Pork Shoulder Bahn Mi with Pickled Carrot, Daikon and Fresh Cucumber, part of the Asian Street Food menu at PPL Center in Allentown, Pa. (Courtesy Spectra)
The best thing about Asian Street Food is that it is customizable, allowing the fan to personalize the dish and making it an interactive fan experience. Spectra executive chef Andrew Wissa created the dish for an existing concessions stand at PPL Center, Allentown, Pa., to debut for the coming season of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms minor league hockey team.
Executive chef Andrew Wissa.
“My main motivation was innovation and getting guests involved. Food is becoming an experience,” Wissa said. ‘”If we make the guest happy, they’ll be returning.”
It also showcases a mantra of Spectra Food Services & Hospitality: freshly made.
Wissa created the dish to highlight one of the hottest trends in the growing food truck scene, taking it inside the venue. “There are a lot of ramen and pho restaurants in the neighboring area,” he said.
Fans can choose from among three predetermined dishes or, if so inclined, can create their own by choosing one of three vessels — French baguettes, lettuce cups or fried won ton tacos — and one of three proteins — five-spice rubbed pork shoulder in Korean-style barbecue sauce; wasabi-crusted smoked brisket in miso broth or shredded lemon grass chicken cooked in ginger stock, Wissa said. There are seven toppings and no limit on selections.
The opening menu items include:
• Brisket Tacos, Napa Cabbage Slaw and a Honey Sesame Dressing
• Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Red Cabbage, Julienned Carrot, and a Ginger Dressing
• Pork Shoulder Bahn Mi with Pickled Carrot, Daikon and Fresh Cucumber
Wissa noted a growing demand for ethnic flavors along with the opportunity to prepare the dish fresh in front of the fans as his inspiration.
The price will be a flat $11.
“I took an account we had on Concourse C that was doing well, but we wanted to kind of blow it out and try something new with it,” Wissa said of the evolution of Asian Street Food. “It was a BBQ concept, customizable but kind of one dimensional.”
He particularly likes that guests can pick what they want, creating their own dish. The idea is not limited to Asian Street Food, he added. “This will change in about half a year. Everything is interchangeable.”
Wissa is training the staff to be versed in the food choices. He is setting up the prep station in the existing stand, with plans to have two preps and one cashier to expedite service.
It is a portable unit, self-contained. There is no kitchen involved, just hot wells and cold wells. Vessels are stored on the back counter. Back-of-house culinary staff will send everything upstairs to the concourse.
“I’m looking forward to it. I’m really excited about this,” Wissa said.
The idea plays off a dish for which Wissa received a Knifey award at Spectra’s annual Culinary Summit, a Pho chicken breast with cabbage slaw, corn and cilantro.
“I’ve tried it on some guests, and it’s producing well,” said Wissa, who started as a cook in a Spectra venue seven years ago before working his way up to sous chef and, six months ago, executive chef. “We will run that one as a special this year in our regular concessions stands.”