Crunch this!

Josh Lynch revamps his latest concept, prepares to open Pearl’s Food Truck Park

I meet up with Josh Lynch in the middle of the fray at Blue Dome Arts Festival. Food trucks pumping out paper basket meals surround us on all sides as clusters of Tulsans hungrily eye their menus. The beading sweat on Lynch’s brow is as much a sign of his schedule as the heat. 

Lynch is busy—very busy. As the owner of several food trucks, the co-organizer of Eat Street Tulsa Food Truck Festival, and now executive director of Pearl’s Food Truck Park (408 S. Peoria Ave.), Lynch can be hard to pin down. Somehow, I catch him between commitments and he catches me up on his latest projects. 

Between gigs at Fuji, Rib Crib, Tsunami Sushi, Tallgrass Prairie Table, and other Tulsa staples, Lynch has been in the food industry for more than 20 years. Back in the day, his father gifted him a hot dog cart. The gesture sparked a lifelong pursuit of food ventures, including his two proudest projects: the Dog House hot dog truck, and the recently revamped Crunch Nacho Ninjas, featuring a variety of gourmet Asian nachos (made with wontons), including Pad Thai, Chicken Teriyaki and Korean BBQ. 

With several other trucks in the works—including Sip, a truck specializing in kombuchas, teas, nitro coffee and infused waters—Lynch shows no signs of slowing down. 

It bears mentioning that although Lynch makes it look easy, opening these trucks is no simple task. As he tells it, finding a commercial space or commissary kitchen to store and create products can be a nightmare. Then there’s the obstacle of clientele. Just because you buy a truck and write a menu doesn’t mean people are going to try it. 

“It’s not just, ‘oh, I opened a food truck. Now I’m going to be at all the cool events,’” Lynch said. “No, that takes time.” 

To keep forward momentum, Lynch updated the menu a few months ago and brought Matthew Buechele on as executive chef. Buechele was formerly the sous chef of Tallgrass Prairie Table, and his training has brought a new level of culinary play and experimentation to Crunch’s food that’s hard to deny. 

Lynch has also been busy readying Pearl’s Food Truck Park for the summer season. Originally launched last September as the Park in the Pearl, it reopens with an evening kickoff event on Thursday, June 2 and will celebrate with live music through the weekend. 

The vendor line up will stay in steady rotation at Pearl’s, offering Tulsa’s fleet of food trucks plenty of exposure. Each shift—lunch and dinner—will host four trucks, with different vendors cycling through constantly. Pita Place, Gyros by Ali, Ando Truck, Bohemia Love, Local Table, Rub, MASA, Dog House, Crunch, Mod’s, Smash Cake, and others will be in regular attendance. As long as they’re Tulsa-bred and doing interesting things, Lynch said they’ll have a space at Pearl’s. 

“It all has to be good quality food. We want local and unique, outside of the box.”

In addition to local food, the park will support local music. Cody Clinton will host a weekly jam session on Thursday nights with music from artists like Dustin Pittsley and Paul Benjaman.

Cold beer will be available once the facility obtains its liquor license—“hopefully the week after we open,” Lynch said. Pearl’s will also host special events, like a monthly open market, and jazz and beer festivals this summer. 

The park will be family-and-dog friendly, so long as owners are careful to watch and clean up after both. 

There’s even talk of having Robbie Bell set up shop next to the park for “Fair Week,” with rides, games, and fair-themed menus from each of the featured food trucks. 

Cities across the country have embraced the food truck park-and-pod trend. With Tulsa’s food truck portfolio stronger than ever and still growing, the revamped park is a promising next step. Add in the appeal of the up-and-coming Pearl District neighborhood, and you’ve got all the makings of a new hotspot. Here’s hoping the crowds don’t kill it. 

For more from Megan, read her article on Tulsa's new "kick-start kitchen," Kitchen 66.