Jennifer Welch basically grew up in Mexico. She was born and raised in Eagle Pass, Texas but spent a lot of time in Piedras Negras, Mexico where some of her mother’s family lived. Cooking was an all day event. With the number of people that had to be fed, it was a continual process. Her grandmother, great grandmother and great aunt were Jennifer’s mentors who engrained a La Frontera style of Mexican cuisine and remain the inspiration for the food that she serves.
While attending Texas A&M, Jennifer met her husband. They moved to Fort Worth, Texas where they both worked for a drilling company. After years of working in a corporate environment, the couple decided it was time for a change. They had always talked about owning a food truck but were reluctant to enter the arena in the already saturated market in which they lived. Jennifer also has family that resides in the Baldwin County area. After reports of all the family friendly activities and festivals, in addition to the limited access to mobile food units in the gulf coast area, the couple decided to take a chance on an untapped market. Jennifer moved to Baldwin County in July of 2015. She started researching, networking and making contacts to put her plan in motion. Initially she was going to purchase an existing unit but soon discovered that she would have one built to her specifications. After procuring a commissary, fulfilling all health department require and learning a lot of lessons the hard way, she was ready to roll.  Puglies Mexican Cuisine made its first debut this past April.
The name for her business was inspired by her two pet pugs, Princess Sofia and Sydney Vicious. She wanted a name that didn’t limit her offerings and also wasn’t hard to pronounce. During a brainstorming session with her husband and cousin the name “Puglies” popped out of her mouth and then she just couldn’t get it out of her head. Once the graphic designer presented her with the logo the name was confirmed. The Puglies menu is always different but it focuses on the traditional Mexican food Jennifer grew up eating. There are always two types of tacos (featuring smoked meats) offered along with the Ugly Puglie sandwich, carnitas, nachos, quesadillas. They are dressed with lettuce, onion, tomatoes, queso fresco and homemade salsa. The Puglies trailer can be found at Fairhope Brewing Company every Wednesday and Friday evening starting at 5pm and Tuesdays they can be located at Seasons Consignments on US Highway 181. Be sure to follow their Facebook page for updates on  future locations and events at which Puglies will be appearing.
Puglies Mexican Cuisine • (251) 436-9644 • Facebook “Puglies”