Sicilian Street Food truck in Tairua

David Perillo during siesta outside his food truck business in Tairua. Photo / Alison Smith

A little bit of Sicily has arrived in Tairua.

Unable to travel due to New Zealand's border closure, "compulsive traveller" David Perillo and business partner Steve Gilberd have put their energies into a vehicle - a food truck that's proving popular in town.

David and Steve are well-known in hospitality, David formerly owner of the successful Auckland Italian restaurant Vinozo.

They plan to make the most of beach life on the Coromandel in between preparing their Sicilian dishes including arancine, which comes from Arance, meaning Oranges - so-named because the fried rice balls look like big juicy oranges.

David's father Jono was one of eight siblings who arrived in New Zealand from Italy with their parents in 1950, among the many Italians including Sicilians who moved to New Zealand to distance themselves from the Nazi atrocities suffered during WWII.

The family embraced life here and built up a thriving shoe manufacturing business, while David built a reputation in hospitality.

Steve's paternal ancestors, from England, arrived from Devon in December 1840 and were builders and bakers, building many of Auckland's first houses.

His father is Bruce Gilberd, the former Anglican bishop of Auckland.

Steve Gilberd with the risotto mix. Photo / Alison Smith

The new business in Tairua employs locals and keeps it in the family with the owners' children among the team.

"Steve and I have been mates since we were at school 42 years ago, we worked together a lot in hospitality all our lives," says David. "When I owned Vinozo I was working 20 hours a day seven days a week and swore I'd never go back to it.

"During lockdown I saw the caravan and thought 'why not'. A food truck is something different, being in Tairua it means we can go to the beach, so we'll close between 3pm and 4pm for a siesta."

David Perillo during siesta outside his food truck business in Tairua. Photo / Alison Smith

David says the caravan was "a wreck with grass growing around it" and it had sat at his cousin's house for 10 years.

The year 2020 became time for action.

A sailor, he once lived in Fiji and sailed home to the Bay of Islands where he saw the "fresh and green" of New Zealand, and is now reflecting on the beauty of the Coromandel and New Zealand in general.

"We saw the lease for a site on Main Rd, Tairua, and thought 'what else are we going to do?'. I would be in Italy now if I could be, I'm a compulsive traveller, but this year I've asked myself, what am I doing? It's better here.

"My family is Italian and I love it, but it's taxing, it's a long way to go, you need a holiday to recover from your holiday. You come down here and it's a holiday as soon as you park your car," says David.

"The travelling thing was a trend, social media driving you to get 'that photo' in front of the Eiffel Tower, it was madness. If you want to have a good time, come to Tairua. I'm not that interested in going anywhere else."

Sicilian Street Food will be in Tairua until after Easter.

David's favourites in New Zealand include sailing the Hauraki Gulf, Port Jackson, Whangapoua, Coromandel Town and Te Kouma: "I like it a bit wilder."

Steve's parents Bruce and Pat live on the estuary side of Manaia Rd in Tairua and the family get to spend Christmas watching the comings and goings of the tide.