Nipa Truck - Authentic Filipino Fusion

Family is everything to Melanie Bailey. So what better way to honor her family than by honoring her familial culture and traditions with her authentic Filipino food truck.

Growing up, Melanie loved 4-H Food shows and the county fair projects. She always has found herself working either full time or part time at restaurants, and therefore it was only a natural progression to take her cultural background from the Philippines, (their love for hospitality, cooking tons of food and catering to) and spread that joy of food through her very own food truck.

Nipa Truck took shape just prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. Deriving its name from the PI - Nipa Hut, Nipa house or also known as Bahay Cubo which is a bamboo house very popular in the Philippines. She always wanted to have her food truck wrapped in bamboo so when people saw it, it looked like a little nipa hut. She could use the play on words and call it the Nipa Truck. The symbolism of the bamboo so prevalent in the Philippines, would be synonymous with the culturally infused food she provided to the masses.

Melanie’s current goal for the food truck is to be able to travel more around Texas and get her name out there. She enjoys traveling to different locations. Melanie enjoys putting smiles on people’s faces and the positive feedback she has been receiving.

Nipa Truck offers cuisine from the Philippines, including lumpia which are various types of spring rolls commonly found in Indonesia and the Philippines. Lumpia are made of thin paper-like or crepe-like pastry skin called “lumpia wrapper” enveloping savory or sweet fillings. It is often served as an appetizer or snack, and might be served deep fried or fresh. Melanie’s mother always had a dream with her family in the Philippines to have a catering business. Therefore in order to incorporate her mother into her own food, Melanie came up with the “Lola Bowl” on the Nipa menu, named after what her daughter, nieces and nephews have always called her mother, “Lola.” She also has available on the menu a sweet potato and cream cheese sweet lumpia, that was the recipe of her late aunt from the Philippines, who loved to bake. Using so many family recipes, connects them all and even though they aren’t living this dream in the Philippines, they are able to bring those dreams to life by spreading the taste of the Philippines in Texas.

Even though she has a full time job at Gatesville Family Dental, she has the support of great friends and her abundant family to help make this small dream a reality, Even through a pandemic the community support has been amazing. Melanie knows how much of a cornerstone mom and pop shops are for a community, and she wants nothing more than to have that same kind of story to tell for her children 100 years from now…feeding lumpia to the folks of central Texas!