Homestead Heritage launches extended food truck hours in place of now-burned Cafe Homestead

WACO, Texas (KWTX) - Cafe Homestead is taking the first steps in returning to business as usual after a fire destroyed most of the popular restaurant.

On Wednesday staff at Homestead Heritage opened the new extended hours for a barbecue food truck restaurant in the front of the 500-acre property.

“It’s a slightly different menu, but it still will be just as delicious,” Andrew Taylor, Cafe Homestead general manager, said.

The food truck previously was only open on the weekends. Now it will be open throughout the week at the Homestead Heritage property. All of the staff from Cafe Homestead are now back in the kitchen of the barbecue food truck.

“I just walked up to my chefs and I said man ‘it’s good to see you back in costume’ again,” Taylor said.

Just two days before Christmas a fire that started in the chimney destroyed almost all of Cafe Homestead. The rubble and ash still remain at the site of the beloved restaurant.

“The building’s gone but the memories aren’t and we’ll rebuild the building and we’ll create new ones,” Taylor said.

Isaac Moore and his family are visiting from New Jersey and staying in a cabin at the rural Homestead Heritage property.

“As for restaurants you have to drive a pretty long way to get to one,” Moore said.

He said he’s grateful to have a new food option nearby onsite.

“It’s interesting because it keeps people in this area to where they can still shop around,” Moore said.

The plan now is to rebuild Cafe Homestead from the ground up by the end of the year. The manager said the replacement will be an exact replica on the outside with an expanded dining room inside.

“Honestly that’s one of the biggest questions I’ve gotten from our guests and our regulars is will it look the same?” Taylor said. “Is it going to change? No, it’s not going to change.”

In February staff will open another temporary dining option in an event space on the property. That one will serve the same signature menu items as Cafe Homestead until the new permanent restaurant is complete.

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