Chicken: (Au) Naturel

Edited by Marina Crouse

If you want to see the sun, go to Goldie’s. Grinning and serene, the solar disk adorning Goldie’s Rotisserie truck greets you as you pull up to The Art Cliff Diner in Vineyard Haven. A welcome sight in the midst of wintry temps and precipitation, the truck is wrapped in rays of pink, orange, and red. Inside, birds slowly turn and bask on a traditional French six-spit rotisserie, while chef-owners and partners Eva Faber and Lexie Roth swiftly assemble the evening’s orders. Eva scoops local yukon potatoes that have absorbed the delicious drippings at the base of the rotisserie. Lexie places an exquisitely-crisped chicken into a roaster container. Unlike many of its supermarket brethren, the bird is shipped fresh and air-chilled (rather than frozen) from Murray’s Farm in Pennsylvania, retaining optimal moisture.

Joined by their friend, Virg (who has also worked with former MotV features), the team works swiftly throughout the narrow truckspace. They are constantly in motion, as their chicken dinners are among the first to sell out during these January pop-ups. 

“It’s just a testament to the island changing,” Eva notes while turning a brioche bun on the griddle. “Its year-round character has changed in these last couple years. There are a lot more previously non-year-round residents who are staying longer and visiting more.”

Patrons line up outside, bundled and providing ample space between one another. Whether they’re picking up a deluxe order to last them the week, or an all-beef hotdog treat after work, the customers appear deeply grateful for this offseason option. With several year-round establishments closed or greatly reduced in hours (due, in large part, to staffing shortages), Goldie’s has drawn plenty of familiar and new faces.  

“People were like ‘oh my God, please continue doing this. This is so helpful.’” Lexie comments. “And definitely word is spreading. A lot of people are ordering to bring to friends’ houses who have COVID right now. But everyone’s like ‘thank you for giving me a night off from cooking!’” 

Eva and Lexie’s recent events suggest that they’ve thrived as an offseason vendor. The truck’s Thursday and Friday popups may become a regular occurrence throughout the winter months. But Goldie’s actually debuted during the heat of the island’s busiest season. 

Home Calling

Lexie and Eva are no strangers to the ebbs and flows of year-round island life. It’s likely that the two were just as inspired by the quiet charm of the winter as they were by the energy of peak season. It was actually her upbringing in Edgartown, Eva explains, that fostered her passion for sustainable cuisine. 

“I feel like everyone I know has this very strong sense of place and connection to the land and outdoors. People here place an exceptionally high value on healthy foods that are local and organic.” Eva states, “I know it’s a function of privilege as well, I know not everyone can afford these high-quality foods, but I think as chefs we’re lucky to have a market for that. And we can play around with really high-quality food products that people will pay for. That, in turn, like, makes it more accessible for everyone else here, which is great.”

Spending every summer on the Vineyard, Lexie moved to the island full time after high school. Previously a private chef, she remarks that “there’s just nothing more amazing than going to the fish market, getting the fresh thing of the day, and going to farm stands” for her local ingredients. 

“I definitely grew up in a food-heavy household. Always cooking, always sharing food, and just the experience of sitting down and eating around the table has always been super important in my family. And I love eating.” She smiles with a confident nod. 

The pair initially moved to the west coast to get involved in the restaurant scene, but the pandemic heavily delayed their plans. While navigating the uncertainty of the times, they began entertaining the thought of becoming their own bosses. 

“We were like ‘you know what, we just want to do our own thing, and I know we just moved,’” Lexie laughs with a shrug, “‘but we love the Vineyard and it’s home.’ We were just so inspired by seeing our friends have success with starting their ideas.”

Among the factors calling the two back to the northeast was the sense of community on the island. They were eager to return to their supportive network that shared their appreciation for and approach to food. In fact, Eva’s mom and stepdad, Gretchen and Matt Regan, were recruited as their business partners. Gretchen, a chef in her own right, would play a key role in menu and recipe development, and Matt would serve as a tremendous source of guidance and graphic design expertise. With staunch ethical standards and a palpable reverence for their home, Eva and Lexie headed back east and started brainstorming their new endeavor by the fall of 2020. 

Finding a Flock

When Lexie and Eva were deciding their menu, the first order of business was fowl.

“Our original vision was to be organic chickens, but it’s nearly impossible to source affordable wholesale organic chickens. I had no idea,” Eva admits, remarking that the process greatly shifted her perspective on how restaurants source their ingredients. 

“I’m like ‘oh they don’t buy any organic foods.’ It’s not that they don’t care, it’s just that, especially here on the island, we truly don’t have access to a lot of these things. Sourcing chickens that we feel good about was our requirement for even having a chicken business.”

When they eventually discovered Murray’s, the first chicken producer to receive the Humane label, Lexie and Eva were pleased that this collective of small family farms provided the ideal specs they sought.

“The birds are certified humane.” Lexie confirms, “Which is almost more important than organic, we think. It’s a difference of the feed, and they taste great.”

Finding a place to prepare and sell these flavorful birds became the next priority. A brick-and-mortar business was quickly ruled out due to costs and limited spaces, so the conversation turned to food trucks.

