Imagine indulging in a smoked, saucy pulled pork on an all-beef hotdog, a buttery homemade biscuit hugging thick sliced ham, smoked cheddar cheese and pepper jelly, rebel-made original tacos and quesadillas, and sweet and savory kettle corn all at one location.
That is exactly what The Bridge in Jefferson City will serve up Friday during its first Food Truck Friday.
Jen's D-Dees Kettle Korn LLC of Henley; Ozark Mountain Biscuit Co. of Columbia; Rebel Tacos of Jefferson City; and The Bridge's own mobile restaurant, REO Feedwagon, will feature their homemade cuisine to hungry visitors 5-8 p.m. in the lot behind Avenue HQ and Scene One Theatre in front of The Bridge, 619 E. Capitol Ave.
Wes Wingate, owner of The Bridge, said he thought it was a great idea when Food Truck Fridays were held in Columbia a few years back and wants to try it in Jefferson City.
"I think it's a creative way for mobile restaurants to spread their brand," he said. "It's a fun community event and a chance for people to try something they haven't had before or that they don't have very often."
REO Feedwagon will serve as the host truck for each event, which will take place in the latter half of each month beginning Friday. REO Feedwagon provides reasonably priced, house-made fare - such as the B.B. King, house-smoked pulled pork served on a brioche bun with REO Barbecue Sauce - for its patrons, first putting out a few items in September and now serving meats, light eats, treats and specials like chicken fajitas and barbecue ribs.
"The menu continues to expand as we nail down recipes and the most efficient processes for items that we add," he said. "We don't want to have any menu items that we don't feel we can consistently hit a home run with."
Wingate said even though REO Feedwagon currently is used as an on-site micro-restaurant for The Bridge, they plan to start serving lunch in May and launch a full catering menu.
"We have kind of tip-toed in the mobile-food/restaurant world," he said, noting the popularity and awareness of REO Feedwagon. "We have yet to take the Feedwagon off-site. But we are discussing different events in the coming year that we can participate in around town."
Wingate said they plan to invite a variety of food trucks to each monthly gathering.
"We hope to feature as many different 'trucks' as we can, while still keeping the events manageable. So the format of having three or four trucks at each event each month looks like the best approach," he said.
Joining REO Feedwagon this Friday is Ozark Mountain Biscuit Co., which offers local and seasonal eats with a bit of southern hospitality, D-Dees Kettle Korn and Rebel Tacos, Jefferson City's only taco truck that offers many homemade eats.
"Ozark Mountain Biscuit Co. has been a friend of The Bridge for many years now, and they have established themselves as the premier food truck in the majority of Missouri at this point. So we will feature them whenever they are available," Wingate said. "We have only recently been working with the ladies of Rebel Tacos, but we love them. They are driven, hard-working entrepreneurs with an outstanding product."
The Bridge patio and interior will serve as a "dining" room for the mobile food court, with the bar open and live music from Claysville Road. Wingate said they will feature many different musical acts at each monthly event, hoping to move the music outside as the weather permits. The event has free admission, is family and child-friendly, and is open to all ages.
"I'm excited because this event isn't happening on the regular anywhere in Mid-Missouri," he said. "It will be fun to watch this aspect of culture grow in our community, as well."