Local Eats: Twisted Gyros
A full year into the pandemic, our cooking and dining habits have changed a great deal. While we try to navigate supporting our local businesses while also following the changing safety guidelines (and our own comfort levels with being out and about), food trucks and carts have filled a space between ordering in and sitting down in a restaurant. After seeing Twisted Gyros outside my neighborhood taphouse several times last year and hearing rave reviews from friends, I decided to walk over and order a gyro. This was unlike any gyro I’d ever had and included a combination of flavors that could not be imagined, but are perfect. Fast forward to today: I follow them on social media and when they are visiting my area I order ahead online [HOT TIP ALERT! They do sell out and ordering in advance secures your deliciousness]. Over time I’ve had the chance to chat with Jason and Widi, the husband and wife team behind the magic, and it’s no surprise that they are just as lovely as the food that they create.
Mary Brady: Hi Jason! Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with me. Can you tell me a little bit about how you and Widi conceived of Twisted Gyros?
Jason Kupper: We have been eating gyros for a long time, going back to our dating days. What started as date night became more of a routine and soon we had become gyro connoisseurs, checking out different spots throughout our travels. The one common theme was that all of the ingredients stuffed inside the pita were relatively the same which didn’t always fulfill our adventure seeking palettes. After working in hospitality for many years, we decided that it was time for us to venture out on our own and create a concept that was true to our heart. We decided to share our love of gyros with our guests but wanted to take it to a different level. Hence, the fusion aspect of Twisted Gyros was born, which allowed us to impart our experience and culinary style into each of the dishes on the menu. Our goal was to have a diverse enough menu that guests would want to branch out and explore new options that they might not have ever considered. Basically, we wanted to tap into the community and create a relationship with our “regulars”.
MB: Well, you’ve certainly done that! As you know, I’m a big fan of your falafel gyros and rice bowls. I know there are Greek, Korean, Middle Eastern and Mexican influences on the menu. Any others that I’m missing?
JK: Our menu is diverse and has many touches from around the world. Greece, Korea, Mexico, and the Middle East make up a large portion of it; but there are other influences that make their appearance from time to time. One such dish is our Piña Colada Shrimp which plays on Widi’s South East Asian heritage. We marinate the shrimp with rum before breading in Japanese breadcrumbs and coconut. We then cook them until ‘GBD’ (golden brown & delicious) and serve with a pineapple corn salsa, pickled carrots, cabbage, cilantro vinaigrette and peanut sauce. Another dish we are debuting this week is our house made Honey Roasted Char Sui BBQ Pork which celebrates the flavors of China and is also timely with the arrival of the Chinese Lunar New Year. We serve it with edamame, red pepper, carrot, cucumber, fried noodle, toasted almonds, orange and a sesame ginger vinaigrette. Both of these dishes can be ordered as a pita bread gyro, a saffron rice bowl, or a refreshing greens salad.
MB: I saw the new pork dish on your Instagram and it looks delicious! Do your daughters have any influence on what makes its way onto the menu?
JK: Since Widi is from South East Asia, we’ve been fortunate enough to bring the kids along when she’s returned home. We’ve taken them to the craziest of restaurants with hundreds of small dishes on display and to the heart of these cities to experience the street food which they are known for. Throughout these trips they have often lent their opinion on certain meals we have enjoyed and, in the process, started to develop their own distinct palettes. So, when it comes to the menu at Twisted Gyros, by nature they have become our first line of defense when we test out new ingredients or dishes. We value their opinion because we know that they represent the future of our clientele. We also have a motto that if we wouldn’t feed something to our own kids then we certainly wouldn’t feed it to yours.
MB: I love to see families stopping by, kids in tow, to pick up their dinner. What’s your secret to appealing to a full spectrum of ages and palates?
JK: What has worked for us is taking the time to listen to what people are looking for in their meals. We find that the key is offering flexibility and allowing a certain level of customization. The basis for our concept is that everything on the menu can be enjoyed as either a pita gyro sandwich, saffron rice bowl, or refreshing greens salad. When you take these formats and multiply them by our eight standard menu items and possibly more with our weekly specials; we are automatically offering more options than can normally be found on your typical food truck. This cast a wide net and allows us to tap into a broad range of diners. When it comes to customization, we generally shy away from breaking a dish down so much that it no longer represents its original form; but we do allow for many requests that have become second nature in both of our culinary backgrounds. Vegan options, allergies, aversions, and gluten free scenarios pop up every day and we try our best to accommodate them as much as we can. We look at all of our patrons whether they are five or ninety-five in the same lens. At the end of the day, the guests always know what they want and if we can help them to achieve that then it is a win-win situation.
MB: With the pandemic, have you found yourself and other food truck owners to have more flexibility than dine-in restaurants? Any plans for a brick and mortar?
JK: The pandemic has provided many challenges in our operation but being mobile has allowed more flexibility than that of most dine-in restaurants. We are missing our large-scale events like Portland Night Market just as much as the next person but we are still able to maintain a regular amount of business from our dedicated stops and routes that we’ve established. We are able to stay open the majority of the time since the truck is a self-contained unit; a “kitchen on wheels” to be exact. On top of that, we are a family run business so we keep a tight control on every aspect of our sanitation practices and safety standards for our guests. Transitioning to a brick-and-mortar restaurant is definitely a question that has been asked lately but at the moment we are focused on the truck and waiting for the right moment to take that next step. We feel like we have a good proof of concept with the reception from the community so we’ll just have to see what happens next!
MB: I’m excited to see! When you’re not cooking, do you have any favorite spots that work for your whole family?
JK: Some our favorite places to eat as a whole family are Mr. Bento Burger in Hillsboro, Matts BBQ in Portland, and Sugarpine Drive-In in the Gorge.
MB: I’ve been to some outdoor weddings and birthday parties that had food trucks on site. Do you do private events?
JK: Part of our business is based on a “by appointment” model where we book events throughout the year. In the past we have done work with the Portland Children’s Museum for their Building Bridges Event which was super cool because we got to interact with almost all kids that day and also had the chance to meet with DJ Lance Rock from Yo Gabba Gabba who is AWESOOOOOOME! A very popular booking for us is milestone events such as birthdays and anniversaries. The comforting nature of our menu lends well to the fun environment often associated with birthdays when guests are looking to think outside the box when it comes to the food offering. We also have done weddings and have a few already booked for this coming summer. The great thing about weddings in Oregon is the beautiful outdoor venues that a lot of people are choosing from vineyards to historic barns and farms. In addition, we do private events for many local companies that want us out to feed their staff for lunch, treat them to an employee appreciation day, or for quarterly business meetings. Private events can be booked by visiting our website at twistedgyros.com and heading to the “Contact Us” tab.
MB: I’m jealous of your DJ Lance meeting! Thank you so much for chatting with me, Jason! I follow you on Facebook and Instagram to see when you’ll be in my neighborhood. Is that the best way to keep track of your schedule?
JK: Yes. We can be found on both at @twistedgyros. As the season progresses, we will let our clientele know where we will be and how to order. We have an online ordering platform for days of events at twistedgyrosonline.com
MB: We’ll be following along!