The Wheelhouse’s Recipe for Success:

A New Menu, New Location, and New Team

Photo by Mikle Kelly

FOR MORE THAN A DECADE, one of Springfield, Missouri’s own and favorite food trucks, Wheelhouse, has been bringing Thai and Mexican fusion cuisine to the city’s ever-growing food scene. Through the years since its conception in 2012, the food truck now turned brick and mortar has faced its challenges, but through new ownership, a new menu, new location, and a talented brigade, the Wheelhouse has solidified itself as a revamped staple in Springfield’s culinary landscape.

Co-owner Lijah Sparlin and other team members of the Wheelhouse sat down with Deitra Magazine to give us the details on these implemented changes, as well as their culinary backgrounds and passions for what is to come.

Written by Jace Barton
Photos by Mikle Kelly & Leigh Love

Chef Trevor Dean | Photo by Mikle Kelly

Co-Head Chefs Trevor Dean and Daniel Love

Deitra Mag: Thank you guys for stepping away from your work to sit down with me and talk about what’s been going on here! Can you give me a rundown of how both of you started at Wheelhouse?

Trevor Dean: So, I started working at Wheelhouse right after I graduated from high school. I guess you could say I’m the oldest tenured employee. Wheelhouse opened as a food truck at a park off of Glenstone and Chestnut. They were there for a little while, and then we moved to our own location on St. Louis Street. I started off really early in its conception, and Daniel (Love) came on a little bit later.

Daniel Love: Yeah, I started at Wheelhouse in 2016, after Trevor got me hired on.

DM: What can you tell me about Wheelhouse in its prime years and its business model?

TD: It’s always been a small family-run business, with a focus on street food and Mexican-Thai fusion. Whenever new ownership took over they were definitely looking to give us this more upscale feel, and they wanted to reassess a lot of things that had been going on since the inception of Wheelhouse. So, that’s what Daniel (Love) and I were brought back on to do, to take a look at the menu and things that they had done after we had departed and gone on our own culinary journeys. We came back and could still be in tune with that core concept that was at the inception, but also bring it into a new era and provide a natural evolution to that concept.

Photo by Leigh Love

DM: Yeah, you guys both went on your own culinary journeys. Care to touch on those?

TD: Yeah! So, I left in 2023 and then I worked for a brief time at Civil Kitchen in downtown Springfield before moving to Kansas City. I bounced around a few places there, and ended up landing as a CDC (Chef de Cuisine) under Johnny Leach, whom is a James Beard nominated chef. He actually got his third nomination this year.

That was basically my experience there, working in restaurants, kind of grinding it out and then landing in an otherwise prestigious position, which was really cool. Dan had a similar story.

DL: After my first two years at Wheelhouse, I began to focus on working my way up. I knew I wanted to make cooking my career. I stayed with the business for eight years, then I took a brief departure to work under Chef Calvin Davis and Sous Chef Dylan Davis at The Order in Hotel Vandivort. My time there really prepared me to come back to the Wheelhouse and take over as executive chef.

Photo by Leigh Love

DM: How did that accrued experience get implemented here at Wheelhouse?

TD: Yeah, I think that it’s such a polar opposite scenario. Working in a sort of small food truck setting as a teenager, and then ending up in a finer dining world with people that have names and reputations behind them, coming back to Springfield made me want to find a place in between that.

I think that when you travel and go to bigger cities and interact with food in a different way, there are all of these places that punctuate your trips outside of where you live every day. But, to people who live in those cities, those are just neighborhood spots that they frequent all the time. They know the bartenders and the staff.

I think that was one of the things I brought back from Kansas City, and I didn’t think that Springfield had that, and there’s no real casual every-man industry. So, I think that we wanted to be approachable, but also execute more elevated dining techniques that we learned and make it feel thoughtful and be really intentional, while also not trying to be above anyone else. It was a big thing for us to come back. It’s being true to what had started with the original Wheelhouse food truck. 

"I’m giving them something that they otherwise couldn’t get in Springfield. That’s something that’s really special to me..."

DM: I love to hear that. That’s very endearing and great to know about you both, the passion is definitely there! I think the big topic I wanted to touch on, was the menu changes and the price raises. Obviously, the latter is something that those who know about the economy and food industry at even a baseline level can understand — but, I wanted to get your perspectives on those topics and hear what you had to say about the flack you all have been getting for it.

DL: I think it comes down to offering better product.

Photo by Leigh Love

TD: Yeah, I think that’s at the very core of everything we’re doing. It’s being mindful of the guests that are eventually coming in. But also, just trying to provide a better dining experience than we feel you could get anywhere in Springfield. Reception to that has been a mixed bag so far. I think that there are people who are really excited about the idea of something that’s familiar. But, it’s changing, it’s evolving, and it’s really special to be looking at my peers and feel like I’m giving them something that they otherwise couldn’t get in Springfield. That’s something that’s really special to me.

