Brings Culinary Adventure with Mama Roux 

Jennifer Russo

In the last couple of decades, food trucks have become increasingly popular, trending on social media and popping up across the country in parking lots, breweries, business parks, and more. They are casual and unpretentious, a haven for foodies to get delicious, high-quality food on the go, and can be hired out for events. 

Chef Jonathan Demoga, owner of one of the Worcester area’s most popular food trucks, Mama Roux, knew at an early age that he wanted to cook and loved watching his Italian grandmother making her tried and true recipes in the kitchen. Like most aspiring chefs, he started as a dishwasher and worked his way up, also working at a snack shack at the Worcester Country Club. Eventually, he attended Johnson and Wales University to earn a degree in Culinary Arts and worked at James Beard Award-winning restaurant Al Forno in Providence and for the famed Brennan Family in New Orleans at Café Adelaide. 

“It seems a lot of people have food trucks these days, especially post pandemic. People say how quickly things can shut down, and the food truck model is more attractive than ever. I think what makes us stand out is our attention to detail, our sourcing of ingredients, and going the extra mile to do things right. Also, creatively, the menu is constantly changing. I don’t want someone to come to Mama Roux and have the same experience twice,” he says. 

The name Mama Roux came from a Dr. John song, a famed New Orleans musician that combined jazz, blues, and funk. Jonathan had been listening to the album and the name just “felt right.” 

“We started out doing strictly New Orleans food with some pop-culture and local twists (for example, our gumbo that used homemade smoked kielbasa from 

Golemo’s Market instead of andouille), but these days we will cook up anything that we are inspired by and think people will also connect with,” says Demoga. 

Jonathan is proud to be from Worcester. The fourth generation of his family to call the city home, he remembers stories his grandfather would tell him about living here at the time of WWII. 

“He used to tell me how he would have dreams, especially around Christmas time, of taking a seaplane home and landing on Lake Quinsigamond where his mother and family would be waiting for him on the shore,” he recalls. 

So, it was only fitting that he started a business on his home turf. Thankfully, for those who live and work here, we all get the benefit of a tasty, innovative and truly eclectic menu of whatever Jonathan dreams up that week – from chicken or sliced beef sandwiches to wings and crabcakes, to ribs and sausages, you just never know what you might find there. 

“We are probably best known for our fried chicken sandwich, but a lot of other items have a cult-like following and are sometimes requested years after we had originally served it. We still get requests for the ‘Leatherface sandwich’ from a Halloween party we had at The Dive Bar almost seven years back, and others long for another shot at the Double Quarter Flounder with Cheese. That’s the thing about Mama Roux, our menus are always fleeting – so if you see something you’re into, jump on it,” he shares. 

The Mama Roux can be hired for private events or, if you’re just looking for a great bite, they can be found at different venues throughout the city. Follow Mama Roux on Instagram at @mamarouxtrailer and on Facebook to ask about an event or to see what’s on the menu and where they are popping up near you! 

The Reigning, Defending, and Undisputed Worcester Hot Dog Safari Champion 

On August 17th be sure to go early and stand in line. Mama Roux is going for defend their title and going for their third championship for Worcester Hot Dog Safari. 

Demoga and his creation of the Pecos Bill hot dog (Berberian’s Farm Creamed Corn with Roasted New Mexico Hatch Chiles, Crispy Double Smoked Bacon, and Chive) has won the Safari two years in a row. Look out and good luck getting one.