Megumi Abbott goes full-time for Okinawa cuisine food truck

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

Megumi Abbott is taking a big leap to bring a new food option to Charles City, recently dedicating herself full-time to her food truck, Churasan.

The daughter of Charles City native Edward Abbott and his wife, Reiko Kinjo, Megumi was born and raised in Okinawa, Japan, before her family moved to the United States in 2002. Since then, she has tried to stay connected to her Japanese heritage through food, but has rarely found the opportunity to partake in the meals she grew up with.

“The type of food I like isn’t really around here,” said Abbott.

With few options for Japanese cuisine in rural Iowa, Abbott has had to take matters into her own hands, preparing her favorite dishes herself and posting the results on social media.

This led to Abbott making the transition from cooking for herself to cooking for others, selling sushi rolls for some extra money and eventually establishing Churasan to offer her authentic Okinawa cuisine.

“I had a lot of people that were interested, so that’s how I started it,” said Abbott. “I just want to serve the food I grew up eating.”

Last year, Abbott decided to take the next step by expanding Churasan into a full-on food truck, making her food available in not just Charles City, but at summer events around the area.

On the menu are Abbott’s sushi rolls along with other Japanese staples like chicken karaage and katsu (fried chicken), and onigiri (filled rice balls).

“People seem to really like it,” said Abbott. “I’ve had good response.”

Now, with a year of running the truck under her belt and the new season approaching, Abbott has decided to go all-in on the food business. Last week was her final day working at Zoetis, where she was given a tearful send-off by her co-workers before taking the plunge to dedicate herself full-time to Churasan.

“You see them more than your own family, so it was really emotional,” said Abbott.

With her parents, boyfriend, and friends helping out, Abbott will be busy this summer at even more events across the area, planning to set-up at the Floyd County Fair and Party in the Park along with the usual line-up of summer events across the area.

Abbott said she hopes that by the end of this year’s food truck season she will be able to take the next step, finding a permanent location for carry-out orders to stay active year round.

“It’s scary,” said Abbott. “But I’d rather try and fail than regret not trying it.”

For those looking to try-out Churasan’s food, the next pop-up in Charles City will be on Wednesday, May 1, at Ace Hardware from 4:30 to 8 p.m.