Buzz’s Hawaiian Grill food truck brings island fare to St. Louis

Thomas “Buzz” Moore hopes to offer a Hawaiian escape in St. Louis with his new food truck, Buzz’s Hawaiian Grill. The food truck – painted with Hawaii’s clear blue skies, choice waves and sandy shores – opened in June and serves classic Hawaiian dishes.

Moore, a native St. Louisan, lived in Hawaii for five years, as well as California and Okinawa, Japan. When he moved back to his hometown several years ago, he was disappointed in the city’s lack of Hawaiian food. After decades of traveling back to the island state to visit family and cooking Hawaiian fare for family and friends, he decided to launch his first culinary venture showcasing the cuisine and its blend of international influences from China and Japan to the Philippines  and Hawaii’s native islanders. “It’s not just pineapple,” Moore said. “It’s food from everywhere.”

Moore said he hopes to bring a spirit of aloha to the Midwest, which he describes as a way of life that’s about “chilling and being friendly and open to one another.”

The truck rotates between St. Louis City and County and features Hawaiian plate lunches, a popular meal that features two scoops of rice, Hawaiian macaroni salad and a protein like chicken yakitori, kalbi ribs or kalua pork.

Other dishes include fish tacos, musubi (Spam and rice and a sweet egg pancake wrapped in nori) and poke, a raw fish salad that has gained popularity on the mainland in recent years. Look for sides like lomi lomi (a tomato and salmon salad) and lumpia.

Find Buzz’s Hawaiian Grill by following the truck on Facebook and Twitter.

Rachel Wilson is an editorial intern at Sauce Magazine.