We all know that sh*t got weird in March 2020 for all of us. It was no different for Nathan Carlson the owner/chef of WTF food truck in Walla Walla. Carlson had been executive chef at Cameo Heights Mansion for 7 years and then Covid and then not anymore. There are lots of stories like this going around the last 11 months, but Carlson decided he was gonna pivot and WTF food truck was born.

Nathan Carlson, purveyor of the WTF food truck shows off some of his Korean style wings. Photo: Barbie Chavez

WTF, FYI, stands for Where There’s Food the full name of the truck is Where There’s Food Eat It. Trained in culinary school Carlson has gone full street food with a focus on BBQ, but the flavors indicate there is something deeper going on. Creativity and unique flavors are the highlights of the food you’ll get at WTF, but the street food vibe is front and center. It’s comfort food on 10.

Why did Carlson start a food truck after a long, successful career in fine dining? “We needed something that wouldn't get shut down due to covid and there's a severe lack of mobile eateries in this town,” said Carlson. Barbecue is the name of the game for WTF. Carlson says, “I've always played with it and incorporated aspects of it into fine dining. I've been doing barbecue popups here and there for years.”

Saucing up the wings! Photo: Barbie Chavez

We tried a few items from WTF and loved every one of them. The Pho Q was so good and as far as we know it’s the only place in town right now that serves Pho.

We also tried the ever-elusive Smash Burger, again as far as we know the only place grilling up this popular style of hamburger in Walla Walla. A smash burger if you don’t know, is a burger smashed super thin and fried in its own grease until it forms a crispy crust on the burger so the texture matches the flavor.

The baseline culinary style for the WTF truck is BBQ and there are elements of barbecue in each dish, but the Korean style bbq wings are delicious and authentic.

Korean Chicken Wings. Photo: Barbie Chavez

Last, but not least, we tried the smoked WTF Chicken Sandwich which features shredded, smoked chicken on house-made buns (all of the buns are house-made) and a sweet and spicy habanero sauce. That would be delicious in and of itself, but Carlson adds a crispy chicken skin to the top of the meat, and man, did we love that addition. The salty crunch was the perfect complement to the rest of the sandwich!

Make sure you check out the WTF food truck in Walla Walla. You can see their Facebook page for when and where they will be. Tell them you found out about them on Discover Walla Walla!

Where There’s Food Eat It Food Truck. Photo: Barbie Chavez

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