Belgium bar, restaurant to take its eats on the road

Kyle Simpson planned to serve modern high-end food when he bought the former Bic’s Place and changed it into Kyotes Bar and Grill six years ago.

That, however, didn’t work in Belgium, so Simpson adjusted his menu to serve staples with a twist.

Now, he’s got a chance to take his food to the next level, and he can do it anywhere.

Simpson bought a food truck a few weeks ago.

“I wanted a food truck since I was probably 18 years old,” Simpson said.

That was more than two decades ago.

Working under different chefs in the industry has given Simpson expertise in creating new dishes, and his new vehicle is his vessel in which to do it.

“The menu’s going to constantly be changing,” he said of the food truck.

It will not carry the same items as the brick-and-mortar restaurant on purpose. The food lineup can change to accommodate nearly any event.

Simpson already has six jobs booked — people began asking questions the instant they saw him park the truck next to Kyotes. A child’s birthday he’s catering is calling for simple foods while a three-course dinner for a date night offers more extravagant dishes.

The truck has a four-burner stove, two ovens, two fryers and two full-size coolers.

“That opens us up to do large catering events,” Simpson said.

Freezers may even allow ice cream to be served, he said.

Kyotes always runs out of food at Belgium’s annual Luxembourg Fest, but Simpson said the truck should solve that problem.

The food truck will make its debut at April 20’s Moonlight Meltdown, the Snow Runners LTD Snowmobile Club’s annual run/walk that starts and ends at Kyotes. It will also make an appearance at Sheboygan’s Coho Derby in August.

“That’s going to be a test for us,” Simpson said.

The truck will offer buns from City Bakery in Sheboygan, and Simpson said he will work with Cindy’s Microgreens and get mushrooms from Underground Velvet.

On Fridays, Simpson will park the truck a block away from his house in Milwaukee, offering fish frys at a bar that doesn’t serve food.

His work the past six years at Kyotes has afforded him to take this opportunity.

“We’re fully staffed so I can step away,” he said. “We’re very fortunate with our staff. We’ve got a pretty good mindset. That frees me up to do extra stuff.”

The truck, despite serving different food, will carry Kyotes’ brand.

“I think people know Kyotes’ food and know it’s going to be good,” Simpson said.

He developed a love for cooking when he was growing up in Rockwood, Mich., just south of Detroit. His parents would go away for the weekend and leave Simpson $50 for food. Instead of ordering out, he bought fresh groceries and cooked from scratch.

His mother was a baker, but that was too stringent for Simpson. He likes to play around with the amounts of different ingredients.

He started as a dishwasher in a hotel where the chef kept yelling at him because Simpson always had the dishes done and nothing else to do. The chef asked if he wanted to start prep cooking, and Simpson jumped at the chance.

Simpson’s budding career in cooking took him to Marquette, Mich., then to Milwaukee in 2008, where he fell in love with the city in just 10 days.

Double-digit gigs in bars taught Simpson many techniques, and he worked under some great chefs, he said.