The purple-painted Auto-Banh Food Truck, known affectionately as “Big Purp,” was recently towed into the parking lot at 1117 Magnolia Road – the longtime home of West Ashley dive bar Tin Roof. The truck, owned by West Ashley resident Jeanine Cafaro, has been scooting around Charleston since 2012, serving the Vietnamese staple banh mi sandwiches to eager fans at public and private events throughout the Tri-county area. Cafaro was so busy over the past four years, Big Purp decided to give up on life on the road. Several months ago as Cafaro was headed to an event on Johns Island, the rear axle literally fell off in the middle of Maybank Highway.
“It seemed like the end of Autobahn,” says Cafaro. “Then Erin (Tyler, owner of Tin Roof and longtime friend of Cafaro) called me up and said, why don’t you bring it to Tin Roof.” Tyler later explained she had wanted to open the bar earlier in the day, and Auto-Banh was the solution to her problem of staffing a kitchen for lunch.
So here it is — Big Purp — permanently at Tin Roof, serving a wide variety of banh mi sandwiches. In case you’re not familiar with the fare, a banh mi sandwich is native to Vietnam, where the banh (bread) is similar to a French baguette, co-opted into a uniquely southeast Asian food item following the French occupation of Indochina. The basis of an Auto-Banh sandwich is an 8-inch baguette stuffed with cucumber, cilantro, pickled carrots, daikon radish, cabbage, jalapeno, and spicy mayo.
On top of that, Carfaro layers on a variety of proteins, such as Low & Slow Chinese BBQ Pork, Lemongrass Grilled Chicken, Curry Fried Tofu, and Crispy Fried Chicken with spicy honey and pickled okra. All of the sandwiches are lovingly drizzled in Vietnamese vinaigrette. Other regularly featured specials include Vietnamese pork meatballs, beer-braised beef, spicy Thai shredded beef, spicy roasted cauliflower, crispy pork belly, duck confit, citrus BBQ brisket, and spicy shrimp.
Cafaro says she loved the tradition of the banh mi sandwich, along with the built-in diversity it allows. “It’s already a classic fusion dish, and there’s a lot you can play with with that,” she says. “And I Americanized it, basically by making it bigger.”
“It’s my kind of food. It’s a great balance between healthy and gluttonous,” she says. “It’s got fried chicken or roasted pork, but it’s also loaded with veggies, so it seems healthy and you can still feel good about yourself.”
Having a permanent home has allowed Cafaro to nail down the basic menu while going further out of the box with Auto-Banh’s menu. “I’m glad to park it. I love moving around but it’s nice to have that consistency,” she says. “Being stationary gives us more time to dream up new specials and do other fun stuff.”
Carfaro says business at the permanent location has been good so far. “We’ve been fortunate to have made so many great friends all over Charleston,” she says. “Now we’re making new friends and fans in West Ashley!”
Tin Roof is located at 1117 Magnolia Road. The Auto-Banh Food Truck is open for lunch Tuesday through Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Keep up with the truck’s news and lunch special at Facebook.com/AutoBanhFoodTruck.