Two weeks ago, entrepreneurs from around the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia traveled to Staunton to attend the very first Shenandoah Valley Entrepreneurship Summit. Night one kicked off with inspiring presenters, words of encouragement from session facilitators, and networking for participants to get to know one another. Anticipating a need to break the ice, and help facilitate connections between entrepreneurs, we debated the best way to organize the networking portion of the evening.
The answer? Breaking bread together! Instead of a structured sit-down dinner, SCCF opted for a more interactive setup: We invited two local food trucks so that Summit attendees could chat while waiting for their food and then continue those conversations as they sit down. Enter, Wallace Crews. Wallace is a Harrisonburg local and the Owner of C&C Country Cooking, which is currently operating out of a food truck. He offers Southern soul food such as spicy wings, fish, shrimp, meatloaf, baked mac & cheese, green beans, mashed potatoes, and more.
Soul food is at the heart of southern cooking, and no one in the Shenandoah Valley does it with as much “soul” as Wallace. “I come from a tight-knit family and they taught me how to cook. They’ve always been supportive and helped me with my food truck. We are all very close and they’ve constantly demonstrated that they have my back” Wallace says about his family’s support. Wallace’s homegrown recipes and love for cooking come through in every meal he serves. Entrepreneurs at the Summit were stopping each other when they saw a container of food from C&C Country Cooking to compare notes on the sides of yams vs mashed potatoes (a few of the fan favorites), and the juicy meatloaf.
In addition to family, Wallace has seen strong support from his community, “I’m thankful to Restless Moons Brewing Company, Brothers Craft Brewing, the Walker Program, and SCCF. They’ve really helped me move forward with my business.” However, food trucks still present unique challenges in preparing, storing, and serving food. Wallace is currently looking for a new location for his truck with better foot traffic, electricity, and water, “Right now I have to prepare food the morning of, because I don’t have electricity to store the food overnight. I also don’t have a water supply, so I can’t wash dishes in my truck.” Even with these challenges, Wallace presses on with a positive attitude and has plans to upgrade his truck, find a better location, and one day fulfill his dream of opening a restaurant.
Until the C&C Country Cooking restaurant comes to fruition, you can usually find Wallace parked in front of the Napa Auto Parts lot in Harrisonburg. Be sure to follow the truck’s Facebook page to stay up to date on operating hours and locations, and if we can make a recommendation - get the mashed potatoes!
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