Once upon a time, a D.C. food truck was something that sold dubious egg rolls and soft, sad pretzels adjacent the National Mall. Its target demographic was tourists who knew no better.
That was another era.
BBQ Bus
(Photo by Lauren Brenner)
Today, a flurry of food trucks peddle gourmet items, from lobster rolls to whoopie pies. Or, in the case of Che and Tadd Ruddell-Tabisola's BBQ Bus, barbeque (obviously).
''Barbeque is a food you build community around. You don't eat barbeque alone, you rarely cook it alone,'' says Che Ruddell-Tabisola of his and husband Tadd's motivation to get into the barbeque business, likening it to the mood at their Dupont home on a random weekend, with neighbors dropping by and meat sizzling. ''With the truck, we really want to share that with people. If feels a bit like we've recreated our stoop.''
From Dec. 13 to 17, the couple are going to be taking the crowd inside for the premiere installation of ''Uncurbed DC,'' which will see food trucks bringing their wares into vacant spaces around the city. For the BBQ Bus boys, it's 2805 M St. NW.
''It's an old row house,'' Che shares, giving Uncurbed-creation credit to Jeff Kelley of the Eat Wonky food truck. ''It's going to be set up with seating areas, couches, tables. The theme for our restaurant is 'holiday house party.' It's a completely bare space we're transforming into an extension of our home. It's going to be barbecue and comfort food. This gives Tadd a chance to really showcase the food. We can put it on a plate instead of a box.''
And while husband Tadd and sous chef Alicia Stewart prepare the menu to feed the masses, there will also be an opportunity to feed diners' souls, with the venue serving as a donation site for the Metropolitan Community Church of Washington, D.C.'s annual toy drive. '
Uncurbed DC featuring BBQ Bus is Dec. 13 to 17, from 6 to 10 p.m., at 2805 M St. NW. For more information about BBQ Bus, visit bbqbusdc.com. For Uncurbed DC, visit uncurbeddc.com.
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