Prior to her star turn on Food Network’s “The Great Food Truck Race,” St. Louis chef Brandi Artis had zero experience cooking on a food truck, but she and her 4 Hens Creole Kitchen team seem to be holding their own so far against the more experienced competitors this season.
“We may be rookies to the food-truck game, but we’re not rookies to a line this size!” Artis exclaimed when the 4 Hens Creole Kitchen food truck, complete with the St. Louis skyline, was revealed during the show’s Season 16 premiere episode June 18. “This space is super tiny … so it can’t be that hard to cook on a food truck …”
Hosted by chef Tyler Florence, “The Great Food Truck Race” is a reality show featuring competing teams from across the country who are tasked with cooking and selling their food, while being offered “challenges” by Florence along the way. The lowest-selling truck at the end of each episode gets eliminated. A $50,000 grand prize awaits the top food-truck team at the end of the eight-episode season.
For the first time ever in the show’s history, this season pits industry pros against rookie teams like 4 Hens, a Black-, women- and queer-owned Creole-inspired eatery in St. Louis. Artis and her wife, Brittany, opened 4 Hens in early 2022 at City Foundry STL. The Artises also own Simply Delicious, a breakfast and brunch spot in downtown St. Louis.
The couple and their longtime friend, Zendrix Berndt-White, make up the 4 Hens Creole Kitchen food truck team on the show. For their menu, the team showcased 4 Hens’ signature dish, Shrimp n’ Grits, along with other standouts, including Po’ Boy sandwiches, The Big Easy fries, Succotash Soup and Little Chicks lemonade.
Gazelle editor-in-chief Trish Muyco-Tobin recently caught up with Chef Artis following the airing of the show’s first episode. Here’s an excerpt from their conversation:
GAZELLE: FIRST OF ALL, THE FOOD TRUCK IS JUST BEAUTIFUL! DID YOU KNOW WHAT IT WAS GOING TO LOOK LIKE BEFORE THE BIG REVEAL?
BRANDI ARTIS (BA): We did not. It was shocking! The truck exuded how I am inside and out. I’m bright and colorful, but not everyone gets to see my humor and character.
GAZELLE: HOW DID YOU DECIDE WHO WOULD BE ON YOUR TEAM?
BA: I always knew I had to take my wife – she’s my right hand, the business manager. I couldn’t do anything without her. I’m the dreamer, the creator, the one who imagines the possibilities. Brittany … she’s my doctor, my science brain, the one who questions everything we do, every decision I make. She’s the business side of what we do, she’s the one who checks to see if it makes sense.
The other decision was hard. I thought about taking Nate [Scott], our GM for both 4 Hens and Simply Delicious. If my wife has my right hand, Nate has my left. But Nate had to stay to handle everything back home. So, we have our good friend, Zen – he’s Uncle Zen to our kids. He and I are both Geminis, our birthdays are a day apart. We have that Gemini energy. He’s the yin to my yang. He knows how to give me that sass back. I love our banter. We love each other.
GAZELLE: THE PERSONALITIES WERE DEFINITELY ON DISPLAY FROM THE MOMENT YOU EMBARKED ON THAT FIRST TASK OF GOING TO THE STORE, WITH EACH TEAM GIVEN JUST $400 TO BUY EVERYTHING ON THEIR LIST.
BA: I would delegate different things – this person has the list, this person is counting the money, I’m picking everything off the shelves. My lovely wife was in charge of the list, Zen was in charge of counting the items.
GAZELLE: AFTER ALL THAT, SOMEONE FORGOT TO GET WATER AND ICE FOR THE LEMONADE. WERE THERE ANY OTHER OBSTACLES IN TERMS OF GETTING WHAT YOU NEEDED?
BA: Going back for the ice and water was a hindrance, for sure, but it really was just an hour of delay. Thank God! It could have been a lot worse. We also had a hard time finding our seafood, andouille sausage and crab boil, especially the brand we use.
GAZELLE: YOUR FIRST SELLING LOCATIONS WERE ON MELROSE AVENUE AND THEN AT ECHO PARK. WHAT WAS THE VIBE LIKE IN THOSE AREAS?
BA: The first selling day on Melrose, all of our trucks were lined up. We were the first truck at the corner, the first truck people saw. At Echo Park, there’s this beautiful park in the center of the neighborhood. We were parked on the main street but there was a fence on the other side of us. That was a challenge.
GAZELLE: THAT WAS WHEN TYLER OFFERED YOU $300 TO MOVE YOUR TRUCK AND SELL ELSEWHERE. WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO TAKE THE CHALLENGE?
BA: Our truck was dead center, right next to Da Bald Guy. It was beautiful to see them do their thing, their Hawaiian culture – they sold out twice that day at the park. But we were right next to them, so our customers couldn’t get by. We had looked for other locations at Echo Park and at other parks, but parks have guidelines, such as parking in the wrong places, so it made it a little bit difficult.
GAZELLE: HOW DID YOU END UP IN FRONT OF THE BEAUTY SHOP?
BA: We had a customer tell us, Call the salon, I’m one of their clients. I’ll set you up. So, we pull up to this great spot. There were four total barber shops and beauty salons on the block, there was a coffee shop on the corner, a drug store, apartments on the other corner – there were models coming out of the apartments – so it was a great place!
GAZELLE: WHAT DID THE EXPERIENCE FROM THE FIRST EPISODE TEACH YOU ABOUT HOW TO APPROACH THE COMPETITION IN THE NEXT ROUNDS?
BA: It taught me to definitely trust my instinct and go with my gut in terms of accepting the challenge. Nobody is promised tomorrow. There are no days off, there is no slacking, no quitting. You need to be innovative, especially when you’re literally selling next to the other trucks. When Tyler gives you those little blessings, take advantage of the opportunity.
Season 16 of “The Great Food Truck Race” continues with Episode 2, where 4 Hens Creole Kitchen and the other remaining teams face a ballpark eats challenge at a Little League field with Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star Mookie Betts. The show airs this Sunday, June 25, at 7 p.m. St. Louis time on Food Network.
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