October 23, 2014
Rocket Man: Joseph Meneguzzo ’88 brings fine dining to the street — with out-of-this-world results
By Liz F. Kay
All business owners experience problems, but food truck proprietors Joseph Meneguzzo ’88 and his wife, Patricia, contend with a unique set of challenges.The couple behind Rocket Fine Street Food religiously abides by parking regulations to avoid tickets and relies on a mechanic to maintain their 1986 Chevrolet Kurbmaster’s engine. A GPS helps them find direct routes, since it gets 7 miles to the gallon.
They launched Rocket Fine Street Food after two decades of managing printing companies. It’s the realization of a lifelong ambition of a career in food. Meneguzzo had been an avid home cook from the time he was pulling on the apron strings of his Italian grandmother.
“She was a more-than-willing instructor,” he said. “Food made me happy, and I knew that it had the power to make other people happy.”
But when the Connecticut native went to college, his parents steered him from the culinary arts, and he doesn’t regret it. Meneguzzo described himself as a creative person, which helps not only in the kitchen but also in marketing efforts. “I frequently draw upon the classic liberal arts education I was fortunate enough to receive at PC,” he said.
The two were cautious before making the career switch.
“It was always daunting to us, not having professional training or professional experience with food,” Meneguzzo said. “We bided our time until something came along that suited us.”
That something came in the form of the food truck craze, and the 27-foot truck they bought off Craigslist.
In 2010, the couple launched Rocket in Torrington, Conn. The name came to Meneguzzo in a dream. Rocket’s aluminum body houses a full professional kitchen and was made by Grumman, which manufactured NASA’s Apollo Lunar Module.
Two years later, they moved to Providence, which has a more vibrant street environment, Meneguzzo said. Since then, the business has taken off, serving customers at Kennedy Plaza, Ship Street Square, the Armory Farmers Market, and on Thayer Street, as well as catering corporate and private events.
“I say to people, ‘It’s twice as difficult as we had imagined, but it is ten times as rewarding,’” he said.
Eighty percent of their business is burgers, “made with ingredients that meet our high standards, yet maintain a price point that we can sell on the street.” The burgers and other items showcase seasonal, sustainably sourced food from local farms.
Meneguzzo said food truck customers are different than the ones he encountered in the printing business.
“They are very interested in the microbusiness concept,” Meneguzzo said. “They get to meet the chef, they get to meet the people who are cooking food, and they can see you cooking their food to order. You form these relationships.
“I didn’t realize there was going to be so much interaction…. We’ve never had anybody come back to the truck unhappy.”
