Find Comfort Food on Wheels at Delectabowl

A half-hour before the doors are scheduled to open at a food-truck rally at the Royal Oak Farmers’ Market, Katie Picard is busy setting out the red-and-white-checked tablecloth and stocking the cooler. The young general manager of the big blue food truck called Delectabowl knows business will be brisk.

In fact, over the three years since she and childhood friend Aaron Tye opened Delectabowl, business has been so good that they are about to open a food-truck park. Picard says their success is based on their concept: fresh, homemade comfort food in a bowl.

“I grew up in a house where food was important,” says Picard, who has 15 years of experience in the food business. “Aaron has a ton of business experience, so we were a perfect team.”

“I’m always looking to do something new, something different,” says Tye, who had never been in the food business before. Seeing a few food trucks around Detroit and their growing recognition in other major cities, “I said, ‘What the heck.’”

The two grew up in Berkley, but Picard was living in Denver when Tye asked her to join him in the venture. “He contacted me and said, ‘Hey, I have this crazy idea. Maybe we should open a food truck,’” Picard says. The two and their spouses came up with the idea of the bowl. “My first thought was comfort food,” she adds. “We started test cooking and really got a great response.” 

Everything from sauces, toppings and rubs to cornbread and slow-cooked meats is homemade. “Every bowl has a base,” Katie says, such as brown rice or cornbread. Toppings, protein and a sauce are added. “We have signature creations, but you can build your own.” Bowls can be made gluten-free or vegetarian.