“We were just thinking ‘no matter how we grew, we would be able to do events with the truck. It could be like our mascot onsite and even if we had eventually a brick-and-mortar.” Lexie recalls, mentioning that food trucks need to be parked outside of a food establishment, in accordance with Martha’s Vineyard laws. 

“Or you have to fall under some kind of, like, special event permit,” Eva adds, detailing policies like West Tisbury’s bylaw against food trucks unless an occasion falls under the “special event” umbrella. “To be in one place and operate regularly, the rules are pretty tough,” She concedes, “but despite all these regulations and red tape, the startup cost barrier to doing what we’re doing is much lower and more achievable for us. I think that’s why so many people in our up-and-coming generation are choosing alternative business models.”

Eva is referring to the popular and rapidly increasing options for a moveable feast on the island, the likes of The Swimming Pig, Stoney Hill Pizza, El Gato Grande, and Fantzye Bagels, to name a few. Despite the small boundaries set by the Atlantic, this island is, in fact, big enough for all the up-and-coming vendors. There is no rival tire slashing to be found, rather an environment conducive to collaboration. 

“We’re pretty much friends with all of the mobile food vendors on the island.” Lexie says, pointing to the MV Sound music festival as a recent example. “It was the taco truck, Goldies, and Nina’s pizza. There was just, like, something for everybody. There were enough people where we all made similar sales.”

This particular community also yields a goldmine of advice from which Eva and Lexie have benefitted. When they purchased a former Frito-Lay delivery truck to bear the Goldie's name, delivered just in time for the craziness of Fourth of July Weekend, the couple faced a steep technical learning curve. Everything from where one should dump their greywater, to generator operation, differing town regulations for food trucks, became imperative for Goldie’s success.

“Yeah, non-Googleable questions.” Eva chuckles, “Very specific.”

“We definitely had to saw some tree limbs down trying to get to events,” Lexie adopts a reminiscent tone, “bottomed out on many a weird Vineyard road.” 

Gaining Traction

Six months after it’s inaugural weekend, Goldie’s has gained a favorable reputation on the island. It’s not uncommon to see a barrage of roasted birds populating social media whenever Lexie and Eva hold an event. Excited customers post close-ups of the rotisserie in orbit, boomerangs of rice bowls and their vibrant layers of chickpeas, parsnips, and pickled red cabbage piled decadently atop a fork, and a decked-out French onion hotdog accompanied by a gold-themed song (looking at you, Harry Styles). The duo express their gratitude for the ways in which people celebrate and cherish their food. Lately many Goldie’s fans have taken to sharing the soups they’ve made from the chicken, which Eva describes as “really sweet and awesome.” 

Lexie and Eva seem able to absorb these moments a bit more, perhaps breathing easier now that they have some miles with the truck.

“Everything gets exponentially easier,” Eva acknowledges, thinking back to the truck’s first events and the constant scrambling. As they tackle the new season, she says she’s “happy we know what we’re doing. We can start booking events. I feel like we’re cruising now.”

“Many things were miracles to pull off.” Lexie agrees. “It’s tremendous. I drive the truck. I feel so connected to it, I lovingly mop the floors. We both know how to work all of this machinery and this enormous rotisserie and kind of take it apart and put it back together.”

Their relief in establishing a rhythm with the business bears no resemblance to complacency, however. The two exude a tangible eagerness to keep this momentum going, eying a similar goal to their food truck compatriots.

“I feel like there’s definitely strength in numbers with mobile food and mobile operations,” Eva states ”if there’s a critical mass somewhere of people, then they actually like having more options. And having more options draws people to come. That’s kind of how we’ve come to view it.”

The expansion of offseason options is entirely likely, with factors like islander demand and potential shifts in the Vineyard’s regulation of food trucks. 

“We definitely all have the same want of just one location. Either bi-weekly, or monthly, or something, it’s like ‘food truck night’ where everyone can come and there’s music, picnic tables, and it’s a fun thing.” Lexie explains animatedly. “And we want to keep fighting for that. Cause everyone is like ‘Yes, yes, yes! Where can it be? And how?’”

Eva expresses optimism that “little by little” the food trucks will find more of a footing on the island. “Even in the last year Oak Bluffs has come around more to food trucks. We were able to get a permit to operate at the YMCA this past summer. Now Josh Aronie is there with his food truck, which is great! I mean, people love it! It’s like one of the only things open for lunch right now.”

Rotisserie for the Soul

As Eva and Lexie reflect on how folks have responded to their events, especially over the past few weeks, the conversation inevitably turns to the healing properties of thoughtful food. If there is a simpler, more delightful means of providing a morale boost in the bleak midwinter than a wholesome meal - one you did not have to cook - it has yet to be found. 

“There are so many different categories of enjoyment out of food. There’s convenience,” Eva begins, “We love to think about easing someone’s burden by giving them an awesome option. There’s quality, hopefully someone tastes our food and tastes something new and exciting to them. And then there’s accessibility and affordability, too. We always try to find the balance between those things.”

Considering how she envisions customers enjoying the rotisserie chickens, Lexie tilts her head pensively for a moment, then smiles.

“I imagine…hoping that people just open it in the car and just grab a piece off the chicken as they go home. Just like a wing. But also just being so excited to pop it in the oven and have dinner.”

Check out Goldie’s at their Art Cliff popups, book an event, or keep updated through their social media.