Ruston, Louisiana: A Food Truck Destination

By: TLP's Partners

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Located in historic downtown Ruston, Heard Freighthouse Food Park is a must-visit destination, with six food trucks serving a wide variety of specialty food items from sweet and savory pineapple chicken to southern fried apple pies. Featuring outdoor seating and occasional live entertainment, the food park is the ideal spot for good food and good music.

Explore the Vendors

Table of food at the Heard Freighthouse Food Park in Ruston, Louisiana.

Grown and Grazed

Grown and Grazed is committed to sourcing as much as possible from local farmers, making its food from scratch daily. For breakfast, get a homemade biscuit made with local milk and butter. Add some house-made jam or bourbon cane butter. Stick around for lunch to try the grilled-to-order bacon jam and white cheddar cheeseburger on a kaiser roll with house-made bacon jam and white cheddar cheese, with a house-made pickle. Add a side of hand-cut sweet potato fries that are fried nice and crispy. In the holiday spirit? Order a Grown and Grazed king cake, made fresh daily during Mardi Gras season.

Staple Sandwich Co.

Staple Sandwich Co. is known for its specialty sandwiches, built on in-house focaccia bread, toasted to perfection. Try the muffaletta with homemade olive mix and three types of meats and two types of cheeses, or the cuban, which features one-of-a-kind chili-braised pulled pork. Add any of the staple sides or soups to your meal, which are made in-house with fresh produce. The spicy chickpea salad is the perfect addition to any meal. Don’t forget about the famous cookies, baked from scratch with real and fresh ingredients. Try a classic chocolate chip or a specialty cane syrup pecan.

Bad Wolf BBQ

Owned and operated by pitmaster Andrew Caskey, Bad Wolf BBQ brings Texas-style smoked barbecue to a whole new level. With influences from modern Texas BBQ, Louisiana culinary roots, and cuisines from all over the world, the unique menu items ensure a memorable experience. Try the brisket and brussels with smoked brisket and sweet chili brussels sprouts on French bread or the chimi, with smoked brisket and chimichurri aioli on jalapeño sourdough. And you can’t leave without trying one of the specialty meats by the half or quarter pound, like the pepper jack brisket boudin, the pig wings, or the bbq pulled pork, smoked for over 16 hours and sauced in house-made peach bbq sauce.

Family at the Heard Freighthouse Food Park in Ruston, Louisiana.

La Authentic Chinese

La Authentic Chinese is known for its variety of delicious daily specials and unique, one-of-a-kind flavors. From Thursday’s curry chicken with white or stir-fried rice to Saturday’s pineapple chicken and pork stir-fried noodles, there is something for everyone at this fan-favorite spot.

Taqueria La Mexicana

Known for the best tacos in Ruston, Taqueria La Mexicana is the one-stop shop for flavorful dishes that will leave you wanting more. From the al pastor taco to the nachos supreme to the birria ramen, there is something for everyone at this authentic and delicious spot.

Grace Wins

Crafting deep-south dishes and desserts, Grace Wins offers a wide variety of unique food items that will satisfy all your cravings. Try the fried fish plate, which features two catfish fillets, two sides, two hushpuppies, and a piece of cornbread, or the buffalo mac n cheese bowl with a special side of hand-cut fries. And you can’t forget about dessert. The fried pies are the perfect ending to a delicious meal. Get the apple, cherry, or blueberry and top it off with homemade whip cream.

Meet the Owner

Desi Bourgeois, the brainchild behind the food park, is dedicated to providing opportunity to food entrepreneurs. Bourgeois, a Louisiana Tech University graduate, attended the New England Culinary Institute and after many trials in different kitchens, he entered the corporate dining industry. After his four years working at Google in Austin, with many visits back to his alma mater stomping grounds, Bourgeois decided to move back to Ruston. With his many years of experience in the dining industry, he was approached by the city of Ruston and Mayor Ronny Walker to turn the former Charles Raymond Heard wholesale grocery distribution warehouse into a food hall. However, Desi saw something else.

The Heard food park’s namesake built the former grocery distribution warehouse and a small empire in Ruston around distributing food. He focused on delivery to not only the local community, but to other areas around Louisiana, according to Bourgeois.

Bourgeois took Heard’s community food distribution project to a whole new level with the creation of the food park in 2018, starting with the creation of his own food trucks, Grown and Grazed and Staple Sandwich Co.

“You know, we decided to take a different approach and say, ‘We’re going to make fresh food. We’re going to make simple stuff that you understand, we’re just going to do it in a different way and communicate that our way provides more economy to our local area, and also supports some local families [and] some local businesses.”
– Desi Bourgeois

Bourgeois brought the novelty food truck industry into Ruston, and today the food park is a leader in providing fresh food options to the community. Since its inception, the food park has also undergone several expansions. There is now a stage on the food park property, sidewalks that lead to the venue, and the park is ADA accessible.

“Food’s a great way to meet people,” Bourgeois said. “Food’s a great way to cross barriers and close gaps between people. Our goal has always been to create a community space centered around food and the entertainment in our town, and we see it happening every day. People who are sitting across from you may not have the same views you have, they may not have the same beliefs you have, they may not have any of those things, but at the end of the day, we’re all here to have a great meal.”