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From authentic Cuban coffee to Peruvian fried yuca, the Jacksonville International Food Trail will give residents’ taste buds a trip around the world, without ever having to leave the city.

The International Food Trail is a list of local restaurants that boast cultural ties from around the world.

“Some of these places are becoming frequent flyers for me because they’re so amazing and the people are so kind and generous,” said Anthony Prinz, Jacksonville’s director of transportation services. “Their mission is to offer you an enjoyable experience and help you experience their culture through their food.”

Tourism Development Authority travel marketing expert Susan Dosier came up with the idea for the food trail after discovering a large number of independent restaurants in Jacksonville.

“I was impressed when I was in Jacksonville,” Dosier said. “I would keep stumbling upon these little restaurants, independently owned, no flashing neon lights, kind of business. Humble, not out there in terms of a presence in marketing, restaurants that really had amazing food.”

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Dosier said she knew some of her avid food colleagues would be interested in diving into some of these places, so she started building a list. He invited Charlotte-based travel and food writer Heidi Billotto to be a second objective and help vet and select restaurants to be included on the official International Food Trail.

“I knew I had strong feelings for some of the places I was seeing, but I needed an objective eye because I’ve already had the Jacksonville Kool-Aid,” Dosier said. “So, I said, let’s get a second opinion. It helped identify and find some of these places.”

Dosier said the gastronomic journey will have at least two stages, as they will identify more restaurants.

“Once we started peeling the onion, we realized we had a lot of inventory here, and especially in a city of this size,” Dosier said. “When we started talking to people, we realized that some people had moved here because the price for admission and our rent was affordable for independent restaurants.”

While Dosier and Billotto selected restaurants with authentic and well-prepared international cuisine, Prinz made sure that everyone was in good standing with the city.

“These days, we are seeing post-COVID that one of the significant travel trends is that people follow food and drink,” Prinz said. “While before there were many other reasons why people traveled. When people were stuck at home, in many cases they became foodies. They are taking that passion out of their home and into the world now to explore it further and that’s really why. that I think our timing is what’s good and why we’re getting a great response. “

Who’s on the trail? 

Despite a large number of restaurant chains in Jacksonville, there are also many independent international venues, many of which even longtime residents like Prinz didn’t know existed. This may interest you : Meet the new Executive Director of the Arts of Great Falls.

Agave Azul Modern Mex & amp; Cantina, located in Sneads Ferry, serves a modern twist on classic Mexican flavor, while Elsa’s Place on Court Street offers authentic Caribbean cuisine, such as “melted from the bone” oxtail.

Filipino cuisine serves everything from lumpia to grilled sausages, Liliana’s Colombian restaurant and bakery offer freshly baked arepas, Marrakech’s Mediterranean cuisine drives visitors crazy with their stuffed grape leaves, and Mi Cabana offers traditional food Mexican.

Also on the list is The Milk Road, with their Liège Belgium Waffles; The Old Siam, which serves authentic Thai food; Olea Mediterranean Kitchen, with informal dishes of Mediterranean and Greek inspiration; Paleteria Deya ice cream parlor, with Mexican artisan ice cream; Pho 7, which offers pho and bubble tea; Havana 58 Cafe, serving Cuban coffee; and Pollos Tete, a South American restaurant with authentic Peruvian cuisine.

El Cerro Panaderia, the only panaderia or bakery in Jacksonville, closed on Sunday but was also on the list.

Alejandra Medina of Paleteria Deya said the International Food Trail is a really good opportunity.

“I really want to point out that everything is fresh, homemade and we use natural fruits and vegetables,” Medina said. “We really want to point out that we have the normal too, like milkshakes and banana slices, so we have everything for everyone.”

Havana 58 Cafe owner Joaquin Molina Uscanga also appreciates the path, saying it has brought him new customers. Havana 58 offers authentic Cuban coffee, which according to him is the best coffee around.

“The International Food Trail is very important because my menu is different,” said Uscanga, adding that there is no coffee shop like hers in Onslow. “Every day since I arrived, I have had new customers who are surprised by my coffee, they liked it and they come back.”

Havana 58 offers everything from coffee, smoothies, Italian sodas, cakes and a Cuban hot dog sandwich that Dosier says is “really good”.

More information about each restaurant on the International Food Trail, such as everything they offer and where you can find it, can be found at visitjacksonvillenc.com.

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Community benefit 

Dosier said she thinks the coastal location of the Lejeune Marine Corps Base Camp makes a big difference in the type and variety of people the area has attracted. See the article : Mmmm muffin (tops)! Food science students develop gluten-free product. He said that so far the response to the gastronomic journey has been excellent.

“Tourism really works on small businesses,” Dosier said. “We appreciate our chains, we don’t misunderstand that, it’s so important to our area, people love to have many choices. But the thing that sets you apart when a visitor decides to come is often your small businesses and the things that are unique. and different, like Lejeune Memorial Gardens, like Mike’s Farm, the fact that we’re 30 minutes from Swansboro. “

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Dosier said that small towns are hot in the world of travel coverage right now and the point of the food trail is to shed some light on some of these restaurants.

“They are still recovering from the impact of COVID, so it’s important for us to support them and give them some noise,” Dosier said. “This group will not necessarily have McDonalds’ marketing budget.”

Prinz said many of these entrepreneurs are also veterans, which gives the route a dual benefit: showcasing Jacksonville’s variety of cuisine and talent, as well as supporting veteran-owned local businesses.

He added that the city hasn’t fully explored the food route yet, so it’s unknown what it might mean in the future.

“By partnering with local companies like these, we hope to promote them as a great opportunity for people to come and visit and enjoy what we have to offer,” said Prinz. “But this is only the beginning, so we don’t know what the future will be like and as we move forward with the things we want to do, we will probably try to help and join our efforts to celebrate these things too.”

The International Food Trail truly has something for everyone and Dosier and Prinz encourage people to post their adventures on social media with the hashtag, #InternationalFoodTrailJNC. Your post may be shared on their own feeds.

Those interested can also check out Raleigh-based influencer Taylor Hope Mclean, who has partnered with the Tourism Authority to promote the food journey.

Journalist Morgan Starling can be reached at mstarling@gannett.com

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