Corn is shaved fresh from the cob before being layered over crunchy chips, topped with creamy mayo, crumbled cotija cheese, smoky chipotle seasonings and a squeeze of fresh lime.
The Lóte Bowl has become Johnny Lóte’s most popular menu item as the food truck climbed from second place (in 2024 and 2025) to first in this year’s Signal Akron Best of the City readers’ poll.
The food truck’s journey began in 2018, when Erik Schorr and John Pasher wanted to start their own business as food trucks were gaining popularity. They started with a simple idea: selling corn. A YouTube video featuring a Mexican street vendor preparing elótes — a Mexican street corn dish — inspired them to bring the idea to Akron and create their own version.
After testing different recipes, the pair developed their own version of Mexican street corn, which became the foundation of Johnny Lóte’s menu.
The inspiration for the company’s name came from elótes, the Spanish word for corn. Johnny Lóte’s is a play on the word.
“When you say Johnny Lóte’s, you’re actually also saying elótes,” Schorr said. “It’s in the middle and end of the name.”
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The Johnny Appleseed of corn
With Schorr’s American background and Pasher’s Latino background, the two wanted to create a name that brought their ideas together. Inspired by the legend of Johnny Appleseed, they envisioned Johnny Lóte’s as a way to spread their corn recipes to communities beyond Akron.
Schorr said he hopes the company can become the “Johnny Appleseed of corn” by expanding the business across the country.
Johnny Lóte’s menu features five corn-based dishes, including a simple version of fresh corn served with butter. Customers can also customize their orders with toppings such as jalapeños, bacon, guacamole and sour cream.
Among the menu options, crew member Alex Robinson recommends the nachos for their customizable toppings.
“It would be the street corn with the chips on the bottom and the corn piled on top with the cheese, the seasonings and the medium sauce,” Robinson said. “Then it comes with bacon, sour cream and jalapeños.”
Serving customers is one of Robinson’s favorite parts of working at Johnny Lóte’s.
“The smiles we deliver make it all worth it,” Robinson said. “It makes it a really fun experience.”
Johnny Lóte’s also caters private events, allowing customers to place food orders or book the truck for on-site service.
The truck’s weekly schedule and locations are posted on its website and social media pages. When it isn’t attending a special event, customers can find it at Akron RubberDucks home games at 717 Credit Union Park, where it operates from the concourse near the third-base side through its partnership with the team.
1st place:
Johnny Lóte’s Latin Street Corn
johnnylotes@gmail.com
Akron RubberDucks home games at 717 Credit Union Park
https://johnnylotes.com/
2nd place:
Henry’s Creamery
330-659-3055
https://henryscreamery.com/
3rd place:
Uncle Bacon’s BBQ
330-310-1693
https://unclebaconsbbq.com/
