Winner Best Food Truck 2024
Words by JORDAN WILLIAMSON
Photography by Eastwood Photography // Courtesy STARLAND YARD
CHAZ ORTIZ GREW UP surrounded by music, family and food. He recalls all the parties of his youth with the sound of something playing and the smell of something cooking — oftentimes a pig on a spit, which was common for his Puerto Rican upbringing. “I was always one of the ones helping and putting in my two cents and trying to make everything taste better,” he says. The urge followed him into adulthood and through a move to Savannah, and all of his family, friends and coworkers at backyard parties and reunions were excited whenever Ortiz headed into the kitchen.
As he settled into the Hostess City, however, he realized something was missing when he dined out. He couldn’t satisfy his craving for the Spanish food he found in other cities like Orlando, Tampa and Miami — so he decided to make it himself.
When Chazito’s Latin Cuisine was first conceived in 2012, Ortiz was serving just three items — empanadas, plantains and pinchos (a Puerto Rican kabob) — under a pop-up tent at local events. By 2015, his grandfather purchased an old Frito Lay’s truck, which they converted over the course of 6 months into the now-recognizable food truck. In 2016, a second truck was purchased, and the Pooler brick-and-mortar location opened to the public.
The road to success wasn’t always smooth, however. At first, Ortiz faced unexpected challenges, from diners with serious dietary restrictions to those who couldn’t pronounce the company’s name. Today, Chazito’s unique menu is the result of hard work and creativity all in the name of giving the community the Latin flavors they had been missing out on, and doing it in a way that felt familiar and could be enjoyed by all. Some of the most popular menu items, like the Boricua Burrito and the Ropa Vieja Tacos, were never items Ortiz intended to serve, but these fusions of classic and modern helped him share Puerto Rican dishes with Savannah in a way that didn’t feel intimidating.
And given he’s traveling down the road in a moving kitchen, things are bound to not always go as planned. “You have to learn to deal with so many variables,” he says. “These trucks are kitchens on wheels. You’re bumping down the road and the next thing you know, one of your fryers doesn’t work and you’ve got to decide to pan fry or grab a pot. Generators shut off and now you can’t use electrical appliances, and you have to use gas appliances.” Having the truck taught Ortiz a lot about persistence, creativity and the willingness to rethink the plan to make it work.
When Hurricane Matthew hit in 2016, food trucks were some of the only services able to operate. They could travel through the city serving hot meals to residents who hadn’t had power in days. Chazito’s was one of these trucks assisting the community — making sure everyone was fed, from the city’s stranded residents to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) first responders there to assist the city.
“Chazito’s signed a deal with FEMA that if anything happens here again, we will be there,” Ortiz says. In 2020, when concerns about COVID-19 began shutting down the city, Ortiz drove to residents unable to leave their houses for groceries or take-out.
Overall, Ortiz believes the good times have outweighed the bad. As a small business, he has been able to create meaningful relationships with the people who come to enjoy his food. “I’ve had customers turn into friends. I’ve had couples meet each other at my food trucks and then years later, I’m catering their wedding, and then years later, they’re bringing their kids to eat my food,” he says with a laugh. “I’ve had people tell me I gave them a memory of their grandma’s food or childhood foods from Puerto Rico and Cuba. I’m able to bring them nostalgia and connect with them on so many different levels. That’s everything for me.”
A study abroad trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, changed Jordan Williamson’s life (not to be dramatic, but it’s true). The experience led her to pursue graduate studies, learn Spanish and fall in love with Latin, Mexican and Hispanic culture. As an Atlanta-based social media marketer and content creator, Williamson shares stories of her travels online as “La Gringa Jo.” Family visits to southeast Georgia frequently require a stop at Chazito’s Latin Cuisine.
