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Local family behind Wasabi Juan’s debuts food truck, feeds homeless community in Linn Park
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The Toro family puts a lot of love into the food they serve at Wasabi Juan’s, and they treat their customers like family. On Saturday, July 14, they brought that love to Linn Park to feed the homeless residents of downtown Birmingham.
The lunch was part of Serve Day, a citywide event led by Church of the Highlands. Luis and Barby Toro, along with daughter Jessica Toro Hardisson, have been members since 2008 when the family moved from Miami to Birmingham and found home.
“We fell in love with Alabama the day after we got here. This is paradise.”—Barby Toro
The Toros have participated in Serve Day before, but this year’s event was special.
For the first time ever, the family’s restaurant, Wasabi Juan’s, went mobile for the cause, debuting its brand-new food truck to serve meals to those in need.
Full Bellies, Full Hearts
The Serve Day menu from Wasabi Juan’s food truck offered two of the restaurant’s signature sushi burritos:
- Cowboy—steak, avocado, cream cheese and sesame (gluten free)
- The Blazer—chicken, cream cheese, cilantro, tomatoes, cabbage and spicy mango mayo (gluten free)
Sushi Burrito, What?
Sushi burritos are Wasabi Juan’s specialty. They feature fresh, top-quality ingredients rolled, like sushi, in sticky rice with a paper-thin soy or nori wrap. The roll is cut into two large halves and eaten by hand, like a burrito.
For Serve Day, the Wasabi Juan’s food truck served only cooked chicken and steak sushi burritos to accommodate anyone with food allergies.
When the Wasabi Juan’s food truck rolls out service to the general public, it will serve a wider menu that changes regularly. Raw sushi and cooked chicken, steak and seafood options will all be in rotation.
Follow Wasabi Juan’s food truck schedule and updates on Instagram @wasabijuantogo.
Just People, Serving One Another
For the Serve Day festivities, Wasabi Juan’s teamed up with Chris Carr of the Just People Project. The Just People Project regularly feeds and ministers to the homeless community in downtown Birmingham. The day included:
- meals
- ice-cold bottled water
- medical tent
- haircuts
- feet washing station
- donated clothing
- hygiene care packages
- music
But there was something intangible about Serve Day, too.
Volunteers and members of Birmingham’s homeless community talked, played tag football, danced and lip synched to Michael Jackson. It was fellowship in action.
It makes sense that the Toros wanted Wasabi Juan’s to be part of Serve Day. Treating everyone like family and celebrating together is what the restaurant is all about.
Words To Live By (And Run A Business By)
“We take care of the restaurant as if it were another room in our house. When you visit, we make sure you’re taken care of and you’re greeted. When we prepare food, we do it as if it were for our mom or dad. You can feel the love in it.”—Luis Toro
That approach to business has paid off. Since opening the doors of Wasabi Juan’s in Avondale in 2014, the Toros have gained happy, loyal customers and expanded into the greater Birmingham metro area.
Where To Find Wasabi Juan’s
- Avondale: located at 4120 3rd Avenue South, adjacent to the Sour Room.
- Hoover: located at 3732 Lorna Road.
- Coming Soon! Inverness Heights Market: Opens August 2018. Enter the shopping center at the intersection of Highway 280 and Cahaba Beach Road.
- Coming soon! Food truck: The first stop? Wasabi Juan’s upcoming location in Inverness Heights Market.
Follow Wasabi Juan’s on Facebook and Instagram (@wasabijuan for the restaurant and @wasabijuantogo for the food truck) to keep up with grand openings, food truck locations and community service activities.
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