On the way to an October catering gig, the driveshaft on LeAndra and Thomas Poux’s food-truck fell out. At the time, they were on Huntsville thoroughfare Memorial Parkway during rush-hour which made things even worse. Luckily, the Pouxs, a married couple, were OK. Their Tex-Mex-themed food truck, called Fire & Spice, wasn’t further damaged either.

After the protracted task of getting their 26-foot truck to a garage, a mechanic told LeAndra and Thomas the vehicle was no longer roadworthy. “It was devastating news,” LeAndra says. “We have this kitchen-on-wheels, and the wheels no longer turn.”

The Pouxs also own and operate a second food truck, Heavenly Sinwiches, which serves burgers, cheesesteaks, Cubans, fried chicken sandwiches, etc. Heavenly Sinwiches, which began in 2020 as a “ghost kitchen,” was a regular at Orion Amphitheater this year during that new concert venue’s opening season, giving Heavenly Sinwiches valuable exposure to new customers. Still, LeAndra says, “People really missed Fire & Spice. That was a constant complaint we heard.”

The Pouxs made the decision to convert that still-operational Heavenly Sinwiches truck to Fire & Spice and pause the former concept for now. Fire & Spice, launched in 2015, did bigger business, including weddings and regular weekday lunch schedules with local employers like NASA on Redstone Arsenal as well as Jeff Bezos’ Blue Orion aerospace venture.

The Pouxs considered selling the original Fire & Spice truck, a high-mileage 1999 diesel Freightliner model they customized with a black exterior and red flames, for parts. But they didn’t really know how to go about doing so, and it seemed time-intensive.

“It was frustrating,” LeAndra says. “Now we just have this container. Thomas had the idea of, why don’t we find someone who’s in need of a container kitchen?”

After looking at several options, the couple focused on local breweries, many of which don’t have kitchens. Fire & Spice had been a mainstay at now-shuttered Madison brewery Blue Pants. And Earth and Stone Wood Fired Pizza, owned by Stan Stinson and Tina Ford, the restauranteurs who founded Fire & Spice before then-employees the Pouxs purchased that food truck from them, has been a successful embed at Yellowhammer Brewing for years.

Fractal Brewing Project, which opened in late 2019 at 3200 Leeman Ferry Road, was a favorite of LeAnne and Thomas. They liked Fractal’s beers, which include an Infinite Coast IPA, Time Taker Pilsner and Guava Mango Sour Ale. Since Fractal also makes an excellent non-alcoholic root beer, they could bring their young son along. They also liked the airy sharp makeover owner Larry Lowe had given the space, formerly home to Straight to Ale and Old Towne Brewing Company.

The Pouxs ran the idea by Lowe of bringing their immobilized food truck to Fractal. The respective parties struck a deal to do so, with a Fire & Spice residency set to begin soon. LeAndra is reluctant to give a hard opening date but hopes to have Fire & Spice going at Fractal by the end of January.

“We already have this relationship with them, and it just made sense,” LeAndra says. “I’m very, very happy they accepted our offer, and this brand name of Fire & Spice can continue to grow. Honestly, it wouldn’t be growing without them so I’m very thankful.”

Fractal general manager Damon Eubanks says the brewery’s stoked too. “First and foremost, Fire & Spice is awesome,” Eubanks tells AL.com. “We love their food, and we really believe that having a regular food presence on site will be a game changer for our business. Our customers love our taproom, our beer and events we put on here, but one thing we’ve heard repeatedly is that they wish we offered regular food options on site.”

For the Fractal residency, Thomas Poux has tweaked the Fire & Spice menu to include items meant to be paired with beers. For example, a hearty, Texas-influenced charcuterie board simpatico with the house Invariant Amber Ale. The menu also boasts Fire & Spice faves, like the Finding Nemo (grilled mahi mahi) and Santa Fe (smoked chicken) tacos. Entrees are mostly in the $12-$16 price range.

Once transported over to Fractal, Fire & Spice’s truck will be set up on the brewery’s patio. At first, their hours there will be 5-10 p.m. Fridays and Mondays.

“That 6 to 8 p.m. window especially on weekends is critical,” Eubanks says. “People get hungry and go where the food is. We have worked with lots of great food trucks and caterers over the past few years but lining them up can be hit or miss sometimes.”

That said, Fractal’s agreement with Fire & Spice allows the brewery to also bring in other mobile food vendors, something the Pouxs, empathetic to those vendors’ plight, wanted. In the past, Fractal’s utilized locals like Nomads Road Dogs, Creole cuisine food truck 50r2 and vegan-themed Hippea Camper.

Eubanks says multiple food vendors would be useful for the breweries bigger events, like Sourtage, the annual throwdown featuring an array of Fractal’s sour beers and performances by local Beastie Boys cover band the Beastie Goys. In late 2022, the brewery hosted a show by influential ‘80s British heavy-metal band Raven, two days before the band opened for Metallica.

2023 is a key year for Fractal Brewing Project. On the horizon: new minor league soccer organization Huntsville Football Club coming to the nearby rebooted Joe David Stadium. The John Hunt Park recreational facilities and developing Get-A-Way Skate Park are close too. Fractal’s brewing and canning capabilities now at the height of their powers too, Eubanks adds. “We believe we are positioned for tremendous growth as this area continues to develop,” Eubanks says.

Since Fractal opened just a few months before the pandemic hit, it feels like they’re due for a break or three. Ditto, Fire & Spice. Having paid their dues on their food truck circuit, by late 2017 LeAndra and Thomas built up business to where they could open a brick-and-mortar Fire & Spice.

That restaurant quickly became a bright spot in South Huntsville dining. But beset by widely-documented pandemic challenges (to-go only shutdown period, staffing issues, the cratering of weekday lunch business due to widespread work-from-home), the Fire & Spice restaurant shuttered October 2011.

Before relocating to Huntsville, the Pouxs resided in Austin, Texas. LeAndra previously worked in law enforcement and Thomas worked in kitchens before joining the military.

Asked why they keep doing Fire & Spice after all their business has been though, LeAndra says, “Each other. And the support of our family. We have two children and we want to show them, yes, life does give you ups and downs. You need to dust yourself and keep going. Just because it’s a bad situation doesn’t mean something good can’t come of it.”

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