Noodlehead arrived on the Lafayette food truck scene in December, and in just a few short weeks, they’ve become known for specialties such as birria ramen, wonton tacos and “hangover cure” noodles.
On Saturday, owner Ika Nasa and her team were dishing up dinner on West Congress Street during the Bonaparte parade — and as it turns out, the Louisiana night parade crowd loves ramen.
“It’s nighttime, it’s a little windy,” Nasa said while serving up hot bowls of ramen, including birria, spicy miso tonkatsu and a wild veggie ramen to folks waiting to hear the distant music from floats. Finger foods such as spring rolls, wonton shrimp tacos and pork belly sliders were also crowd-pleasers. Noodlehead is filling a niche in Lafayette’s food truck ecosystem — offering inventive noodle dishes similar to the meals that Nasa and her wife love to make at home.
“We both love noodles. People are always down for noodles. I cook the same recipe I use at home, and so far it’s been great feedback from the community. I’m grateful for it, because I’m new here,” says Nasa.
Nasa and her wife, Beejay Nasa, moved to Lafayette last September to establish roots in Beejay’s hometown. They wasted no time launching the food truck, which draws on Ika Nasa’s 17 years of experience as a sushi chef in Nashville. She owned and operated three sushi restaurants in Music City, but decided to go in a different direction when they made the move to Louisiana.
“I gave up my shares [at the sushi restaurants] to settle down and start a food truck business,” says Ika Nasa. “Since I’m trying to start something new, I wasn’t sure of the location, so having a truck is convenient.”
Ika Nasa noted the number of taco, burger and Cajun specialty food trucks in the area, and knew that ramen and noodles would fill a niche in the thriving food truck scene that has developed in Lafayette. This has been thanks in large part to the excitement around new developments like the Parc De Oaks food truck park on Moss Street, where you can often find Noodlehead parked during the week.
According to Ika Nasa, “no matter how long I’ve been a chef, no one knows about me here. It’s been challenging, but I couldn’t ask for anything better.”
Just three months into her new venture, she's already thinking about the future. She’s focusing on improving the concept and building a customer base right now, with a long-term goal: franchising Noodlehead.
“I used to open and set up training for the Rock N’ Roll Sushi chain, so I know how to franchise,” says Nasa.
“That’s also why I wanted to start in my wife’s hometown. There’s a lot more support here than starting in Nashville. I already have people interested in franchising, so I’m just trying to focus on my quality now. As long as I can keep my reputation and my food tastes good, I will survive.”
Watch this space weekly for news on the best food experiences Acadiana has to offer. Do you have a great local spot or a foodie tip to share? Email joanna.brown@theadvocate.com.