Food trucks. They began as a coastal trend about 15 years ago but have now made their way to mid-sized and even small cities across the country. How is it, then, that things that are supposedly so ubiquitous are often so hard to find?
If you’ve had trouble finding food trucks in Columbia, you’re probably not alone. If you’re like me, it seems that you only see them when you’re busy running an errand or heading to an appointment. That’s what sparked the idea for this article. I decided to catch up with some of these food trucks and see whether I could track their whereabouts.
I’d like to say that my research answered the burning questions of where they are located and when. But the truth is that after talking to a handful of Columbia’s food truck owners, I learned that the best way to discover their whereabouts is by going to their social media pages and following them.
Columbia’s food truck scene is ever-changing, and I couldn’t hope to cover more than a short list of the many food trucks within the city that are worth a try. Still, I think you’ll find something to love in the following list of food trucks, which offer a mix of pizza, Cajun treats, vegan comfort fare, burgers, and novel spins on Philly cheese steaks.
Zydeco’s
For seven years, Zydeco’s has been serving bayou favorites to food lovers in Columbia and the surrounding areas. Primarily, it is known for Cajun po’boys.
In a previous life, owners Randy and Lynn Perkins worked in the marketing industry. One of their clients happened to be Chef Paul Prudhomme, famously known for his Creole and Cajun cuisines, who hired the Perkinses to work on his training videos.
“We have meetings, and we go to his office, and he said, ‘Randy, come here, I got some Cajun pancakes. I wanna show you. And this is how I make them, and that’s how I make them,’ and of course in the videos, he would teach you how to do it,” Perkins said.
Pancakes aside, the Perkins’ best-selling items are the Cajun catfish, po’boys, swamp platter (fish and shrimp), and voodoo rolls, a seasoned mix of crawfish, shrimp, corn, black beans, and pepper jack delivered in eggroll form.
“I can’t keep voodoo rolls [in stock], and I’ll probably go through two to three hundred voodoo rolls a week,” Perkins said. “Everything that we do is fresh and made to order and gluten-free.”
For more information about the truck’s offerings and locations, go to Zydeco’s website or its Facebook and Instagram pages:
FB: Zydeco’s Cajun Kitchen Food Truck
Instagram: @zydecosco
Martin House Pizza
If you’re a pizza lover, Martin House Pizza is a food truck you should add to your list. Although it is new to the Columbia food truck scene, it’s already making a big splash. Currently, it is one of the few pizza food trucks to serve the community.
Owner Dale Heimann is no stranger to commercial cooking, having spent many years in restaurant kitchens like Bambino’s. After doing his mobile food vendor business part-time, he had the opportunity to go full-time a year and a half later.
Heimann’s special touches are his wood-fired oven and the hot honey he drizzles on each crust. These two things make his pizzas stand out from the competition.
Weekly, you can find Martin House Pizza at Logboat Brewing Company; biweekly, at Cooper’s Landing; and once a week in Moberly and Salisbury. Currently, Heimann is looking to expand to Fayette and Macon. Soon, Martin House Pizza will have a brick-and-mortar outlet in Moberly as well.
“Basically, we’re trying to get all of the little surrounding area fed and get all of those people addicted to wood-fired pizza,” Heimann said.
To learn where you can next find some wood-fired goodness, check out Martin House Pizza’s Facebook and Instagram pages:
Instagram: @martin.house.pizza
Gina’s Vegan A Go Go
In July 2021, Gina Overshiner started her vegan food truck. After being vegan for nearly five years, she wanted to find and serve her tribe. To do so, she decided to start with vegan comfort food, a good segue from traditional American comfort cuisine. Gina’s Vegan A Go Go serves meals such as biscuits and gravy, vegan burgers, and mac and cheese, to name a few.
Through serving American comfort cuisine, Overshiner has made vegan cuisine accessible to those who would like to dabble or to some who might have food allergies.
Most Saturdays, you can find Overshiner at the Columbia Farmers Market, which is where she will continue to be. Additionally, she plans to switch her business model to a meal prep service. She’d also like to see her products sold in bakeries, coffee shops, and grocery stores one day.
Overshiner describes her planned approach as “finding your tribe and working to serve your tribe a little bit more than just kinda going out hoping someone might pass by who might be interested.”
You can find more information about Gina’s Vegan A Go Go here:
Instagram: @ginasveganagogo
DW’s Kitchen and Catering
Although he’s only been in business for three months, Davon Weatherspoon has already found support within the community. While he’s never had a formal culinary background, Weatherspoon has always been the go-to cook for family functions.
His signature creation is a unique take on a Philly cheese steak, a bun-free mixture of steak, cheese, peppers, black beans, and other goodies he calls the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl has quickly become a huge hit for Weatherspoon’s food truck, and it’s a testament to the uniqueness of his menu.
“One day I’m just sitting there like, ‘I have to share this, I literally have to share this with the world,’” he said. “It’s been working out because people are like, ‘Oh, that’s good.’”
Within the next couple of years, Weatherspoon would like to expand into a brick-and-mortar restaurant while maintaining his food truck as well.
“I feel like it’s just gonna keep progressing because I get good feedback from my supporters, of course, and people that don’t even know me that love my food,” he said. “Which is a big plus, so it’s kinda humbling, really.”
The best way to stay up to date with DW’s Kitchen is through Facebook and Instagram:
Instagram: @dwskitchen573
The Spot
The last thirteen months have been a whirlwind for food cart owners Anthony Woods and Daniel Edwards. Woods is the pastor of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, and Edwards is the deacon in training at the church. This affiliation has allowed the pair to use the health department–approved commissary kitchen inside the church. However, much of their food is cooked to order, such as their famous Show-Me burger, double burger, and bacon cheeseburger.
As a food cart rather than a food truck, the partners had some struggles early on, such as the weather. They found from the start that business was slow in the winter. However, since then, business has been booming for the food cart entrepreneurs.
“We’ve been able to tap into some phenomenal resources, and REDI (Regional Economic Development Inc.) here in Columbia has helped us thrive and arrive to the place of success,” Woods said.
Currently, you can typically find The Spot at Veterans United in Columbia or many events in both Columbia and Jefferson City.
“I give credit to having the absolute best business partner and friend,” Woods said. “Daniel is an amazing individual. I thank the Lord for bringing him into my life.”
You can learn about The Spot’s whereabouts on Facebook and Instagram:
FB: The Spot
Instagram: @the_spot_como
