a future in another area of business?
I started cooking when I was 5 years old. My mom taught me how to cook at a very young age and always had me involved in the kitchen. I was mostly self-taught in a lot of areas in the kitchen until I started working in a bakery/homemade ice cream shop when I was 16.
My life has always revolved around food in some way. The kitchen is my happy place. When I met Chef Chris Kefauver, Chef Gene Evans, and Chef Missy Johns at Northern Community College, I knew instantly this is what I wanted to do with my life.
I’ve never thought to myself that I made the wrong career decision.
What are the best parts of growing up in the Cameron community?
One of my favorite parts about growing up in Cameron is that it’s like one big family. Everyone supports everyone. If I need help someone is there to help me.
One of our biggest locations with the food truck is going to Cameron once a week. On average, we make more “smash burgers” in Cameron than we do in Moundsville just because of the support we get from our customers in Cameron.
We also get involved with the sports teams along with the football games and try to support the athletes/athletic department as much as we can.
