LUCCAS IS FIRING UP THE TRUCK
Owners of beloved restaurant hope to keep cruising along until they can rebuild
LEOMINSTER » Coming up on a year since their Lancaster Street restaurant was decimated by fire last summer, Luccas American Kitchen owners John and Jodi Davick are kicking off their 2022 food truck season next weekend and forging ahead — one day at a time.
“We still have all of the bills we had before and paying for insurance on the building and the insurance on the food truck,” Jodi Davick said. “It’s been necessary to keep this portion of the business going and having it thrive, especially when we need it to thrive.”
The couple purchased the 26-foot food truck that is outfitted it with a generator, fridge and freezer in 2019 with the “grand plan” to use it for corporate events, catering and larger private parties that wouldn’t work in the restaurant.
“We never intended on this being a food truck,” Davick said. “This was our mobile kitchen, and we were hoping to do local events for our community When you are in a brick and mortar building you don’t always get to be out in the community. That’s where you want to be, with people.”
And out in the community they have been. Since launching it as a food truck last summer, ironically just weeks before the July 17 restaurant fire, they have been spotted at a plethora of events across the region included festivals at Sholan Farms and Wildwood Farm and have been booked for
‘While there’s always that cloud over you, we have been doing big family dinners once a month and that has been exciting ... This has helped us to feel like we are doing something we love.’
– Jodi Davick, Luccas American Kitchen co-owner
numerous private parties. Their first food truck booking was the Leominster High School senior barbecue in June last year, “a big party for the seniors,” and the Leominster High School Junior Prom on May 7 at the LeominsterFitchburg Lodge of Elks is their first big event this season.
“When the pandemic hit it was great, we were doing events outside,” Davick said. “We did great last year and our goal this year is to be booked Friday through Monday, but we will take any private event within reason.”
This season’s food truck schedule is filling up fast with graduation and other parties and weddings, and people can email Luccasamericankitchen@gmail.com to inquire about availability and pricing. They purposely set aside some dates for public events this season and will be at Sterling Street Brewery on May 13, Devens Food Truck & Craft Festival on June 3, the Leominster Summer Stroll and Hubbardston Fair, both on June 11, and other locations such as Nashoba Valley Winery.
“We were lacking on public events last year,” Davick.
In addition, they plan to set up the food truck in downtown Leominster this summer, hopefully on Mondays when a lot of restaurants are closed.
“We worked with Mayor Mazz, who is going to allow us to do some pop ups in the back of his spot, Main Street Gift & Cafe, seats and tables and that whole back area,” Davick said of Mayor Dean Mazzarella offering up space. “He calls and checks on us and ask what he can do for us.”
The city offered for them to use the kitchen at Emergency Management as they need to have a “commercial based kitchen even though we can do 99% of our stuff out of our truck.” She said working with the new director, Arthur Elbthal, has been great.
“He is absolutely fantastic to deal with,” Davick said.
The ramifications from the fire haven’t affected just the couple but their entire staff, which includes their two grown children.
“It wasn’t just a husband out of work or a wife out of work, it is a whole family,” Davick said.
One of the silver linings that has come from their unexpected time off from the restaurant is an increase in family time.
“While there’s always that cloud over you, we have been doing big family dinners once a month and that has been exciting,” she said, adding that those dinners were not possible when the restaurant was open because of their hectic schedule. “You are in the business because you love to entertain. This has helped us to feel like we are doing something we love, because we miss it in that sick foodie way. Give us those nights and those weekends.”
They have been able to take family vacations and spend more time at home together and Davick said yoga is her “new thing” — she and her daughter go to classes together on Thursdays at The Inferno Hot Yoga & Pilates in Fitchburg.
When it comes to Luccas American Kitchen rising from the ashes, the Davicks have been working tirelessly to come up with a solid plan. They have been through the wringer trying to get back on their feet following the three-alarm fire that started in the restaurant’s attic on a Saturday afternoon in the middle of the dinner rush. Although the blaze was quicky extinguished by fire crews from Fitchburg and Leominster and fortunately everyone made it out safely, the structure is a total loss. It pretty much looks like business as usual on the outside, but inside is another story.
“When the architect sat down with us and asked if we are we rebuilding the answer was no,” Davick said. “We do have to go ground up and while we are super said about it, the takeaways are even bigger. We will have a new building that is ADA compliant and handicapped accessible. It becomes a more inclusive restaurant.”
Although it’s been a hard pill to swallow, she said they have come to terms with having to tear down the historic building that housed The Gondola Restaurant for decades before they signed a lease in July 2017 and opened Luccas that November.
“The Gondola was around forever, we all have great stories,” Davick said. “But when we took over, the building had limited space and we had to deal with what we had. The building was a beautiful gift and we made it what it was, but I don’t think we will be able to replicate what we had.”
She said while coming up with a plan for the new restaurant with their team “we did hem and haw about what we want Luccas to be, but we know we can provide the same great service, food, and atmosphere. We are really excited for what it is going to be, and it looks like there is going to be room for outdoor dining. We will never build what we had but we will build something that is still Luccas.”
As for the timeline when people can expect to see Luccas American Kitchen opening its doors again, Davick said at this point they “don’t have anything concrete.” They had a Board of Health inspection and received the building plans earlier this week and approved the plans Thursday morning, which included where exactly the building will sit on the lot, square footage, and more.
“We were hoping to sit in front of the city in May, but we had to make changes to the building that delayed us,” Davick said. “We can sit in front of the city in June from what the architect and engineer tell us.”
She said building materials “are still so expensive,” and that their architect told them to order kitchen equipment as soon as possible as it could take up to year to be delivered. “Stuff is still really delayed.”
The community has continued to rally around their family and their business since the fire and for that they are grateful. She said people often call and send messages and check in, asking when the restaurant will be up and running again.
“At this point I don’t want to set myself up for disappointment knowing all the obstacles we have gone through, all the stuff that has held us up, one after another,” Davick said. “It took a lot of time to get over each and every one. Would it be great if we could break ground before the first snow falls? Absolutely. No one wants it more than us.”