Anchors away! Nigel Pickup & Anje Wignell are a match made in heaven and their food truck ‘NOLA Poorboy‘ is ‘popping-up’ in towns all over the countryside! Photo/Production – Danielle White/The Countryphiles.
Their business card says “Laissez les bons temps rouler” – let the good times roll! And with this lovely couple at the wheel, the GOOD TIMES certainly do! Owners of popular pop-up food truck NOLA Poorboy, Nige and Anje are rolling out great food and good times from the High Country to the Gold Country. When I first met them, they were busily popping-up NOLA Poorboy on a spare inner-town block (owned by Glen & Lisa Rundell) in the heart of foodie town Kyneton.
POWER to the people! It’s handy to have great neighbours! As the sun sets, Lisa Rundell helps Anje set up NOLA Poorboy. Photo/Production – Danielle White/The Countryphiles.
Anje and Nige starting dressing NOLA for a night out on the town. Photo/Production – Danielle White/The Countryphiles.
Nige starts cooking up NOLA Poorboy’s specialty: dishes with a New Orleans/Southern Louisiana influence. Photo/Production – Danielle White/The Countryphiles.
How ADORABLE does ‘NOLA’ look all prettied up! Photo/Production – Danielle White/The Countryphiles.
All smiles. Nige and ‘NOLA’ are ready to go! Photo/Production – Danielle White/The Countryphiles.
As well as sharing a love of great food and many years’ training and experience in hospitality, Anje and Nige are kindred spirits. “We only met last year,” says Nige. “I knew as soon as I saw Anje that she was ‘the one’ and, fortunately for me, the feeling was mutual.” Anje confirms this by flashing one of her stunning smiles and giving a gentle nod. The couple moved in together within a week and were engaged to be married three months later. AWWW! Such a lovely story of ‘meant to be’ LOVE.
If you’re curious about the anchor tattoos Anje and Nige both have on their forearms, well, they got them done at Green Lotus Tattoo in Brunswick. “As soon as we found each other,” says Anje, “we instantly both felt like we were finally ‘home’ and we could finally ‘drop our anchors’ and settle.” How ROMANTIC! You only have to chat with Nige and Anje for a moment to realise they are as passionate as they are talented – no wonder their food is SUMPTUOUS!
Some of NOLA Poorboy‘s classic and most popular dishes include Pulled Pork with Dirty Rice (Nige explains that’s rice that has been heavily spiced and full of flavour); Chilli and Chocolate Beans; ‘Gorditas’ (that’s traditional corn flatbread) served with ‘Tomatillo’ (thats a to-die-for authentic salsa made from Mexican WILD GOOSEBERRIES); Slaw; Homemade fries made from ‘George’s’ Trentham spuds; and boutique burgers atop Brioche buns! DELISH! Nige & Anje try to source local and fresh-harvested in-season wherever possible, which isn’t too much of an ask for them because they work at Watt’s Fresh; a local fruit and veg store.
The name of their food truck ‘NOLA Poorboy’ comes from Nige’s love of Southern Louisiana creole cuisine, especially in and around New Orleans. While ‘NOLA’ stands for New Orleans/Louisiana ‘Poorboy’ pays tribute to a traditional bedrock Louisiana-style sandwich called the Po’boy (the New Orleanians even hold an annual Po’boy Festival in the sandwich’s honour)!
NOLA Poorboy details. Photo/Production – Danielle White/The Countryphiles.
Nige & Anje and their beautiful food truck NOLA Poorboy all dressed up and ready to serve. Photo/Production – Danielle White/The Countryphiles.
Nige & Anje – such a GORGEOUS and TALENTED pair. Photo/Production – Danielle White/The Countryphiles.
All a-twinkle. As the sun sinks into the inky evening sky, NOLA Poorboy looks even prettier. The food is remarkable and families queue up for the New Orleans taste sensations. Photo/Production – Danielle White/The Countryphiles.
Photo/Production – Danielle White/The Countryphiles.
Photo/Production – Danielle White/The Countryphiles.
I didn’t pack my tripod! Sorry for the dreadful blur. But, Anje is so breathtakingly BEAUTIFUL there was no way the photo was going to end up on the editing floor! GLOWING. YOUTHFUL. HEALTHY. HAPPY. Thanks for sharing your story with The Countryphiles Anje & Nige. Photo/Production – Danielle White/The Countryphiles.
