The owners of Bedda Matri, a food truck featuring Sicilian street food, have parked a brand new trailer permanently in the heart of Springfield's Rountree neighborhood.
The move marks a business shift — and a significant investment — for the relatively new food truck owners, Alessandro De Luca and Jennifer Morris. They also run Italian Kitchen, a Springfield Italian meals and cooking class company. Bedda Matri moved its brand new truck onto the renovated lot, located at 1411 E. Cherry St., around June 24, De Luca said.
Bedda Matri's customers in Rountree “care about what they eat,” De Luca said at the new location July 2. “So, giving them a story for every single thing we have and knowing we make everything from scratch — it's kind of the best of both worlds.”
The new location didn't come cheap, De Luca said. The co-owner said when the opportunity to lease a spot in the heart of Springfield's historic Rountree neighborhood came available, he knew he had to up Bedda Matri's food-truck game to match the ambiance of the community.
When the lot's owner presented the opportunity to Bedda Matri, “I said, ‘You know what? We need to have something a little bit classier and nicer,'” De Luca said.
“So, we went out and bought a new trailer and had another company make the vinyl.”
Bedda Matri started dishing out Sicilian street food in Springfield in April, according to previous Hauxeda reporting. The business name literally translates to “beautiful mother,” but means being surprised by something positive, De Luca said. That's the feeling he wants customers to have when they try Bedda Matri's food for the first time.
A major food truck upgrade, one-year lease on an outdoor lot
The new food truck is a major upgrade for the blossoming company, adding a second trailer to the fleet with a permanent home will help garner more customers and further substantiate the company in the Springfield restaurant landscape, De Luca said. Bedda Matri will still operate its original food truck at various locations around the city.
Including the top-of-the-line kitchen appliances and the purchase of the truck itself, the owners invested about $40,000 into the new trailer with a permanent home, De Luca said. The business duo signed a one-year lease and pay $500 per month for the renovated outdoor lot, complete with string lights, outdoor tables, spread gravel and a concrete pad.
The property, which extends from the food-truck lot to 1427 E. Cherry St., housing The Royal and Skully's Ramen, is owned by Pickwick and Cherry, LLC, according to Greene County Assessor's Office records. The entire property had a total market value of more than $713,000. Pickwick and Cherry, LLC, is owned by Kim Chaffin of Springfield, according to Missouri Secretary of State records.
Plates just for Rountree; neighborhood is ‘a good match'
While the hours of operation at the new location are still being deliberated, the spot is open all week besides Sunday and Monday, De Luca said. The co-owners are in the midst of seeing if lunch works for the new location.
Bedda Metri is open in Rountree on Tuesday from 5-8 p.m. On Wednesday through Friday, the food truck opens for lunch from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., and then reopens at 4 p.m. until at least 8 p.m. (10 p.m. on Fridays). On Saturdays, it opens at 4 p.m. and “as long as there are people, we are open,” De Luca said.
The new location features two gluten-free and vegan menu options made special for the Rountree customers, De Luca said. The “Caponata al forno” has eggplants, tomatoes, onions, peppers, olives and capers, and the “Panelle” is Sicilian fritters made of chickpea flour, pepper, olive oil and parsley. The Rountree location also features a tiramisu made with Kahlúa.
The rest of the menu has stayed the same, and includes its staple items like “Arancino,” “Cipollina” and “Mozzarella in Carrozza.” Bedda Matri's delicate desserts include a “Chocolate Connolo” and “Baba,” a sponge cake covered in a rum-flavored simple syrup. All items range from $5 to $7, with the option to purchase two for $10.
Bedda Matri is settling into the Rountree neighborhood, and the co-owners are just starting to get acquainted with the community, De Luca said. It's been a perfect fit for a permanent home for the blossoming Sicilian street food truck.
“Everybody who comes is nice — Super nice,” De Luca said. “Super excited for the fact that they have authentic food from Sicily. It's a good match.”
