- April 26, 2024
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In 2018, Jessica and Thomas James Foreman thought it was time to take their business a step further.
As self-described foodies, and owners of international soul food catering company Sauté Kingz by Chef Count, the Foremans watched the Food Network regularly. They had recently begun competing in local food competitions — including Ormond Beach's King of the Grille, in which they placed second in the People's Choice Category in 2019, the last time the competition was held — and Jessica Foreman decided to start applying to appear on TV competitions.
The Foremans have always wanted a food truck, so they decided to go forward and try to appear on "The Great Food Truck Race," a show where teams compete in a race to win $50,000. They went through the application and casting process three times, including once right before the pandemic where they thought they were on the verge of achieving their goal, before the Foremans, together with their son Jesshuan, were finally accepted to participate in season 15, which began airing on Monday, June 5.
"It was a great feeling, because even to be accepted on that platform (the Food Network) felt like an accomplishment, because you are in competition on a nationwide platform," said Thomas James Foreman, who also goes by Chef Count. "There's people applying from so many states for this and to know that we had gotten that far, it was mind-blowing."
It was surreal, said Jessica Foreman, especially after almost five years of trying to get casted.
"You've got to understand sometimes it's not your time," she said. "But, be persistent and we always worked on our craft."
And it was their craft, their love of food, that brought the Foremans together in the first place.
They met in the late 90s in a Mexican restaurant in Ormond Beach they both used to work at called Don Pablo. Later, the couple moved to Orlando and Thomas James Foreman began working as a private chef in Downtown Disney (now called Disney Springs) and Jessica Foreman worked at a cafe in nearby Celebration. They moved back to Daytona around 2008 and began their catering service as Thomas James Foreman attended culinary school, establishing a Sauté Kingz catering kitchen in Holly Hill in 2008.
But it was street vending that Jessica Foreman said redefined their business, particularly their live sauté station.
"It's focused on the live cooking element," Thomas James Foreman said.
Their catering kitchen is now located at 200 S. Martin Luther King Blvd. in Daytona Beach, where they also train local children in the community with free kids cooking classes.
For the Foremans on the show, it was a different experience working from inside a food truck.
"We've never worked in a food truck, we've never owned one," Jessica Foreman said. "So for us, this is a new experience."
That's hasn't stopped them before though. When the Foremans began their business, they knew their model was a bit "unorthodox."
"We started as street vendors," Jessica Foreman said. "We've been in the hospitality industry for over 20 years, and I always tell people to never give up on their dream, no matter what."
"The Great Food Truck Race" airs every Sunday at 9 p.m. on the Food Network.