NOLA Poorboy pops-up at Stockroom each Kyneton Farmers’ Market day (2nd Saturday of the month); on the spare block in Piper Street on random Fridays (see NOLA’s facebook page for details); at the annual Kyneton Music Festival; at the Castlemaine State Festival; and has a monthly gig in the High Country following the Alpine Gravity downhill mountain biking series, where they feed 200-300 hungry cyclists. “We love this gig – we feel like gypsies for a few days,” says Nige. “It’s great to make a blank space work and to see so many people enjoy what we do.” Thanks for sharing your story with The Countryphiles Nige & Anje! x
Tell us a little bit about your background/s – what path led you to where you are now? How did ‘NOLA Poorboy’ come about?
Nige: I come from a cooking background, my father was a chef. I trained in the city and worked in places from The Healsville Hotel, to London, to starting Wye River General Store. Always working in the food industry, it led me back to my home town. Nola Poorboy came about because I love the food in Louisiana, especially New Orleans. After a short trip to America, I discovered the beauty of food trucks and how proud the people who owned them were, as they would specialise in one thing and that one thing they would do really well. So, I decided when I came back to Australia that I wanted to start a food truck and so I dedicated it to a sandwich that is famous to Louisiana; the Po’boy.
Anje: I have worked locally in the hospitality industry all my life; from food service to running a bar/restaurant to finding my true passion and way of expressing creativity through becoming a barista. My next venture was going to be owning a little something of my own. A unique coffee van was my dream. Then I met Nige, introduced the coffee element to his unique food truck, and there we have our pop-up cafe; Nola Poorboy!
You own a food truck ‘NOLA Poorboy’ as well as having ‘day jobs’! How do you manage to juggle these various intertwined ventures/adventures?
The beauty of Nola Poorboy is that we can work it when we want to. We started a business that would flow with our life, not control it.
What are your foodie influences? We all adore food trucks! But what is it like to own one?
Our influences are slow-cooking, using local and seasonal produce as much as possible and country foraging. Owning a food truck is great and fun and a logistical nightmare all in one. We love the spontaneity and challenges of what each pop-up brings, such as change of location, menu, people and weather.
Do you consider yourselves to be ‘Countryphile/s’? Do you love country life? Why?
Yes. Both being brought up in the Macedon Ranges it is our home. From the sprawling hills and mountains to the rivers and the forests this countryside has been our backyard growing up; it is a place we love, cherish and appreciate and miss when we are not home.
What does a typical day in the life of Nigel & Anje NOLA Poorboy owners look like; from when you wake to when you go to sleep?
Weekdays we start work at 7am at a busy local fruit and veg shop ‘Watt’s Fresh’. We get to know and talk about local produce, inspire others and ourselves about what to cook next. We stroll on home at 4pm, then start thinking about where we will pop-up NOLA Poorboy next.
What aspect of country life are you loving MOST at the moment?
We’re enjoying the growth of Kyneton at the moment. It has a certain buzz about it. We love how we are beginning to be known, how people can come up to us in the street or at work and ask ‘are you the owners of the food truck?’ All by word of mouth. That is enjoyable.
What do you consider the most CHALLENGING aspects of country life?
Can’t actually say we have any challenges with living here!
Do you prefer Coffee or Tea? Your favourite country café and why?
Coffee. Morning coffees are a definite. Favourite country cafe would be Little Swallow. Steve’s small, simple menu is easy to select from, they are always consistent, warm and welcoming.
What and where was the last great meal you enjoyed/shared in the country?
We love Breakfast and Beer in Daylesford. Nige is a big fan of their black pudding and pork sausage and they have always got a couple of vegetarian options for Anje.
Where would we find you on a typical Saturday morning?
On a typical Saturday morning when we don’t have a pop-up, we enjoy spending time at home. Occasionally, we may treat ourselves to breakfast out at our favourite cafe.
YOUR country town’s best kept secret?
Our town’s best kept secret is a little place called Rundell & Rundell; by day it’s a chairmaker’s shop, by night it’s a cosy bar. Also, an apple farm on the way to Redesdale, best apples in the area by far!
What can we expect NEXT from you/your business in the future?
Our aim is for NOLA Poorboy to simply be consistent. We want to be here to provide an eating experience that’s a little out of the ordinary for our hometown and region and to be creative with an ever-changing menu that keeps people interested.
What are you looking FORWARD to and why?
Buying a home, settling down and starting a family. And what better town to do that in than Kyneton!
What would be your dream project?
To take over the old bluestone Kyneton Hospital and turn it into accommodation, restaurant and bar.
Can you list for us 5 specific things you turn to/do when you need of a ‘dose’ of city life?
1. South East Asian food, in either Preston or Victoria St.
2. Vinyl record shopping in Sydney Rd.
3. Opp shopping.
4. Ethnic markets and grocery stores.
5. Visiting city-dwelling family members.
Nige & Anje
NOLA Poorboy
nolapoorboy@gmail.com
0427 888 773
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