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- The food boat will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, Memorial Day to Labor Day.
- Customers can walk up to the boat, anchored in Tices Shoal at the end of Fisherman’s Walkway, or swim up to it from the sandbar.
- Menu items include custom burritos, smash burgers, Sabrett hot dogs and loaded nachos.
Joe Campisano thinly slices premium ribeye before layering it on a long roll with Cooper Sharp American cheese. Meanwhile, a customer dives into their shrimp cocktail, while another chats with Chris Caputo about what a beautiful day it is.
Sounds like your average Jersey Shore restaurant, right?
It is, except it floats.
Kokomo Joe’s is a food boat that operates on Barnegat Bay in Island Beach State Park, serving made-to-order casual American fare and coastal eats from a boat with a full commercial kitchen. Customers can walk up to the boat, which anchors in Tices Shoal at the end of Fisherman’s Walkway, or swim up to it from the sandbar.
The food boat — a rare site at the Shore — will be open for its second season from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Surrounded by four big flags, including an American flag and one that says “FOOD,” missing the boat hasn’t been a problem for customers.
“We anchor out and people start coming to the boat before we’re even set up,” co-owner Campisano said of the business, which regularly serves 500 people on Saturdays and also caters private parties.
“People are over-the-top excited. It makes their lives 1,000 times easier because they can come to us, get quality food and they don’t have to lug the cooler or remember the ice.”
Kokomo Joe’s customers can choose from hot items like custom burritos, smash burgers, Sabrett hot dogs and loaded nachos, as well as weekly specials like sweet Caribbean jerk chicken sandwiches, jumbo lump crab cocktail and 16-hour smoked pulled pork sandwiches.
They can order via the Kokomo Joe’s app, which is new this season, or in person. Customers are encouraged to discard their trash — biodegradable serving trays and napkins made from recycled materials — in the food boat’s attached floating garbage cans.
The sandbar has been a popular spot for decades, attracting boaters due to its shallow waters and relative safety compared to the rest of the channel. Massive annual boating parties are held there, including Floatchella and Floats & Boats.
Campisano, a Toms River resident who grew up boating and going to Tices Shoal, is an entrepreneur. So it was only natural that Caputo, his friend and co-owner, called him in early 2024 with his plan to quit his car sales job and open a hot dog stand.
“I believe in pursing your dreams,” Campisano said. “I’m probably the only person in the world who would encourage someone to quit their $100,000-per-year job and sell food on the side of the road.”
After thinking it over, a better plan hit Campisano.
“We’re going to build a food boat,” he told Caputo. “I was like, ‘Let’s bring an amazing food experience to the people, create an amazing vibe and amazing food menu, put it on a food boat and I will build it.’ ”
So, he did. Campisano built — from scratch — an “extravagant” commercial kitchen on a boat in his driveway, and the pair launched it last summer. That came after working with the Ocean County Board of Health to help write the county’s first food boat code, making a half-dozen rounds of changes to their own boat in the process.
Since then, Campisano and Caputo have not only been serving up comfort eats to keep their customers happy, but as fellow boaters, just trying to be neighborly.
“We both grew up on the water, so we know what you want,” Campisano said. “We know you forget your sunscreen all the time, so we’ve got you covered. We know the kids aren’t always happy, so we have ice pops for them. Our crew knows that when we ask our guests what they want to eat, it’s not just that. It’s, ‘How was your ride out today?’ We just talk and interact with our guests.”
Go: End of Fisherman’s Walkway at Tices Shoal in Island Beach State Park; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Memorial Day to Labor Day; instagram.com/kokomojoesnj.
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Jenna Intersimone has been a staff member at the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey since 2014, although she’s a lifetime Jersey girl who considers herself an expert in everything from the Jersey Shore to the Garden State’s buzzing downtowns. To get unlimited access to her stories about food, drink and fun, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. You can also follow her on Instagram at @seejennaeat and on Twitter at @JIntersimone.
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