MADAWASKA, Maine — T&D Eatery, a family-owned food truck that opened just last week, offers customers a little bit of everything with a focus on traditional Acadian cuisine.
Amy Lagasse opened the business, which is located just a few hundred feet away from both the Canadian border and Twin Rivers Paper Co., the region’s largest employer, on July 3.
It’s the latest addition to the St. John Valley culinary scene, which most recently welcomed Fort Kent’s 96 Market and Doghouse Kitchen and Cou-yon’s Cajun Shack, also in Madawaska. Lagasse has been cooking for nearly her entire life, but this is her first business.
Prior to this, she had spent 25 years in the medical field as a certified nurse’s aide, a medical assistant, and for 12 years as a phlebotomist.
She switched careers when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and worked as a cook for her friend’s local store, the Grab and Go Corner Market, for three years.
“People just had really good reviews,” Lagasse said. “They kept coming back. So I built a clientele from that point.”
When her friend closed the store to focus on her primary business, Lagasse was inspired to open her own business with her husband and two sons.
Lagasse has always been passionate about cooking. She attended the culinary arts program when it was offered at the St. John Valley Technical Center as a high schooler, and as a child she was always cooking meals and trying out new things in the kitchen.
“I would always create random things, like I’d take kielbasa, cut it up, and put barbecue sauce, A1 sauce, and butter on it,” she said. “It’s actually very good.”
While T&D Eatery offers a variety of dishes from different cultures, the primary focus is on hearty Acadian meals like pate chinois, pot en pot, and chicken stew with ployes.
Pate chinois is similar to shepherd’s pie and includes meat and corn with potatoes on top, and then it is baked. Lagasse said pot en pot could be likened to a thick version of chicken stew. It includes layers of chicken and layers of dumplings and onions, and it is slow roasted.
“I cooked that my whole life, and I watched my mother and grandmother cook it,” she said of Acadian meals. “That’s strong in this area.”
Inspiration soon turned to action, and she reached out to Kristen Henry, Madawaska’s economic and community development director, who helped her start the business. Henry is also helping Lagasse prepare food for customers. On Friday, she helped prepare enchiladas as part of the day’s Mexican food theme. Henry also helped create the eatery’s smash burgers, which Lagasse says are particularly popular.
Lagasse’s husband helps with maintenance and her sons help with the cash register. Her oldest son, who is 15, is also beginning to dabble in cooking. Aside from family and Henry, she said a couple of friends will occasionally volunteer.
Customers have given positive feedback so far, she said. People were lining up before the eatery opened on Friday morning, and a Thursday region-wide power outage affected Twin Rivers, which led to a line of customers all the way down the street, Lagasse said.
The town has allowed Lagasse to temporarily use the parking spot on 82 Mill Street, but she said she is in the process of getting a rent or lease so she can permanently use the space. She is also planning to make a few appearances at some outdoor events and festivals later this year.
Lagasse doesn’t plan to expand, but just wants to maintain the customer base and the spot that she has.
“I like this little gig,” she said. “I like the location. I like being able to be mobile. It’s mainly for my passion to cook, and for my boys to learn how to manage money and work with the public.”
