Atlanta

This Jamaican Food Truck is Launching in Atlanta

Expect Jamaican grill favorites, oxtails, rasta pasta, and American-inspired comfort food.

Image from Wah Gwaan Naunie’s on Instagram

ATLANTA, GA – A new Jamaican and American food truck from Sharmele Smiley and her husband, Evrol Rambo Smith, is preparing to launch in the greater Atlanta area.

Smiley told Business Debut the food truck will travel to events and festivals with plans to serve DeKalb County, Gwinnett County, and Fulton County. Their first planned truck event is AfroFest in June at Candler Park.

What to Expect

The food truck will focus on Jamaican grill dishes with some American additions, Smiley told Business Debut. Smith is from Clarendon, Jamaica, and brings a traditional Jamaican cooking style to the concept, while Smiley, who is from Boston, brings American influences to the menu.

The couple previously operated Naunie’s International Cuisine in Lilburn before deciding to move the business into a food truck, Smiley told Business Debut.

Guests can expect jerk chicken, jerk pork, jerk wings, ribs, and oxtails, Smiley told Business Debut. The team is also considering whole snapper, though that item is still to be announced.

Sides are expected to include collard greens, cabbage, baked mac and cheese, rice and peas, white rice, and rasta pasta. Smiley said the rasta pasta may be offered with different protein options, including jerk chicken, jerk pork, or oxtails.

The food truck’s name comes from the Jamaican phrase “wah gwaan,” meaning “what’s going on,” Smiley told Business Debut. She said the family connection is also part of the concept, with grandchildren calling her Naunie and Smith “Fadda.”