Jeep to Canada
Jaytee Balmores puts a twist to Pinoy food and brings it to Canada
Jaytee Balmores puts a twist to Pinoy food and brings it to Canada
It was all about being in the right time and the right place for Jamie
“Jaytee” Balmores, who was seen by a producer of Canada’s Global TVwillingly serving taho to a person with disability, and assisting him while eating. Immediately, he was invited to one of their shows for the following day. It was only the second day of his business, and already he was creating milestones for it.
Jaytee, a Filipino nurse, is the owner of Jeep ni JayTee, the first Filipino food truck in Canada that serves Filipino food with a North American twist.
“Jeep ni JayTee is a Filipino food truck that specializes in Filipino street food mixed with a North American touch. Our dishes are out of the ordinary, such as our best seller,
sisig putin or crispy fries with cheese curds, gravy, and sometimes chives or any other toppings you’d like to put. Sometimes I also put chicharon on it and green onions. Another best seller is the bistek shawarma where, instead of the original beef on the shawarma, I use the bistek Tagalog,” says JayTee, who finished Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Santo Tomas.
Located at Edmonton, Canada, Jeep ni JayTee was inspired by the Filipino food trucks JayTee saw when he went to Los Angeles. It uses fresh and authentic Filipino ingredients.
“After trying out those food trucks, I imagined myself having my own food truck and serving food to people. So I bought myself a one-dollar notebook and started jotting down all my ideas from the color of my truck to the food I will serve. Six months later, in May 2015, I was able to open the business,” he says.
The food truck was immediately a hit with the first 50 people buying everything he was selling on his first day. The second day was the day he got noticed by the Global TV producer, which not only made his truck popular, but also opened doors for him for TV shows and endorsements. His truck was recognized as the Best Food Truck in 2016 and 2017 by Vue Weekly-