After six years in business, beloved Milwaukee food truck Maya Ophelia’s will “close the hatch” at the end of June. The owners of the mobile vegan restaurant, Chase and Jack Roldan, made the announcement on social media Wednesday morning.
“Although we have had the best customers, and many of you have become our friends through this venture, it is with heavy hearts that we have decided to close the Maya Ophelia’s food truck,” the announcement reads. “Unfortunately the immense support we have received from the community has not reflected in our sales since our reopen last summer. Thank you to everyone who has helped us push on from the beginning up to now. It has been an incredible experience to learn and grow with you all.”
Maya Ophelia’s last day of service will be June 30, at its current location behind The Mothership, 2301 S. Logan Ave. “We will be open tomorrow and Friday, and will be posting a calendar for our remaining hours of operation soon,” the announcement adds.
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Per our 2020 profile on Maya Ophelia’s:
Jack grew up in Phoenix, Arizona during the week, and Sonora on the weekends where his Dad lived, influencing the flavor brought to the dishes. The same goes for Chase, who grew up in a Filipino Palestinian Muslim household with his mom, and a Puerto Rican household with his dad. He started in kitchens when he was 11 in a Subway his mom owned with his nana.
Filipino flavors in a Milwaukee restaurant setting are rare. Maya Ophelia’s is a trans-owned business, something that is also a rarity in the Milwaukee food scene. “The truck offers us an opportunity to do, once a month, pay-what-you-can. Giving back to our communities no matter how little we have had to start with has been important to us since day one,” Chase says.
At least there’s a small light at the end of the tunnel. According to a postscript on Wednesday’s announcement “there may be a cookbook in the works for those curious about recipes.”
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