My, my, strawberry pie at Curly's Kitchen

Ah, spring! Its coming heralds budding trees, blooming bulbs and my interest in food trucks once again. Some food trucks serve their customers all year long. I just don't think of patronizing them when the weather is cold, but when that first warm gust of spring air caresses my face, I know it is time: Time to find the food trucks again.

This time I gave in to the sweet siren song of Curly's Kitchen. Someone "liked" it randomly in my Facebook feed, and there the germ was planted in my brain. I simply couldn't uproot it until I tried their food. This time, my order was a special Sunday pick-up where I had to tell Curly's ahead of time what I wanted to buy. The menu this time included strawberry pie, whole Boston butts, pork steaks and sides. Since I didn't notice this posting until pretty late Saturday night, I took a chance and placed an order, and darned if Curly's Kitchen didn't make it happen. (But don't do it this way. Read more below.)

The magic of Curly's Kitchen happens inside a huge black truck with green painted flames licking up its sides. You really can't miss it. I ordered a couple of pork steaks, some sides and one of those beautiful strawberry pies. After driving my family nuts and making them wait while I arranged the food to take photos for this article, I finally got to taste test.

The pork steaks were smoked just right, with a pink smoke ring that went all the way through the meat. There was noticeable spice on the surface of the meat, but it wasn't overpowering. I'd love to know what the chef uses, because it was mild and so complementary to the pork, just delicious. The steaks were huge and a good thickness, not over the top but still generous. They were served to me piping hot and wrapped in foil. They were still steaming when I opened them at home.

The sides were typical picnic sides -- slaw, baked beans and potato salad. Those are always a good accompaniment to pork, smoked or otherwise.

Curly's Kitchen smoked pork steaks and all the fixin s.Submitted by Rebecca LaClair

Then came the time to cut into the pie. I didn't really know what to expect with this strawberry pie. From the pictures I saw of it online, it looked like a pie shell filled with big chunks of juicy strawberries and maybe some strawberry glaze? Well, I was wrong. This pie, which is the most photogenic food on the planet, I believe, was indeed full of big juicy chunks of strawberries. But the berries were sitting in a delightfully sweet gelatin, suspended like little summer kisses preserved under glass. I wax poetic, but this pie was like a breath of summer, a promise of heat and sun and red- and white-checkered tablecloths. The pie was cool and refreshing, not too sweet. Please do yourself a favor and have some whipped cream on hand with which to top it.

You can usually find Curly's Kitchen parked across from the old Pioneer Orchard in Jackson, but it is a food truck, so obviously it can move around. The best way to find out where Curly's Kitchen is going to be and when is to check their page "Curly's Kitchen" on Facebook. (That holds true for any food truck, by the way.) Currently, Curly's is listed as open from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Friday. It is also open most Sundays for special orders, but get in on those early on Saturday. It appears that Curly's has sold out of the special Sunday orders regularly, so the early bird really does get the worm here.

Curly's Kitchen also believes in giving back to the community in a big way. The people behind Curly's are responsible for free Thanksgiving and Christmas meals served at the Jackson Elks Lodge for the last several years because they think everybody deserves a nice meal on the holidays. That sort of kindness deserves support from the community in return, and a beautiful circle of giving self-sustains. I truly believe food brings people together and gives them common ground. You can see this in action every week at Curly's Kitchen.

Check it out at 1931 West Jackson Boulevard in Jackson.