From left, Cindy Shamblen, Charlie Wagner, Shari Benyousky and Brittany Lyon enjoy lunch at The Twisted Tiki.

Text and Photos
By Shari Benyousky
Guest Columnist

Column Note: For this 107th column, some Warsaw Breakfast Optimist Club members enjoyed Syracuse.
Syracuse’s Favorite Permanent Food Truck

SYRACUSE — “Fantastic. Freaking great!” That’s how Keith Strauss and his friend described the food at the Twisted Tiki, Syracuse’s beloved food truck turned permanent hotspot.

The guys were waiting in line at the colorful truck located at 600 S. Huntington St. in Syracuse. They were not alone in their praise. We watched locals and visitors alike come in droves to rave about the bold flavors, creative dishes, and welcoming community vibe.

The Twisted Tiki offers a plethora of outdoor seating under canopies, a playground for their littlest customers, and games like corn hole and giant pong while waiting for food. “We have an inflatable movie screen,” owner Michelle Camacho told us. “Sometime in the future, I’d like to show the movie Ratatouille and do a special food to match!” Michelle is full of cool ideas like this.

Kash’s Burger Quest

Kash and his great-grandma Pat Heiden make their burger quest order.

At The Twisted Tiki, every bite tells a story. Take young Kash, a burger-enthusiast on a mission to try every burger in the Syracuse area. He told us about his quest while we waited in line. After sinking his teeth into the Twisted Smashburger, he declared it “the best one yet!”

His great-grandmother, Pat Heiden, is Kash’s comrade on the best-burger quest: “Believe it, when he says the best. He’s being honest. You should have heard him after his first bite of this one!”

Travel-Inspired Flavors And Local Love

Tiki owners Michelle and her husband are avid travelers, and their journeys inspire the menu. The Cuban sandwich with smoked pork and spicy pineapple ham that builder Charlie Wagner ordered? A nod to Miami.

A smashburger with pepper jack, grilled onions, bacon, and hatch chilis? From a trip to Colorado.  Titus Funeral planner Brittany Lyon gushed over her burger with Hawaiian macaroni salad: “Oh yeah! That IS good. There’s some yummy spice on it.”

I also loved my Lobster Pizza on naan and Grapefruit Sorbet, which came in its own real citrus skin bowl.

The Tiki Truck is regularly open Thursday through Monday, with Manic Monday serving leftovers from the weekend from noon to 3 p.m. at half-price until they’re gone. The truck has a rotating menu with 2-3 new menu items weekly, and they like to source ingredients as locally as possible, from Hepler’s Farm Market Produce to Roll-N-Smoke to their own farm-raised meat.

“Speaking about the farm, our pigs have names,” Michelle says fondly. “They’re like dogs. They roll around and we scratch their bellies. They run and root and play in the mud. They have awesome lives.”

But The Twisted Tiki isn’t just about great food, it’s about community. Michelle, who has five daughters, is passionate about supporting locals. For the next few weeks, all Monday tips will go to the local peewee cheerleading team.

A Permanent Home, With Challenges

Michelle Camacho at the Tiki Truck order window.

While The Twisted Tiki still caters for 2-3 private events a month, their new permanent location has been a game-changer, though not without hurdles. As the only food truck in Indiana with a fixed spot, they’ve faced unique challenges, including a $600 yearly fee from the town of Syracuse meant for non-resident vendors.

But Michelle and her husband have invested heavily in this permanent spot, including $80-100k for leasing the property, purchasing an Airstream Commissary Kitchen, and rewiring the space to host other food trucks and live music. “And we do make sure all the vendors we bring in have the correct permits for Syracuse,” Michelle noted.

Live Music And Plans

The Twisted Tiki has become a hub for live acoustic music events, carefully curated to respect the nearby neighbors.

The next event? David Ray on Friday, Aug. 22. “Our last live music event had at least 100 people, with all the seats full,” Michelle said. “We’ve had a great partnership with Sleepy Owl and Owl’s Nest to come cater liquor for our events on our gravel lot.”

Looking ahead, she hopes to expand into winter hours, offering homestyle comfort food like soups and homemade bread bowls. “We’ve really been having such a good run here.” Michelle waves her arms around at all the happy customers eating and playing.

“Can people walk over here?” Cindy Shamblen finished her Lobster Roll happily.

Menu of the week.

Michelle shook her head. “A lot of people come on golf carts. It would be cool to have more of a walkable place, including a DORA district, but people manage to get here anyway.”

A Place Where Everyone Feels At Home

For Michelle, the experience in Syracuse has been “99% positive.” She adjusted her sunglasses. “We’ve developed many personal relationships. Some of our customers have even come out to visit our farm and animals.”

Great-grandma Pat Heiden and Kash stopped by again to say goodbye. “I can’t believe we haven’t been here before,” Pat gushed. “We’ve been all over, and this is so awesome. We will definitely be back!”

Michelle smiled as they left. “We get feedback like this all the time. It’s what makes being part of this community so special.”

From Kash’s burger quest to Keith’s enthusiastic review, The Twisted Tiki is more than a food truck; it’s a Syracuse staple, blending bold flavors, big hearts, and a whole lot of local love.

Do you know of an interesting place, restaurant, nonprofit, or person that you’d like to see featured in Diners and Dives or Banter columns? Send Shari Benyousky of SB Communications LLC an email at [email protected].