"[The food hall] has a good ground for big groups and young people, and it's a place I always enjoyed," says Channell, who runs the front-of-house operations for 22 Provisions. "With Quincy's culinary background, he takes the traditional sandwiches and executes them with professional knowledge."
The idea behind the concept is to serve the sandwiches classically found on the East Coast, such as Philly cheesesteaks; a Taylor ham, egg and cheese; a roasted pork sandwich and more. But these are no ordinary takes on the staples. The Philly, for example, comes piled high with thinly sliced sous vide steak that's finished in a hot cast-iron pan. It's then chopped with a housemade cheese sauce that Cherrett creates using heavy cream steeped with thyme and garlic, and American cheese folded in. The roast pork also gets extra love, as the pork filet cures for two days before being roasted, sliced and topped with charred broccolini, melty provolone and a dollop of umami-rich jus.
All of the sandwiches come on bread baked fresh by City Bakery, and some rolls, like the one used for the Philly and roast pork, get steamed before serving in order to give the sandwich that extra-soft chew.
The perfect grilled cheese with a side of fries or creamy mac and cheese is listed as a kids' option, while vegans and vegetarians can dig into the TLT, made with cured and smoked tofu sliced so thin that it gets as crunchy as regular bacon. There's a vegan green goddess sauce spread on the bread to add a rich herbal note — but it tastes great on the fries, too.
"It's clear a lot of places don't necessary care or know how to make a vegan option, and it seems they often mail it in," comments Channell. "We care a lot and put a lot of thought into our take on the BLT."
Channell, a Philadelphia native, and Cherrett met each other about twelve years ago in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, through the Fine Dining Restaurant Group, where Channell did front-of-house work and Cherrett was the chef. The food truck, says Channell, was something the two had always toyed with, though neither ever considered committing fully to it.
Eventually, both men left Wyoming. Channell moved to Portland, Maine, where he worked at Eventide Oyster Co. and Fore Street Restaurant. Cherrett came to Denver, where he took the position of chef de cuisine at Colt & Gray, then went on to launch the food program at Death & Co. before becoming executive chef of both Izakaya Den and Sushi Den.
Though apart, the two maintained their friendship over the years, and in March 2020, Channell moved to Denver to be Cherrett's roommate. The plan was to start a new job with the restaurant reservation system Toast, but as soon as he arrived in the Mile High City, so did the pandemic, shutting down restaurants and causing his job to fall through.
A small bite of the smoked trout rillette, which normally comes as a spread meant to share.
Linnea Covington
Hence the long-talked-about food truck was born, and the name 22 Provisions was a direct tip of the hat to Jackson Hole: The number refers to Wyoming Highway 22. The provisions part, says Cherrett, speaks to high-end private cheffing work the pair did in Breckenridge in the colder months, when they shut down the truck for the season.
Now anyone can get these sandwiches no matter the time of year. The only issue is picking just one. Advises the chef: The cheesesteak tastes great the day after, so get an extra one to go.
22 Provisions is located inside Avanti Food & Beverage at 3200 Pecos Street and is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. For more information, visit 22provisions.com.
