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City established Johnny’s Pork Roll food truck owner Johnny Yarusi has been selected to represent the state during the upcoming by invite-only Flavored Nation food event.

Flavored Nation, billed as a new national food experience, will hold its inaugural event featuring signature dishes from all 50 states this fall at St. Louis’ Dome at America’s Center.

And with pork roll named Jersey’s iconic food, Yarusi was chosen to serve the state dish at the national event occurring Oct. 27 to 29, organizers said. Yarusi, who spent years in advertising, and business partner Martin Kolator started rolling in Asbury Park and Red Bank in 2013. The name that adorns their truck – the only pork roll-centric food truck in the state – pays tribute to pork roll creator John Taylor.

“Pork Roll is an indigenous New Jersey meat product, pork based, similar to a sausage or kielbasi but it replicated to taste like a country ham,” Yarusi said in a video interview with Flavored Nation. “It’s been made in New Jersey for 165 years and generation of us have been eating it and continue to eat it. It is my mission to go around the world and educate people on the beauty that is pork roll.”

Below is the Flavored Nation 2½ minute video featuring Yarusi:

Flavored Nation [based in New York] is spearheaded by former Food Network and Caesars Palace exec Richard Gore, who has been developing live culinary entertainment events since the mid-90s.

“America is incredibly passionate about food, which has moved from our plates to our screens and become a core part of today’s pop culture,” Gore said in a written statement. “For cooks and non-cooks alike, how we speak about food today is not how we talked about it 15 years ago.”

And while the inner foodie in all of us has welcomed the rise of food shows, articles and critiques, Gore says most personal food experience is still limited by geography.

“It’s why a Chicagoan can argue extensively about the city’s best deep dish but has never tried chislic or huddish… the iconic foods of South Dakota and Minnesota, respectively,” Gore said.  “This is the perfect time for Flavored Nation. We want to fuel the debate about local favorites and at the same time spur a discovery people crave.”

Fellow food entertainment veterans involved in this national fair of fares event include David Rosengarten, Jared Bobkin and Bobby Parrish are a part of the Flavored Nation team, with production support by GateHouse Media.

Also on the national menu, featuring top chefs from all 50 states, are New Orleans native Dickie Brennan Jr with his gumbo recipe; Fort Worth celebrity cowboy chef Grady Spears with his chicken fried steak; and in continuing the northeast battle over the best lobster roll will be Greenwich Lobstercraft’s Captain Mike Harden and South Thomaston’s McLoons Lobster Shack’s Bree Douty.

“No one wrote a guidebook on how to authentically identify the United States’ most iconic foods,” Rosengarten said. “It’s been an amazing adventure and challenge. Some states, like Louisiana, California and New York, are well known for multiple dishes. For other states, like South Dakota, Minnesota and Nebraska, I personally drew a blank. Through exhaustive research, consumer input via social media and conversations with state tourism boards, we’ve mapped it out.”

For more information about Flavored Nation and the upcoming event, visit their website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.

You can catch Johnny Pork Roll food truck at Asbury Park Boardwalk’s North Eats food truck court on any given day.

[Photos courtesy of Flavored Nation]

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