Anthony and Jamie Chavez in their Live Great Food truck.

You may recognize the Chavez family from their iconic food truck, Live Great Food, but the Chavez “tribe,” as they call it (which includes their four kids, grandma, and one-year-old English Mastiff) loves to explore: foraging, hiking, kayaking, visiting local farms, and hitting up Irvine Park in Chippewa Falls. Mom-and-Dad duo Jamie and Anthony Chavez still feel like they’ve only scratched the surface of what life in the Chippewa Valley has to offer. 

Name:

Anthony and Jamie Chavez

Where do you live?

Near Lake Wissota in Chippewa Falls.

What’s one of the best experiences you’ve had in the Chippewa Valley?

Blue Ox. We took our 13 year old this year and by the time we left she was quoted as saying, “I’ve found my people.”

Describe a rewarding experience you’ve had in your current job.

We have a pickled beet catsup, and the immediate response to it is, “Ha, no, I hate beets.” But 99.99% of our customers will at least try it, and most end up loving it. Being able to introduce new ideas, new perspectives, different opinions, unfamiliar or familiar foods in unfamiliar ways, to completely change how someone thinks about what they are eating, is the most rewarding experience for us.   

What is one thing most people might not know about owning a food truck?

That you will inevitably become an electrician, a mechanic, a fabricator, a welder, a painter, a driver, and a garbage man. But we never truly work a day in our life because we love what we are doing! 

Death bed, one meal from a local restaurant, what would it be?

Dillybob special from Eau Juicy.

What do you think the Chippewa Valley really needs?

More shelters.

If you could rename Eau Claire with a different French name, what would it be? Why?

Today, we’d look to name the city something that embodied the culture here, perhaps something like Maison Excentrique (Quirky Home) or maybe, Nouveau Nord (New North). But truth be told, Wah-yaw-con-ut-ta-gua-yaw-Sebe (Ojibwa for “the water of the river is clear”) couldn’t be a more fitting name in our opinion.