Fast, mobile veganism on the rise

The BeetBox Truck parked outside of Vanessa House Brewery on March 26, 2021. Photo by Zaria Oates.

Two friends who met in a college classroom have turned their interest in healthier eating into a food truck for vegans.

You read that right—a food truck for vegans.

Gywneth Yvonne, 22, and Randon Moore, 24, began The BeetBox Truck in their apartment in 2019. Yvonne chose to become vegan nearly five years ago but Moore made the transition out of necessity.

After being diagnosed with Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome – when the median arcuate ligament presses tightly on the celiac artery and surrounding nerves – Moore knew he needed a change to better his quality of life.

“I never ate because I was so scared to be in pain and that’s when Gwyn introduced me to a vegan diet, then after my surgery, I noticed drastic changes of how a vegan diet can affect your body and that’s why I’ll never go back,” Moore said.

While a fried “Chickless” sandwich gave Yvonne and Moore a jumpstart, their sauce creations and temporary items keep the co-owners on their toes.

Co-owners Gwyneth Yvonne (left) and Randon Moore (right) posed inside The BeetBox Truck on March 26, 2021

The two have spent hours recreating well-known sauces and dishes into a vegan counterpart and with the help of Moore’s parents, they’ve been able to make their meals taste very close to the non-vegan version.

Derrick and Cynthia Moore assist with cooking the meals and baking the cookies as well as taste-testing every item before it gets added to the menu. Both left their jobs to help work on the truck and don’t have any regrets.

“My wife retired and I left my job because we have that much confidence in our son … that we can make this happen together,” Derrick Moore said.

Yvonne said neither she nor Moore had ever worked on a food truck or even been to one before so it was a huge learning curve for both of them.

Over the past year, the truck has traveled to Oklahoma City, Edmond, Norman, Tulsa and Stillwater. While the truck travels to Oklahoma City and Tulsa more often now, Stillwater residents still show their support as the starter-town for the truck.

Adam Glover and Christina Jackson are two of the loyal customers from Stillwater. Albeit Glover and Jackson are both meat-eaters, they make the one-hour trip to Oklahoma City on occasion to enjoy their favorite vegan food.

“The way they make their food it tastes really really good even though a lot of people think vegan food isn’t really good at all,” Glover said. Jackson said she likes the ‘Chickless sandwich’ as a healthier option of fast food. Of course Yvonne and Moore can’t give away all their secrets, but the main ingredient of the sandwich is organic wheat and it’s topped with everything from lettuce and pickles to any of their vegan sauces you want.

The co-owners are in the process of obtaining a commercial kitchen to meet the rising demand but for now, they can only handle being open two days a week. The food truck is frequently parked outside of breweries such as Vanessa House Brewery, cannabis dispensaries and sometimes even the Neel Vet Hospital. 

The BeetBox Truck ‘Coconut Shrimpless Tacos’ outside of Vanessa House Beer Co. Photo by: CHRISTIAN SERVELLO

“At first I think people were reluctant to have us park by them because they’re like a vegan food truck won’t bring in any customers but then they started seeing how popular we were getting,” Yvonne said.

“Now you have to book us at least two to three months in advance.”

Tulsa-based gerontologist and founder of Conscious Aging Solutions, Erin Martin, bases her work on plant-based diets. Martin encourages a plant-based diet, exercise, and attention to one’s mental health to increase lifespan and help slow disease progression.

“I think that there’s a demand [for vegan options] that people are becoming more aware of and businesses are reflecting that … and I think that’s a beautiful thing,” Martin said.

 

Gaylord News is a reporting project of the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication.