In the debut episode of The Charlotte Business Podcast, host Ashley Boti sits down with Chef Josh Kitchens, the creative force behind Wrap and Roll CLT, a Charlotte food truck known for chef-inspired handhelds with a seafood focus. Josh grew up on a farm, mentored in the kitchen by his grandmother, Mary Kitchens, whose focus on fresh ingredients and soulful cooking shaped his approach to food.
The conversation traces Josh's path from a corporate job to private chef work, and from there to launching his own truck with no formal business background. He talks candidly about opening six months before COVID, why a food truck is hard to scale, how he balances the truck with private chef bookings, and the financial lessons he learned the hard way. If you are thinking about starting a food business in Charlotte, this episode is a practical first look at what it really takes.
“It's never about what you make. It's all about what you keep.”
Watch the full conversation above, or listen on Buzzsprout.
Josh was working a corporate job when he got an opportunity to cook for a friend of a hotel general manager. That led to a private chef gig for a family on a small island off the coast of Maine, and to a relationship with a client who asked what he wanted to do with his career. Josh said he wanted to own his own business, and the client offered to help. They tried a few ideas, and the partnership behind the truck is still going today.
Josh says he did not know much about owning a business, so he started with a small round and learned as he went.
Josh grew up on a farm in a small town, where the family lived off the land and rarely shopped in stores. Watching his grandmother whip up meals showed him he could do the same. A neighbor who bought the store, and exposure to restaurants and different cuisines, shaped his palate. He credits having both influences, and many mentors, with helping him create his own path.
The biggest challenge was opening about six months before the pandemic. The city shut down, there was a curfew, and Josh had already quit his full-time job. He did not qualify for PPP because the business was too new. He found out the restrictions and planned around them, offered free meals to kids, and kept going out. Apartment communities started calling, which he says became a whole trend afterward. The host calls this pivoting, and Josh agrees that keeping the wheels turning was key.
Josh describes the balance as a tug of war. The truck was going well, but he was not fulfilled. He tried having others run it, which worked, but a truck is not scalable. After running the numbers he scaled back the truck and chose private chef work, where he felt margins were better. Now he fills the truck schedule when he is not away, which gives him freedom and the best of both.
Charlotte has a lot of great trucks, and Josh says what stands out is that he caters to his audience. He never has a set menu, and followers trust that anything new will have flavor and quality. The menu is seafood based, including lobster, crab and shrimp, and ideas come from stores, farmers markets and other chefs.
Josh says he learned the operating side by trial and error and wishes he had talked to other truck owners first. He did not see a profit for the first two years and says a truck is only the bottom of the hill. For funding, he credits an opportunity that came from cooking for a client who became a friend and helped fund the truck on very good terms, while Josh was already saving to leave his job. The host adds that bank loans are not as easy as social media suggests, and that monthly payments matter.
The most rewarding part of the journey now is having choices, such as taking days off and spending a week with his mom because he knows what weekly revenue looks like. For the future, he plans more private chef work and wants to bring Wrap and Roll to Atlanta, possibly in winter before the World Cup. He is not ready to open a restaurant, but if he did, he imagines a small, high-demand setting for about 20 guests a night.
Josh goes to the same areas strategically, including Uptown, University and Ballantyne, because he has clientele there. Events matter too, from fan days at the stadium to recurring work with local museums. He has not collaborated much with other chefs but says he would love to. He says Charlotte's competition is what moves the needle.
His favorite item on the menu is the Krabby B, a crab cake named after Cardi B, with brown sugar and chili cured bacon, whole grain mustard aioli, arugula and tomato. He says people line up for it and promises it stays on the menu.
Chef Josh Kitchens is the creative force behind Wrap and Roll CLT, a Charlotte food truck known for chef-inspired handhelds that bring bold, seafood-forward flavors to the city. Raised on a farm and influenced by his grandmother, Mary Kitchens, he is also a private chef who travels for bookings and brings a soulful, fresh-ingredient approach to every dish.
The Charlotte Business Podcast is always looking for its next guest.
Apply to Be a Guest