Johnny Nevada’s Tamales, which made its debut last week, is now dishing up masa goodness and other Mexican street food favorites out of its roving red and black truck.

In addition to the tamales, much of what makes the food truck stand out is the pedigree of the chef behind it. Owner James Shields, who grew up in Seminole, has been an executive chef for Capital Grille, Ruth’s Chris and the Palm concepts for over 20 years. Now, Johnny Nevada’s Tamales is his passion project brought to life, serving the streets of St. Pete his handcrafted cuisine.

The corn-wrapped tamales are of course the star of the food truck’s menu, coming in three varieties. The specialty is Johnny’s Carnitas, stuffed with slow-cooked pork, lime, garlic, and cilantro. While we expect options to rotate, other opening night options were green chili chicken and braised short rib barbacoa.