Elizabeth Grammer of Pineville is the owner of Lizzy G's Hometown BBQ and More, a food truck that can be found at various times and places in McDonald County.
She and her husband, Joshua, started the business in August 2019. She had been baking breads and pies and selling them to her friends, and everyone commented that she should start a food truck, she said.
"My passion is to love on people and serve people, and I love people through food," she said. "It started with a little dream, just an idea, and it just grew from there."
She said faith is a factor in her business as well.
"God first, everything else second," she said. "Faith, family, friends, food, in that order."
It took the couple about eight months to get the food truck kicked off. Joshua found a trailer on Craigslist and got a great deal on it. He does most of the smoking of meat. Elizabeth said she is still learning and does some of it. However, there is plenty of work for her. She makes all of the sides and pies, and there is a lot of prep work to do.
"I'm the planner of the meals. I'm the organizer," she said.
The original plan was to go to events, however, due to the covid-19 pandemic, many events were canceled last year, so the Grammers had to come up with another plan. They began setting up locally one or two days a week. There were a few events in October, for which they were thankful, Elizabeth said. Carl Junction had a food truck frenzy, and Pineville had a fall festival. Also, during the summer, Tara Cook at Tall Pines Distillery had several outdoor concerts and invited them, along with other food trucks.
"I love going different places and seeing new faces," Elizabeth said. "That is one of the best parts."
Everything is homemade. Elizabeth tries everything at home first.
"If my family digs it, it's usually a go," she said. "I've had failures. Many of them, and that's how I learn."
The pulled pork nachos are a top seller. People say the smoked brisket is great, Elizabeth said. Other items on the menu on a recent day included chicken and noodles, home-style potato salad, killer baked beans, roasted potatoes and peppers and hominy.
Her desserts vary and include chocolate pie, coconut cream pie, chocolate peanut butter pie, apple pie, peach pie, blueberry raspberry pie and Texas sheet cake.
They normally set up at Southern Roots Hair and Massage Boutique in Anderson on Thursdays.
"People look forward to us being here on Thursdays because they can get a decent-priced, home-cooked meal," she said.
They sometimes also set up at Goodman Tire and Auto or at the Pineville square. They offer a 20 percent veterans discount and a 10 percent first responders discount, and they have a monthly pie raffle benefit for charitable causes.
The couple's 17-year-old son, Cayden Westgate, helps a lot with the business. They have two other adult children, Bryce Westgate, 21, who is in the Army, and Ashlie Westgate, 23.
Elizabeth concluded, "My family and friends have been a huge support in this journey. My passion for cooking probably stems from years of watching my grandma work in the kitchen, and my mom is a pretty amazing cook as well."
She noted the business expects to have a brick and mortar location soon.