Meet Lucky. Lucky comes to us straight from Italia and he is on a mission to bring Puccia, an historical bread dating back to the “once upon a time” days, to Austin and to keep its doughy tradition alive. At the window, I said, “What is your name?” He replied, “Lucky.” I responded, “That’s the name you were born with?” He smiled, and said, “No, it’s Lucciano.” That made a lot more sense–between the authentic Italian sandwiches he makes to order, and his thick accent that hasn’t yet adopted (and probably never will) ya’ll or other Texonomies, I thought for a second I really was in Italy, until I remembered the Tiniest Bar in Texas provides a parking home for Lucky’s Puccias.

I asked Lucky about the bread, and learned that it originates in the Buglia region from Medieval times. And, suddenly, as I looked through the serving window to the interior of the truck, I found myself faced with a perplexing juxtaposition of old and modern times. Let’s just say there’s a concrete oven (old) with a blazing hot fire INSIDE the trailer (modern) that he uses to bake each 5-inch round Puccia that will encase visitors’ menu selections. Nothing beats fresh, and these sandwiches are just that and nothing more– a welcome simplicity that is hard to come by in restaurants where menu items are jam packed with long lists of ingredients. According to Lucky, Puccia is made with only 5 ingredients and he couldn’t share the secret, but it does include organic flour, and the way water is integrated into the recipe is key.

Lucky said that every restaurant is concerned with making money. But, what is more important to him, is sharing the story and the taste of Puccia with Austin.

Thanks, Brian, for sharing your sandwich with my camera!

Lucky was so hospitable, he even brought us a sample of Puccia dessert! Triangles filled with gooey peanut butter and nutella. Let’s just say I almost had an intentional allergic reaction— it was not easy to resist this puppy (yes, peanut allergic over here), but my dinner friends did a nice job of gobbling it up before I could put myself in danger.

When I asked Lucky if the trailer gets hot working with an oven inside, he replied simply and with a huge grin, “No. I have A/C, a big fan, and….stamina”.

Something about authenticity, simplicity, freshness, flavor, and downright friendly hospitality  made me feel right at home. Maybe a trip to Italy is in order…or another trip to Lucky’s Puccias.

Check out their Facebook page for hours— they’re open late on most nights and for lunch on M,T,W, so if you work downtown, go grab a bite of Italy!