The story of Southern Pasta Twist began on New Year’s day 2022, when Antwane Wilkerson told his wife Gabrielle, “I don’t want to work for anyone anymore.” What followed was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but a carefully-deliberated plan made with a sound understanding of business. With an official opening in Jan. 2023, that plan has just begun to bear fruit.
With a shared passion for cooking, the pair settled on starting a food truck for its advantages of low overhead compared to brick-and-mortar and the ability to move to events and follow demand. After coming up with the idea, Gabrielle decided to partner with a friend from business school, A’Ja Rolfe.
Gabrielle called Rolfe and told her, “‘Here’s a concept, you don’t have to make a decision today. Just think about it and tell me what you think.’ She made the decision before we got off the phone and we created a four-year plan.”
Things rapidly advanced from there as they acquired a food trailer from a cousin. To reach a wider sample size for testing recipes, the Wilkersons organized an expo in June called Minding My Black Owned Business. Not only did the recipes they were testing sell out, but the expo was so successful that MMBOB is now a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with an 11-member board.
With such successes, the four year plan was completed in only a single year. Southern Pasta Twist is currently based in Maumelle and has five main menu items that combine delicious southern cooking with Italian cuisine in dishes such as pulled beef mac and cheese or fried lasagna.
“We definitely have a CEO mentality,” Gabrielle said. “We do not believe in leaving one job to go to another. We want to get to the point where we can hire and the truck runs without us.”
Once that milestone is achieved, Gabrielle hopes to begin franchising. If things continue to progress as quickly as they have so far, keep an eye out – because Southern Pasta Twist might be coming to a town near you.
8701 Maumelle Blvd. // North Little Rock // 501.500.3051 // southernpastatwist.com //
Facebook: SouthernPastaTwist
