In the rolling hills of Northeastern Ontario, where small communities are often defined by their tight-knit relationships and shared traditions, two sisters have turned their passion for flame-grilled perfection into one of the region’s most sought-after culinary experiences. Meet Melissa and Amanda Rocheleau, the powerhouse duo behind Meat the Cheese, a mobile BBQ business that’s redefining roadside dining across Northern Ontario.
What began as weekend cookouts for family and friends has transformed into a thriving business venture that combines the sisters’ complementary skills: Melissa’s precision-focused culinary expertise and Amanda’s natural talent for customer engagement. Their journey offers a compelling glimpse into how culinary entrepreneurship is evolving in Canada’s smaller communities.
“We basically grew up around the grill,” Melissa told me when I visited their mobile kitchen during a recent food festival in Sudbury. “Our dad was that neighborhood BBQ enthusiast who’d smoke a brisket for 14 hours just because it was Tuesday. We absorbed that passion almost through osmosis.”
The sisters’ mobile venture didn’t materialize overnight. After years of working in restaurants and food service—Amanda in front-of-house operations and Melissa in various professional kitchens—they identified a gap in their region’s food landscape. While urban centers across Canada have experienced a food truck renaissance over the past decade, many smaller communities remained untouched by this trend.
“We saw an opportunity to bring something different to places that rarely see this kind of offering,” Amanda explained, expertly assembling their signature pulled pork sandwich topped with house-made coleslaw. “When you’re in Toronto or Montreal, food trucks are everywhere. But in smaller towns and at rural events, options are often limited to the same fair food that hasn’t changed in decades.”
What distinguishes Meat the Cheese isn’t just their mobility but their commitment to locally-sourced ingredients. Their meat comes from farms within a 100-kilometer radius, and they’ve built relationships with local producers who share their values around sustainability and ethical farming practices. This farm-to-trailer approach resonates deeply with their customers, who increasingly prioritize the provenance of their food.
The business model is remarkably adaptable. During summer months, they travel to festivals, private events, and community gatherings across Northern Ontario. Come winter, they shift to pre-ordered meal kits, catering, and pop-up events at breweries and indoor venues. This flexibility has proven crucial for weathering both seasonal changes and unexpected challenges like the pandemic.
“When COVID hit, we actually found ourselves in a uniquely advantageous position,” Melissa noted. “While traditional restaurants struggled with closures, our mobile setup allowed us to pivot quickly to contactless pickup and delivery models. People still wanted great food—they just needed it delivered differently.”
The sisters’ business acumen extends beyond their culinary skills. They’ve built a robust social media presence that turns customers into community members. Their Instagram account doesn’t just showcase mouthwatering close-ups of smoked brisket and pulled pork—it tells the story of their journey, highlights their local suppliers, and announces their upcoming locations.
This digital strategy has proven particularly effective in their region, where word-of-mouth remains powerful but social media extends their reach to younger demographics and tourists. “We’ve had people drive two hours just to try our food after seeing it on Instagram,” Amanda shared with a mix of pride and amazement.
The Rocheleau sisters’ success offers valuable insights for aspiring food entrepreneurs, especially those outside major urban centers. Their approach demonstrates how regional culinary traditions can be respected while still introducing innovation. Their smoked meat techniques honor traditional methods, but their flavor profiles—influenced by global cuisines from Korean to Cajun—bring something new to their customers’ palates.
As Canada’s food landscape continues to evolve, mobile businesses like Meat the Cheese represent a fascinating middle ground between preservation and progress. They’re keeping culinary traditions alive while making them accessible to new audiences and contexts.
For communities across Northern Ontario, the sisters’ bright red food trailer has become more than just a place to grab lunch—it’s a cultural touchpoint that brings people together around the universal language of good food. And for Melissa and Amanda, it’s the realization of a dream that combines family legacy, culinary passion, and entrepreneurial vision.
“Sometimes I still can’t believe this is our job,” Melissa reflected as she checked on a rack of ribs smoking to perfection. “We’re doing what we love, on our own terms, and creating something that brings joy to our community. What could be better than that?”
For more explorations of Canada’s evolving culinary landscape, visit our CO24 Culture section, or discover more emerging business trends in CO24 Trends.
