THE GIRL IN THE TRUCK
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Chef Amelia is a local girl, born and raised in Pacific, Missouri. Amelia's parents owned Hoffman's Drive-In, a popular ice cream and hamburger shop in Pacific that was last owned and operated by her brother. Amelia grew up sitting on the freezer while waitresses helped her with homework and taught her to tie her shoes. She married her high school sweetheart Rick, a former Navy pilot. In their travels, they have lived in places across the United States and Europe. Amelia earned her degree in Culinary Arts and Management while stateside.
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Her many travels have greatly influenced her food styles. While stationed in Southern Spain, she traveled to many European locations including London, Paris, Sweden, Germany, and Portugal. Stateside, she has lived in areas known for great local ingredients and food - Florida, Memphis, Mississippi, the Pacific Northwest, and Southern California. While in California, Amelia pursued another passion of hers - wine. Visits to Napa and Sonoma, along with access to some of the best produce, opened her eyes to fresh, flavorful ingredients, often pairing them in new and unusual ways. In the Southern states, Amelia adopted some Southern charm into her cooking style, influencing many of her dishes today. Her trademark is using simple foods, prepared in remarkable ways, & utilizing farm to table ingredients, whenever possible.
THE LITTLE TRUCK THAT COULD
In the fall of 2011, Amelia bought a 1983 Chevy Step Van, with nothing but a few rusty shelves in the back. She had a vision, but didn't know exactly how to bring it to life. After a lot of hard work & many late nights in the driveway, Graze Food Truck hit the streets of Memphis in September 2012. In the summer of 2014, Amelia & her family moved back to the St. Louis area, bringing "Grazie" with her.
Graze Food Truck strives to use fresh, locally grown ingredients whenever possible. Our goal is to bring delicious, wholesome food to you on the street, your private event or your corporate site for lunch.
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THE GIRL IN THE "HUT"
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Our latest adventure was the purchase of our "brick & mortar" in June of 2016. We bought the old Monroe's Diner, a Quonset Hut on Old Route 66 in Pacific, Missouri, built in 1950. We spent much of Fall 2016 & Spring 2017 renovating the interior. We now have a wonderful, full-service kitchen with a very cute dining room in the front. We frequently get visitors from all over the world traveling historic Route 66 from Chicago to the Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles. We've met wonderful people from all over the United States as well as Sweden, Great Britain, Denmark, Israel, France and others.
Chef Amelia