The Truth About NOLA Creations From Great Food Truck Race: All Stars
Chef Darrell Johnson didn't want to be a contestant on Season 10 of "The Great Food Truck Race" or any other reality food competition, for that matter. He had come in second place on "Cutthroat Kitchen" in 2015, and he wanted to focus on his culinary career when it came time to apply to "The Great Food Truck Race," according to Atlanta Black Star. His wife applied anyway. Johnson did more than make it on the show — he, his wife Aunna Johnson, and Terrell Gaskin won Season 10 in their NOLA Creations food truck (via Shreveport Times). By doing so, the trio made history as the first all-Black team to win the cooking competition on wheels. "If you do it for yourself, you're gonna run up against something that's bigger than you," Johnson told Atlanta Black Star. "So I did it for my family, people that are connected to me, for people in my community."
In the Season 10 finale in Key West, Florida, NOLA Creations edged out Brunch Babes in a spiny lobster challenge. Then the two trucks had to compete sale-for-sale on some variation of key lime pie. It was close: NOLA Creations made key lime beignets and Brunch Babes went with doughnuts. NOLA Creations managed to sell seven more of its key lime treats for the win (via Foodsided).
Now, Johnson and his team will compete against six other previous champions in "The Great Food Truck Race: All-Stars," which premieres Sunday, June 6 on the Food Network.
The NOLA Creations chef on 'The Great Food Truck Race' trained under Emeril Lagasse
Since winning Season 10 of "The Great Food Truck Race" in 2019, NOLA Creations has been serving customers on the streets of Shreveport, Louisiana (via Shreveport Times). The operation is currently taking a break, as chef Darrell Johnson and his team are developing plans to roll out two new food trucks and open a food truck park.
Johnson graduated from Le Cordon Bleu cooking school and trained under Emeril Lagasse when he was executive chef of Commander's Palace in New Orleans, according to Atlanta Black Star. Johnson eventually opened his own restaurant with $1,500 and the stove from his own house, per Food Truck Empire. He found success and was expanding his restaurant space when an unscrupulous contractor ripped him off, leaving his restaurant unfinished and his business out of money. He relocated to Atlanta and started NOLA Creations, a food truck offering traditional New Orleans fare, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: jambalaya, shrimp po boys, crawfish étouffée, and beignets. It turned out to be the recipe for success on "The Great Food Truck Race."