After his time in the service, he looked at different job opportunities, but ended up going to culinary school.

He worked in larger metropolitan areas using his training to find opportunities in fine dining establishments. When he moved to the Somerset area, his culinary inclinations were still going very strong and so he decided eventually to strike out on his own. He utilized what he learned from earning a business management degree in his earlier years to combine with his culinary education and bring his own special touch to his food truck.

Richardson fondly remembers his days in the Air Force as part of the security forces, when he would invite his military buddies over and would put together dishes they would often compliment. " That ' s kind of how the food truck idea came about," he said.

They would go on military training exercises and so forth, and would have to rely on prepackaged military meals or wait on getting back to the base chow hall.

Not everybody necessarily agreed that those options were ideal, so some of his friends, aware of his culinary talents, suggested he

should start a food truck with which he could feed the base.

While he didn ' t end up doing that, the idea stuck with him through the years, ultimately resulting in the Mericana Food Truck, serving fellow Americans right here in Pulaski County and surrounding areas.

Richardson said his culinary journey has led him on a deep exploration into the art of American BBQ, while also learning the bold flavors of Peruvian, Argentinian and French cuisine.

Only at Mericana Food Truck can one get a Mericana Dream Bowl, which includes chicken, brisket, steak and smoked

pork belly, served with grilled peppers, onions, and personally-crafted House BBQ Sauce Chipotle Gouda Grits.

The Jay Burger includes two beef patties, American cheese, House Smash Sauce, Brioche Bun, with seasoned potato wedges.

A popular sandwich is the Smoked Brisket Roll, which includes smoked brisket, roasted red pepper and onion, red chimichurri, provolone, a baguette, also with seasoned potato wedges.

For more info on the menu and times and places to find Mericana Food Truck, call 606-513- 9362, or check out their Facebook page.