Anne Mouritsen discovered her love of cooking while watching her father experiment in the kitchen during her childhood in Brazil.
She’d watch him play with unique flavor combinations in traditional dishes — and, of course, taste the final product. Cooking with him fostered a passion for sharing traditional Brazilian dishes and inspired her to make that her life’s work by opening her Made in Brazil food truck in West Jordan seven months ago.
In that short time, Made in Brazil has already garnered recognition in the Salt Lake food truck scene. Two weeks ago, the truck took home the New Food Truck Salt Award at the inaugural Food Truck and Brewery Battle — a win Mouritsen couldn’t believe.
“We were completely surprised because we were in such great company,” she said. “You never know how much people are going to enjoy your food, and we are so proud.”
The event kicked off the Salt Awards, The Salt Lake Tribune’s annual celebration of community favorites and emerging talent and experiences. Voting is open online at tribsalt.com through Sept. 1; other categories include favorite ski resort, music venue, coffee experience and weekend brunch.
Eventgoers also voted for their best new breweries at the battle, with RoHa Brewing Project taking home the accolade. The brewery opened in the spring, and operations manager Jamie Burnham said they hit the ground running to get their beer out to the public.
“Winning the award goes to show that we put our best foot forward and people like the beer,” she said.
For Mouritsen, winning the Salt Award affirmed her decision to open Made in Brazil and share her heritage through food. Some favorites of the truck include feijoada, a black bean stew with beef and pork; fried savory pies called pastels; and coxinhas – a staple in Brazilian street food that consists of fried dough stuffed with flavorful shredded chicken.
Hearing customers enjoy her food doesn’t get old, Mouritsen said. At the battle, she said customers took pictures of the truck’s food and posted about how much they enjoyed it.
“People will try your food and say it’s so great and like nothing they’ve ever had before,” she said. “I love seeing people connect with the food I grew up making.”