Back when modern food trucks were still novel in New Orleans, one of the most popular was Taceaux Loceaux (yes, spelled the Louisiana way). It was typically parked outside of bars, slinging tacos filled with brisket or Korean-style chicken, and many times it saved the day on a night on the town.
The truck is still around, but as of the new year Taceaux Loceaux also now has a new permanent home with a stand inside the St. Roch Market, the food hall on St. Claude Avenue, now serving breakfast tacos and the old favorites between the soaring columns of this landmark building.
Taceaux Loceaux is the latest in an ongoing effort to revive St. Roch Market, which came perilously close to closing until one of the vendors stepped in to take over management and try to steer a new course.
It’s been a worthy effort, for the sake of the small businesses here and also for the fate of a historic and important building. St. Roch Market was once part of the public market system where New Orleans people of generations past shopped for groceries, akin to the French Market back in the day. It had a long decline, and was empty for many years after Katrina. If it shut down again, how long would it sit idle this time, just another of the long, sad list of properties gone fallow in this city?
But today, it feels hopeful and more vibrant than I’ve seen St. Roch Market in years. There’s been much change in the food vendors, which now are up to 10. In addition to tacos, there’s a new vendor for Cuban food and another for muffulettas and old school Italian dishes.
There’s Egyptian food, sushi, bright, flavorful Burmese cooking, a stand for fried chicken and biscuits, another for down home gumbo and po-boys, a coffee shop and a young chef combining Vietnamese flavors with smoky American barbecue (picture pho imbued with pork belly or brisket).
And there’s a bar too. So cheers to St. Roch Market on this journey and here’s to another round of diverse flavor here.