I think that collectively, we could have done a better job of informing people of what we were going to do specifically. But, I also think that at the time we were planning it, we also liked the idea of it being a surprise. The idea of unveiling something that felt special. Moving into a new space and being able to provide something different.

It’s all really intentional. We’re really excited about the potential growth that’s there too. We’re excited for more people to interact with it.

DM: That’s awesome to hear. I’m excited for you all as well. It seems that the intention and the passion is absolutely there. Thank you both again for sitting down with me. 

Chef Daniel Love | Photo by Mikle Kelly

Next, I got to chat with Tracy Johanna, a nationally recognized bartender, and a passionate expert in mixology.

DM: Were you with Wheelhouse before this new location was started up?

Tracy Johanna: I was not, I actually worked with one of the chefs in the kitchen at The Order.

Before that, I was kind of hopping around Springfield. I grew up here. But, I was in New York for a little over two decades. The whole idea of coming back was to bring my full education, and I’ve been in the service industry my whole life.

I’ve worked with a lot of great brands, I’ve done press work with Brown-Forman, managed bars all over New York, I’ve had plenty of side business regarding the service industry. It’s like, as special as you are in New York, you’re never really special, because everything is special in New York.

So, the whole idea was to bring all of that influence and experience and education home, and to introduce it to Springfield, and do something really different and cool with it.

Bar Manager / Mixologist, Tracy Johanna | Photo by Mikle Kelly

DM: What did coming back look like? How did applying the skills to what you’re doing now occur?

TJ: So, the first year that I was back here, I kind of hopped around looking for my own real estate. Which was kind of a bust. I ended up working at The Order at Hotel Vandivort for a little over a year. Then, they scouted me for this place, and I was given creative control to kind of push the envelope.

Building the bar from scratch was quite a thing to do. But, the menu, I’m very proud of it. It’s really cool.

"We have so many cool things happening and items on the menu that correlate so harmoniously..."

DM: Speaking of the menu, were you pretty hands-on with incorporating a cohesiveness with the drink menu and food menu?

TJ: I mean, I knew of the fusion that they were basing things off of. I know that we wanted to be open minded about the influences that we were pulling from. The base was going to be the Mexican and Asian fusion, as Wheelhouse is known for. I love working in both of those cultures as far as bar goes. They didn’t really give me the menu until a couple of weeks before we opened, and by then, I had already started my research and development. Honestly, it just kind of magically matched. It just works so well together.

We have these pairings I didn’t know were going to be a thing, but they’re just perfect. 

Photo by Leigh Love

DM: What would be a recommendation for someone who hasn’t eaten here before? Something you’d pair from the bar with a food menu item?

TJ: We have one of our more progressive cocktails on the menu. It’s called the “Toad and Thistle” – it’s a shitake butter-washed gin. It’s basically a Mushroom Manhattan. It has lots of notes of Umami, and you have your sweetness. It pairs well with the Agedashi Tofu, which has a lot of mushroom influence in it. We have so many cool things happening and items on the menu that correlate so harmoniously.

DM: Are you still offering other items than what's on your menu? If I were to come in and ask for an Old Fashioned, for example, is that something you would still be willing to offer?

TJ: Absolutely! We’re still a full bar. We can still do that, a Whiskey Sour, a Jack and Coke. We’ve got a great beer and wine selection. We even offer non-alcoholic options. We just wanted to make it very accepting. Very open-minded, and inclusive.

DM: That’s wonderful to hear, especially the non-alcoholic options. I think that giving that option to people is, like you said, very inclusive of all walks of people. You’re broadening your horizons for all kinds of patrons to come and enjoy this space, themselves, and everything that is offered.

Photo by Leigh Love

Lastly, I got to sit down with co-owner, Lijah Sparlin, whom shed some light on the bigger changes that everyone who knows Wheelhouse was curious about.

DM: Thank you for sitting down with me, Lijah! I’m pretty new to Wheelhouse, to be honest. I’ve learned quite a bit from your chefs and bar manager. It’s really exciting seeing the new path this place has taken.

Lijah Sparlin: Thank you! Good time to be new.

DM: Absolutely! I can see the passion and the drive to turn this into something new, but still having that core value of family, community, and exploration of new territory. It’s really inspiring. Can you tell me about how and why you decided to buy Wheelhouse? How did that happen?

LS: I was in food service for about six years. I loved it. I was in a management position at Chick-Fil-A, and I loved the hospitality. I loved the leadership, and just feeding people–taking care of them. My brother (Logan) — who is the other co-owner — and I growing up weren’t super close like brothers normally are. But, once we became adults, we became very good friends. We always talked about how we loved cooking together. We always talked about having a restaurant one day. This opportunity came when the owners wanted to sell it, and we looked at it, talked about it, and it made sense.

I actually remember going to the food truck when we were younger, my brother and I, and it was really special. We found a great opportunity and we took it.

"We’re serving and sourcing top cut sirloin steaks at less than $40 a dish. We’re flying in salmon from Norway..."

DM: From there, you guys brought head chefs Trevor and Daniel back on. Two incredibly talented chefs. What drove you to make that decision?

LS: When Logan and I first took over, Daniel was actually still here. He left shortly after we took on the business, and he went on his own culinary journey. Trevor was in Kansas City doing the same. Before he left, Daniel and I had a really good conversation. It was a “when Wheelhouse moves on, let’s talk” kind of conversation.

Logan and I knew we wanted to get our own location. Somewhere cool where you could get that neighborly feel for it, you know?

So, the time came, and the first person I reached out to was Daniel. It took him a little bit, but then he said yes. Because of Daniel, we got Trevor involved. They’ve been best friends for years, and they just exude creativity all throughout their work. It made total sense.

Our bar manager Tracy was kind of the same. She knew Daniel. I trusted Daniel and what he wanted to make happen, so we brought Tracy on.

I think we’ve got a killer crew. 

Photo by Leigh Love

DM: You do! Definitely got the golden trio here. One of the big questions I wanted to ask, and since you’re a co-owner I think you can give quite a bit of insight into this, what’s your perspective on the price changes, and the subsequent flack you’ve been getting for it?

LS: We tried to make sure when we transitioned over to this location that the prices that people knew Wheelhouse for like the wok dishes, ala carte tacos, fried chicken tofu, all of those things — we wanted them to stay pretty comparable, pretty similar, while still good with portions.

Obviously, we had to make adjustments due to the ever-growing inflation. We had long conversations with the chefs. I was like “Okay, how do we do this to where it makes sense, instead of saying ‘we’re moving, let’s just price gauge for the fun of it.'” That was never the goal, and that isn’t going to be the goal.

Reason being for the drastic change is the product we’re providing. I mean, we’re serving and sourcing top cut sirloin steaks at less than $40 a dish. We’re flying in salmon from Norway. That’s fresh, never been frozen. That’s something that geographically for where we are is rarely heard of. These dishes can go for upwards of $50 a plate, easily.

So, the goal is to provide excellent quality food at a reasonable price. We wanted it so you could come in, and make this a fun day or night spot. A place to enjoy yourself. Are you going to spend a little bit more if you’re deciding to eat and get a cocktail or two? Yes. But, you’re going to have a good experience. You’re going to have good service, drinks, food, just a great time!

That was our thought process behind all of this. “How do we provide such a great experience and product to where it makes sense?”

DM: That’s a beautiful sentiment. It’s one that is often overlooked, too. Do you care to touch on the menu changes?

LS: Trevor, Daniel, and myself sat down to talk about the kind of menu we wanted to provide. I entrusted them, but also gave them some barriers to say, like “Let’s keep some of the original dishes. What would everyone want? What do we sell the most of?” With that though, we wanted to wow the people and show what else we were capable of. So, I can’t take credit for the menu besides wanting to keep some of the basics. Other than that, the chefs took full reign.

Honestly, it kind of speaks for itself. I can tell you how good it is from my perspective, but the food and their heart and soul, it speaks for itself. Same with Tracy. 

Photo by Leigh Love

DM: I think it’s very endearing that you’ve had such a positive outlook on it. There’s always going to be adversity in the path to change, but once people get over that bump, I think they’re going to realize this was an incredible move on your parts. It also seems like the majority has been in favor and support of the changes you all have made, and I think that’s absolutely incredible. The support is there! I’m excited to see where you all take this.

"We wanted to wow the people and show what else we were capable of..."

LS: Thank you! I’ve got a good team. I really do. It feels like more than a restaurant to us. Everyone wants to be here. When we were doing renovations to the space, everyone was here. All of the bartenders, the staff, everyone. 

We want to be a place where people can come in and just feel a part of something bigger that they kind of forget the nuances of everyday living and they can just have a good experience.

DM: Well, Lijah, it sounds like you have a good family here. Thank you again for sitting down to chat with me about all of the awesome things you guys are doing.

With an open and fresh charm, Wheelhouse can absolutely boast in its newly found identity. With a fresh summer menu in the works and a beautiful full bar to accentuate, there is sure to be excitement in the air. There is an entirely new experience waiting for you in this space, and Springfield should feel so lucky to call it part of its culture. Grab your friends, your family, or even treat yourself to a solo outing at Wheelhouse.

You are sure to find enjoyment, and a fresh experience.   DM 

Visit Wheelhouse now at 307 S Jefferson Ave, Springfield, MO 65806
Phone: (417) 848-3888
Email: info@wheelhousefood.com

Website: wheelhousefood.com/

Facebook: facebook.com/WheelhouseFood/

Instagram: instagram.com/wheelhousefood