LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Black Restaurant Week is an opportunity to celebrate the flavors of African, Caribbean and African-American cuisine in the Las Vegas valley.
The event runs from March 17 to March 26, 2023, in Las Vegas, and Good Morning Las Vegas anchor Justin Hinton stopped by one local food truck to learn a little more about its origins.
Food makes up the fabric of Sarah Moore's life, and this Las Vegas native was practically destined to go into the food industry.
"It was my dad and mom’s baby at first," Moore told Channel 13. "As the years went on, I got more into cooking."
So much so, Moore opened this food truck in 2020 and named it “We in the Kitchen.” She says their specialty is barbeque, po'boys, pasta, and wings — but family is always the major focus.
On the side of the food truck is a picture of Moore and her mom, whose dream was to own a food truck. And inside the truck is her father, Willy Stark, who helps cook the food.
"I’ve been known as Chilly Willy so long, I even have my wife [on the truck], Mrs. Chilly Willy," Stark said.
Stark says he started his first food truck with his wife in Ely, Nevada, where they would bring their unique dishes to various festivals and events in the area.
"I and my wife did it all those years," Stark said. "But it’s a different feeling when your kid says — hey, you can cook that? I like that."
However, the jokes and laughter didn't always come so easily. Brain cancer barged in on this family, targeting Ms. Chilly Willy, or Sarah's mom and Willy's wife.
"42 years, but we were together 45," Stark told Channel 13. "I thought she was going to survive, but God had another plan and this was our plan to get it going this way and she told me, 'honey, you can do this.'"
And with the help of the Pepsi Company, they did do it — becoming a recipient of the Black Restaurant Accelerator Grant and setting up shop in front of Tap ‘n Ash Social Club on Commerce.
"I think she would be over-the-moon happy, knowing that we are starting something in her legacy and building what she knows is going to be a success," Moore said.
"We in the Kitchen" can be found on Commerce Street, where they're usually open Thursdays through Sundays from 6:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.
