Life & Work with Mike Eck of Oregon,Ohio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Eck.

Hi Mike, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve always loved to smoke bbq foods and I thought about more than just cooking in my backyard. I thought about a foodtruck, then the idea of a very unique foodtruck crossed my mind. So I bought a ladder truck to turn into a smoker. It’s not quite a smoker, but has a 12 foot area for charcoal cooking. It’s set up as a mobile kitchen with all the kitchen essentials for your cookout needs! We also have eight seats to give people rides to their destination. There is a gender reveal option where we add blue or pink dye to our water tank while and you are in control of the hose and nozzle spraying the water as the surprise of your baby’s gender is revealed!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t been all that bad. A few nicks and cuts here and there literally putting blood, sweat and tears into this project. Most of the projects have been pretty easy to accomplish. There have been some pauses during production though, some studying for a promotion, looking for a part or another way to fix things, but we are here up and running. While a slow go at getting on the market, people love a bbq and a firetruck, and putting the two together is something fun to have at your party!

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I have been a firefighter for just about 19 years now. My path started after High School attending the fire academy at the community college in my hometown and then EMT Basic school. Later on, I join the Marine Corps because why not. I moved to Maryland after finding a fulltime career firefighting job there. Ended up getting deployed to Afghanistan with my unit from Frederick, Maryland. Soon after, I found my way back to Ohio with a big city department. With feeling stuck in life, I wanted to try something. With all the ideas running wild in my head, the two that stuck out the most, being a firefighter and a love for smoking bbq food, I ended up with turning a firetruck (ladder truck) into a food truck. Found a laddertruck, drove home and the project began. A few slowdowns as mentioned before, the project must be finished. I’m not quiet a full-service food truck, but rather a private party/tailgate rentable kitchen “food-truck”. With options to have 8 people taking a ride around town and getting dropped off at their destination or having blue or pink dye added to our water tank to reveal the gender of a new baby. Here we are today, now a paramedic, lieutenant, and a recent recipient of an Associate’s Degree in Culinary Arts. Life is one adventure after another.

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I just want to have fun, whether by entertaining or cooking for people, this recent project combines a little bit of both. It’s an easy conversation piece to open up to people and carry on a conversation or somewhat show off your skills. Even though I like to keep to myself for most of the time, theres just something about making people have a good time with what you can do.

Pricing:

• There are different prices for the options we have.
• You’re going to enjoy our firetruck no matter the occasion
• You are paying not just the truck, but the experience and all the options that come with it.
• I can assist you with your party in any way I can.
• We’ love to entertain and celebrate along with you!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://smokeandladder.com
• Facebook: Smoke’n’Ladder Backyard BBQrew