The Sacred Cod Food Truck
Paul Chartier got his first job at a fish market at the age of 14 and hasn’t looked back. For more than four decades he has worked with seafood in some capacity, including as owner of a fishmonger business called the Oldsquaw Fish Co. in the seaside city of Gloucester, Mass., for 15 years. About five years ago, Chartier bought a food truck and began working toward offering a menu focused on fresh fish. The Sacred Cod Food Truck (sacred-cod.com, find them on Facebook and Instagram), as it’s now known, features many items Chartier has worked on over a period of several years. Menu items include fried haddock, which can be ordered as a plate of fish and chips with coleslaw, as tacos with handmade tortillas or as sandwiches with lettuce, cheese and Chartier’s own scratch-made tartar sauce. He also serves a lemon and dill salmon burger, made fresh with scallions, garlic and Dijon mustard. You can find The Sacred Cod Food Truck every Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. at BareWolf Brewing (12 Oakland St., Amesbury, Mass.), and Chartier also regularly appears at Brewery Silvaticus (9 Water St., Amesbury, Mass.) and Newburyport Brewing Co. (4 New Pasture Road, Newburyport, Mass.). The Scene recently caught up with Chartier to talk about his unique journey from fishmonger to food trucker.
How long has The Sacred Cod Food Truck been around?
The summer of 2019 was my first year. The truck took a couple of years to build. I had to completely gut it from the inside out when I first got it.
What makes The Sacred Cod Food Truck unique?
I don’t know anybody else who does what I do and also has the knowledge of the fish business that I do. … I still have a lot of contacts in Gloucester, so I usually try to get dayboat fish.
What is your favorite thing on your menu?
The fried haddock, no doubt.
What is something everyone should try?
We’re known for our fish and chips, but the haddock sandwich with tartar sauce, lettuce and cheese is kind of our signature [item]. … I get an awful lot of compliments on my tartar sauce, but I just make it the way I like it.
What celebrity would you like to see ordering from the truck?
Eric Clapton. He’s an English boy so he’d enjoy a fried haddock sandwich, I’m sure of it.
What is an essential skill to running a food truck?
You’ve got to be self-motivated. Let’s face it — the restaurant business is a ton of work, and far more a labor of love than anything else. You’ve got to care about the quality of the food you’re
putting out and to have personal pride in what you’re doing.
What is your favorite thing about being on the Seacoast?
I just love the salt marshes, whether it’s in Seabrook or on the backside of Gloucester.
— Matt Ingersoll
Photo Credit: The Sacred Cod Food Truck.
