Otis Frizzell
Street artist-turned-foodie Otis Frizzell has revisited his artistic roots for a good cause – illustrating nine-year-old Loughlin Mosen’s story Gorillas Can’t Swim for the 2016 Barfoot & Thompson Young Authors Challenge storybook. When he isn’t being creative, Frizzell (son of artist Dick Frizzell) is usually elbow-deep in tacos for his current venture with wife Sarah: a food truck named the Lucky Taco.
You visited the US and Mexico to learn about the food-truck scene and authentic Mexican cuisine. What is your favourite salsa? The Lucky Taco Pink Pickle. We learnt how to make it in Mexico City. It’s simple, but amazing: red onions, lemon, lime and orange juice, habaneros and salt. It’s magic. It’ll turn a plain toasted cheese sandwich into something special.
What is your favourite childhood food memory? Potter Warren Tippett was a friend of my parents, and he shared a spicy roast chicken recipe with Mum when I was a kid. I loved it. Mum has always been an incredible home cook, so I grew up eating really tasty food.
Is healthy eating a priority? Sarah and I eat pretty healthily, but we’re not hung up on it. I love a good burger, but not every night. It’s all about balance. What’s your typical breakfast? A smoothie made with almond milk, spinach, ginger, banana, apple, kiwifruit, pineapple and melon. And a coffee. Sometimes Vogel’s toast. If we get a day off on a weekend, I’ll make poached eggs.
What about lunch? It always changes: dumplings, noodle soup, a salad, leftovers from home, a bagel from the Tannery. Whatever’s clever.
What is your favourite evening meal? That’s impossible to answer; I have a few faves, though. Sarah’s lamb neck-chop stew is perfect comfort food. A butterflied chook roasted in the Lucky Taco chicken marinade, with cumin mashed potatoes and spicy slaw. Dumplings from Tianze [Dumpling House] on Sandringham Rd in Auckland.
What happens when you dine at other people’s homes? When you make food for a living, people sometimes think they need to impress you. But I’m thankful if someone goes to the trouble to cook me dinner. I’m a simple guy, really. Our friend Felicity brought Peter Gordon to our house for brunch a while ago. Sarah and I were terrified, cooking for such a legend, but we just made nice, simple, yummy food. And he loved it. Well, he said he did, anyway …