DuBois couple brings authentic Japanese/Korean food truck to the area

Sep 04, 2023

DuBOIS — Mainly known for their work behind the lens, Andrew and Victoria Wisor of DuBois have embarked on a new kind of adventure –opening a Japanese and Korean authentic food truck.

The Wisors, founders of the 10-year business Wisor Photography and Videography, now also operate Ronin No Yatai, which translates from Japanese to "Wanderer's Food Cart."

Andrew and Victoria Wisor are pictured inside of the Ronin No Yatai food truck.

The endeavor stems from Victoria's family tradition in the food truck business, and Andrew's Japanese and Korean roots, both with the desire to bring authentic "street" cuisine to the area.

"I’ve always loved food service, and it's something I thought I might be good at. When the opportunity presented itself, I was definitely excited to give it a try," said Victoria.

Andrew, who is half Korean, said that finding authentic foods from his culture – without needing to travel – has been very difficult. His mother, adopted from Korea as a baby, was raised with some Japanese culture she learned from Andrew's grandfather.

"We have a family friend in Japan, Haruyo, who had come to visit once, and taught my mom and I a lot about Japanese food and culture. Still, to this day, he teaches me a lot," he said.

Andrew, 27, says he has spent the last 15 years learning how to make food from his culture that he and his mother could enjoy at home, but sourcing authentic ingredients in this area has been a struggle.

"My dad is Irish/German, so it was extremely easy to experience his culture and source foods, so it has always been a passion to bring the other half of my culture in to experience and share it with others," said Andrew.

The Ronin No Yatai food truck was once an old construction truck for sale. The renovations were a family effort between the Wisors and her parents, with much of the credit going to Victoria's father, Larry Garner –owner of Larry's Barbecue –for most of the necessary planning and construction.

Pictured is the Ronin No Yatai - "Wanderer's Food Cart."

"There was a complete overhaul to the truck making it food-sale ready –adding new and clean walls, scraping and cleaning the floor, electrical wiring, plumbing and adding appliances. It was a three-month process that is still ongoing as we grow," said Victoria.

Andrew noted he is grateful for his father-in-law's help, and for teaching him a lot about the electrical and plumbing process. The truck is now painted, with its logos expected to be added by the end of April.

A menu full of culture

Currently, Ronin No Yatai's menu consists of "a sample of each Japanese and Korean street foods," said Victoria, that will be rotated with the seasons. Some foods will be added or slightly changed as well.

"I will be serving authentic teas, like ‘Yuja tea,’ a Yuzu citrus-flavored tea sourced directly from Korea," she said.

The business’ logo is also one of their menu items –a rice ball.

Her personal favorite food, is the Kaniyaki –round crab dumplings served with sauces and toppings like shredded tuna, Victoria said.

Pictured is Kaniyaki – one of the items on Ronin No Yatai's menu, which consists of crab dumplings served with sauces and toppings.

One of Andrew's personal favorites, and a permanent menu item, is Japanese curry.

When many think of Japanese food, their first thought is sushi or hibachi. Generally, said Andrew, when ethnic foods come to rural areas, it's an "Americanized" version. The idea behind Ronin No Yatai is to bring traditional, authentic Japanese and Korean food to the area.

"I want people to experience food that they would find at a festival or every day, just along the streets of Japan or Korea. It's really important to me that the food we are serving remains authentic, so that people can experience the culture as if they were there."

Now, since experiencing the real thing, Victoria says it's very difficult for her to eat the "Americanized" versions of foods like sushi and teriyaki dishes. She, too, used to be afraid of trying foods she was unfamiliar with, but now is much more open-minded.

"We understand that trying new foods isn't easy for a lot of people to do, but we urge everyone to try at least a sample," she said.

Just the beginning

The food truck had its first three official opening days at the beginning of March in Clearfield. Over the past couple of weeks, Ronin No Yatai has been parked and serving at area locations like DuBois Granite & Quartz, Invictus recreational facility and Paris Uniform Services.

{span style="font-size: 12px;"}The couple says they are very grateful for the community support received since opening, as well as customers who are willing to be adventurous and try new things. Victoria noted she was surprised by the variety of age groups that have been stopping by.{/span}

"We had a far better turnout than I could ever possibly hoped," said Andrew. "Everyone who stopped by was either excited to try something new, or excited to have something they couldn't get for a long time. That is exactly what I wanted to bring to the area, and all of the hard work was incredibly worthwhile."

Events and pop-up stops will be posted on Ronin No Yatai's Facebook and Instagram pages, as well as on the website, www.roninnoyatai.com. The Wisors can be contacted through email –[email protected] for inquires about events.

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The website also has the menu's nutrition facts and ingredient lists available.

More Information https://www.roninnoyatai.com/ https://www.facebook.com/roninnoyatai {related_content_uuid}640ac04a-a1aa-4f2c-a097-abde073abdc3{/related_content_uuid}

https://www.roninnoyatai.com/

https://www.facebook.com/roninnoyatai

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