By Rachael Rivera, AAP Columnist
Georgios “George” Horiates and Laura Mortell, the owners and operators of Cooper River Lunch & Munch, took some time to speak with me about their mission and hopes for the future with the food truck. Georgios is a second generation chef, kicking butt behind the grill to turn out amazing platters. His own father owned the Collingswood Family Restaurant and had Georgios in the kitchen at only 12 years old, learning the business. I was given the chance to try the gyro which has had rave reviews on popular social media outlets and for good reason. It’s awesome! As soon as Laura brought it out I thought to myself, “Man, what a perfect walking food.” This is a great meal if you’re on the go, maybe taking a stroll around the river. They manage to stuff this edible treasure to the brim without having everything fall all over the place. The Tzatziki sauce is homemade by Georgios’ own mother; and let me tell you, this stuff is the real deal. It’s the kind of sauce you could eat solo with some fresh veggies. It’s creamy, tangy and fresh.
Georgios also gave me a food dish I hadn’t had before, Greek fries. Fries, in general, are a weakness of mine if they are crispy and fresh. These definitely were. They were covered with crumbled feta cheese and a combination of herbs and spices that, I was told, are a family secret. It was lovely, especially if you, like myself, aren’t much of a salt fan but you still want flavor. The feta gave the fries a tangy flavor you could compare to a salty zing, but it didn’t overwhelm the fries at all. Thinking back now, I would suggest maybe asking for a side of the Tzatziki sauce for dipping.
Cooper River Lunch & Munch opened up at this location in March of this year, but they’ve had this truck for a few years and go all over the place attending festivals and private events. They dish out all sorts of genres of food; and for a recent event, they created a menu specializing in Greek cuisine for patrons to try. Laura is the catering contact and will work with customers to create the menu they want. With any event, they really try to adapt to their customer base.
The truck is located at the corner of Browning Rd. and North Park Drive. If you’re coming from North Park Drive, look in a little on Browning and you can’t miss the bright orange truck. They even offer seating nestled under the trees, where you can go have lunch in the shade and, maybe, enjoy watching people walk the river in peace.
Cooper River Lunch & Munch has great hours and offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They are open Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; and Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. They also have a pretty active Facebook page that I definitely encourage you to “like;” specials are posted there all the time and they have tons of customer reviews. Cooper River Lunch & Munch will also be attending The Pennsauken “Bite Night” events on Aug. 18 and Sept.15; make sure to check them out if you go.
For more information, e-mail CooperRiverLunchAndMunch@gmail.com or call (856) 669-9060. For catering info, call (843) 360-9270.
