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With food truck, PorkyWow! finds new home in Denair
PorkyWoW
PorkyWow! is owned and operated by Fabricio and Maggy Bernal, who are seen here posing proudly in front of their new customized food truck parked at 4600 Main St. in Denair (CHRISTOPHER CORREA/The Journal).

Name of business: PorkyWow!

Type of business: Food truck

Location: 4600 Main St., Denair

Hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Closed Mondays

Contact information: (209) 585 0424

Specialty: Chicharrones (pork confits)

 

History of business: Last year, Fabricio Bernal of Modesto shared his story of operating his business, PorkyWow!, out of a ghost kitchen at the Turlock food truck commissary on S. Kilroy Road as he awaited his food truck permit. With the flipping of the calendar to 2023, Bernal finally has his permit and has wasted no time in setting up his business in nearby Denair.

Monday was officially considered as the first day of operation for the new PorkyWow! food truck, which is located on 4600 Main St. in Denair alongside other Mexican taco trucks. The arrival of Bernal’s customized trailer truck and his menu of chicharrones, or pork confits, has already had numerous people intrigued.

“We’ve just started here, so a lot of people don’t really know who we are or what we offer yet, but we can see them staring as they drive and walk by, but when they see that it’s chicharrones that we are serving, they’re very surprised and a lot of them get excited,” he said. “There are all kinds of taco trucks and Mexican restaurants around the area, but not many have chicharrones.”

According to Bernal, there have already been three returning customers in the two days he has parked his truck at the busy Denair street corner. Overall, he has already seen a significant increase in customers, explaining that working out of the ghost kitchen without a traditional storefront was confusing for several of those interested.

“There’s a lot of traffic here and as I’ve said before, the commissary in Turlock was hard because people couldn’t find us and would give up. Here, people can actually see us,” Bernal said.

With the new space, there are new challenges, though.

“We have never operated a food truck before and it is very different from just a kitchen,” said Bernal’s wife, Maggy. “It’s still early and we’re still learning a lot, but it is very exciting.”

And not only is there excitement in the fact that the family has begun operating at a more traditional and convenient location, but Bernal explained that it is yet another step in fulfilling his main goal of becoming a wholesaler of chicharrones. Bernal worked in the wholesale foods industry prior to getting laid off during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“My main goal has not changed,” he said. “I still want to be able to sell these chicharrones to bars and restaurants so that they can serve it as a replacement for chicken wings… They can become really popular appetizers. This is a huge step for us and it is very exciting.”