Nacheaux is a Portland-based mobile food cart specializing in creative, outside-the-box iterations of conventional cuisine, bending the boundaries in categories like burgers, BBQ and desserts. An approachable truck known for its signature teal coloring and unicorn mascot, the food has all the elevation and attention to detail of fine dining but with the accessibility and informality of a street vendor.
Anthony Brown, co-owner of Nacheaux along with his wife Stephanie, is a familiar face around the city, popping up at Pride Fest, Comic-Con and events and games at the Moda Center; he’s even pulled up at Leaf Bowl, Leaf Magazines’ annual competition. Culinary-competition fans may also recognize him from his appearance on Food Network’s “Guy’s Grocery Games,” where he navigated multiple rounds of supermarket cooking chaos.
Started in March 2020, Nacheaux has set up shop in locations ranging from food cart pods to brick-and-mortar restaurants, and in 2023, Anthony debuted the mobile truck he currently uses to bring his craveable creations to the public. Over time, he’s launched various spin-offs under the main brand, including Fast Feathers, Crumb Bum, Boss Po’Boys and, most recently, Nacheaux Stack Subs, each with a focus on curated culinary experiences. The constant menu reinvention and diversity of food options have helped build an organic, almost cult-like following that puts its trust in Anthony’s vision beyond an individual product.
In many ways, cooking is an art form, which makes Anthony something of a modern-day Dalí. “I always like to skirt the lines of what things are,” he explained. “I like to challenge what an item actually is, and that’s where I feel like the creativity is.”
Before moving into the uncharted waters of gastronomic genius with Nacheaux, we primed the palate with a can of 100-milligram Mary Jones Orange Cream Soda. Featuring a familiar tangy orange flavor with a smooth vanilla finish, the taste is reminiscent of an orange creamsicle with a slight herbal accent from the THC inputs. Imparting a weighty body high with a cerebral floating feeling, the edible left us superbly stoney and eager for the upcoming feast.
First off the grill was a Nacheaux Bacon BBQ Smash Burger. It was dripping with sauce and cheese and the definition of culinary eye candy, from the avalanche of impeccably crisp bacon chunks to the all-encompassing Nacheaux-signature cheese skirt orbiting the sandwich like a golden halo. Biting in unleashed an insane amount of flavor that was a masterclass in texture and layering: the crunch from the griddled skirt juxtaposed with the softness of the toasted bun, the juiciness of the double smashed burger patties melting atop the tongue, the creamy tang from the garlic Parmesan campfire sauce and the zestiness of the pickles cutting through the fat profile perfectly. The burger flooded our taste buds with a richness that had us coming back for bite after bite until it was gone.
Next, we were fortunate enough to check out one of Anthony’s newest creations: an Eggo Breakfast Burger. A true-to-form brunch fusion, the smash burger utilizes toasted Eggo waffles for buns and is topped with a freshly poached egg that is both ooey and gooey in the best way possible. The yolk pours over the sandwich as soon as it’s picked up, mixing with the rich and savory beef and producing a decadent meal experience that’s 100% worth getting a little messy for.
We ended our culinary odyssey at the sweetest place possible — dessert. Anthony provided a flight of Cloud Cream for us to try from his own line of ice cream. Flavors included a distinct purple ube cheesecake with giant chunks of actual cheesecake; a unique bacon jam mix with residual heat from cayenne pepper on the back end; a lemon cardamom option topped with Biscoff featuring both seasoned and sweetened qualities working in harmony; and a pineapple orange guava blend complete with salty toffee and velvety marshmallow fluff. Each offering had a silky texture that lit up the senses with every bite. Cloud Cream represents a sugary treat with all the decadence of traditional ice cream but without its typical heaviness.
All in all, the combination of Nacheaux’s cooking and Mary Jones THC sodas made for a stellar High Eats matchup. It shows that the union of cuisine and Cannabis can be an especially potent pairing. Food is both a unifier and a love language, and Anthony and his family have found a way to connect with customers and build a community through that universal experience and shared passion. They’ve managed to bring people together under a banner of commonality, creativity and a hunger for something outside the conventional.
The next time you see the Nacheaux truck or its associated brands pop up in the wild, don’t hesitate to give them the opportunity to take your taste buds on an unforgettable voyage.
nacheauxpdx.com | @nacheauxpdx | maryjonescannabis.com | @maryjonesbrand
