Jay started at McDonald's. From there, pizza shops, then a backyard grill where he got hooked on barbecue. The real spark, though, was a memory of a dad and his son running a street cart — being their own bosses, having fun. He wanted that.

So in 2017 the truck rolled out. Today Jay runs the kitchen, his wife Antoinette works the window, his aunt and sister jump in when it's busy. It's a family thing, and they cook like it.

— Jay Johnson