Sometimes as a writer, I struggle for words for how to adequately describe some of the things I come across and love. After getting to know the owners of Mama’s Kitchen Cup Bap over the last few weeks and trying a handful of their breakfast and lunch items, I’m finding myself in the position of “How do I explain to my audience that this business is the real deal?”
So I’ll go ahead and say it just like that: This brand new food truck on the scene in and around Madison is phenomenal in every way, and I’m super proud to put my name behind them and give them a big ole’ All Things Madison grand stamp of approval and recommendation!
Food Truck in Madison, Alabama
What is Mama’s Kitchen Cup Bap?
Gary and Soya Turner opened Mama’s Kitchen Cup Bap food truck this spring and serve up a combination of Korean, Japanese, and American fusion cuisine. They park their truck in various locations around town for breakfast and lunch but are also available to come to your next event or even privately cater individual dishes for groups of 10 or more.
When asked where the name of their food truck comes from, Soya says that it’s simple. For starters, “bap” means “cooked rice” in Korean.
The “Mama” portion of the name implies that Soya always wants to cook with a mama’s heart.
“I think about my son who lives away and about someone else cooking for him. I want to look at everyone I cook for like someone’s kid and cook with that heart.”
When asked what she loves most about Mama’s Kitchen, Soya smiled and said that “To hear that my food tastes good is like medicine. It makes me so happy.”
Soya shared that she watched her mom and grandmother cook while she was growing up but never thought to learn how they were cooking. After college, she realized that she should learn how they did it, and now she cooks a lot of their recipes and serves them as her specialties.
She continued to share that “though this is hard work, I can’t stay away from the kitchen!”
What Menu Items We Tried
During my first visit to the Mama’s Kitchen Cup Bap food truck, I was served two different homemade waffles. The first was covered in fresh fruit, homemade whipped cream, and homemade pineapple syrup.
That pineapple syrup: WOW.
The second waffle was a cheese waffle, and I’ve never had anything like it! It had a cream cheese layer baked inside while the outside layer was covered in a crunchy cheese layer. It was lightly covered in pineapple syrup, which made for the ultimate savory and sweet combination meal.
Gary says that everything his wife makes is homemade, from the sauces to the batter and more.
“The menu is all her own,” he shared. “Her food is prepared with all fresh ingredients. You won’t find MSG in anything.”
For lunch, I started with an orange avocado salad, which was covered in sliced almonds and a light, tangy homemade dressing. Good grief, it was wonderful!
The main entree that my husband and I both tried was the three meat combination cup bap.
It started with a layer of rice on the bottom then topped with a layer of sweet potato noodles. Lettuce was next, then the meat. The grand finale was the choice of sauce. We both could choose between levels 1 and 5, with 5 being the spiciest.
I choose a 3 because I like a decent level of spice without feeling like my mouth is on fire, but my husband went with a 5. He says that though it was “very spicy it was bearable in a good way.”
The three types of meat included two types of bulgogi (Korean barbeque) and chicken teriyaki.
The portions are large, which were perfect to take home and enjoy later as leftovers.
A slew of beverages is available as well, including all kinds of bubble teas and canned Asian drinks.
As a sweet bonus, Soya enjoys including these homemade cookies with scripture verses as a way of showing Christian love to her customers.
Almost everything they serve is sourced from Asia and purchased from suppliers in Atlanta at Korean markets. Gary shared that he and Soya frequent the Korean markets constantly and then serve everything immediately so that it’s fresh.
As for what Gary loves about owning the food truck, he says that meeting people and seeing them satisfied is really fun.
“They always come up to us after they eat and say ‘What was that?!'”
He laughs and responds “Her food! That’s what it is!”
Author note: To see the sweet banter, relationship, and teamwork between Gary and Soya was nothing short of a joy to witness. She says that he is her greatest encourager, and I could see with my own eyes that he is!
Where to find Mama’s Kitchen Cup Bap or hire them for your next event
Follow along with them on Facebook to see their schedule of where to find their truck and order breakfast and lunch!
Mama’s Kitchen Cup Bap is available to cater your next event with individual meals or bring their truck to your event! Fill out this contact form and send them a message on Facebook to inquire and get started!
This post was written in partnership with Mama’s Kitchen.
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