Jackson Higdon opened the Sisters location of Luckey's Woodsman in July.

Luckey’s Woodsman was never about the food truck.

For owner and chef Jackson Higdon, it was a means of achieving a bigger dream. He aims to bridge the gap between outdoor recreation and professional food service while carrying forth the legacy of his grandparents, who founded the original Luckey’s Woodsman in Springfield in 1956.

Higdon established a brick-and-mortar location for Luckey’s Woodsman in Sisters in July.

“A lot of why I went to a brick-and-mortar (model) is through hardship. I can’t say I got here through success,” he said.

Since launching the business in 2020, Luckey’s Woodsman food truck has served at Silver Moon Brewing, The Brown Owl, GoodLife Brewing Co. and on the slopes of Mt. Bachelor.

Each partnership granted Higdon the necessary experience and confidence to move forward with signing a lease, he said.

Making waves in Sisters

Higdon said he likes “big, loud flavors.”

The result is flavor-forward nutritionally dense food served in a fast-casual restaurant with a goal of a 10-minute ticket time.

The menu is designed to cater to the outdoor enthusiast, filling their bellies with protein-rich meals complemented by superfoods and packed with flavor.

After assessing the local market, Higdon has expanded the restaurant’s menu and hours to accommodate the Sisters community. Luckey’s Woodsman is open seven days a week with all-day breakfast burritos and open for dinner every day except for Sunday, when it closes its doors at 3 p.m.

“I call myself an agitator because I’m doing things that no one has seen in this community, at least for a while,” Higdon said.

This Sunday, Higdon hosts the Luckey’s Woodsman’s second annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony with a holiday singalong, live music by The Positive Side Band and festive food and drink. The event is in partnership with Big Chief Vintage, a Sisters antique store that will be supplying a decorated antique car for the celebration.

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A menu catered to the outdoor enthusiast

There’s a lot to choose from on the new menu, making the selection process overwhelming. Options encompass breakfast burritos, cold boxes, hot kits, burgers, sides and “Mom Luckey” pies inspired by Higdon’s grandmother.

Many of the menu items were engineered to be camper kits — family-style dinners that could be reheated over a stovetop or campfire in 30 minutes or less.

One of these original camper kits is the “sasquash,” ($18) which is served in three sections. It’s made up of whiskey barbecue chicken over forbidden rice, roasted squash and spiraled zucchini salad. Tempeh may be swapped for chicken to make it vegetarian, and Higdon recommends mixing all three components together.

There’s a pleasant sweet and spicy flavor to the sauce, and like many of the menu items, it doesn’t lack interesting ingredients. The forbidden rice, which is high in protein, fiber and antioxidants, is what Higdon considers one of his secret ingredients.

With a generous amount of pork carnitas and heaping of beans, the “mountain nachos” ($12 small, $19 large) could easily be a full meal. The nachos are loaded with queso, arugula pesto and cotija cheese, which when combined, offer a tinge of sweetness.

There are five burgers are on the menu, made with beef sourced from Tumalo’s Well Rooted Farms. Ordering ground beef is the best way to support local farmers since it utilizes the whole product, Higdon said.

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A stable future

Next year, there is no question where the Luckey’s Woodsman Thanksgiving Kit will be served.

And despite feeling that he’s starting over yet again, Higdon said he’s looking forward to 2024 with optimism. For the first time in three years, he has achieved an unprecedented level of stability for his business.

“The biggest thing I want to end on is how overjoyed and overwhelmed I’ve been by the outpouring of community support,” Higdon said of Sisters.

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Details:

What: Luckey’s Woodsman Trailside Kitchen

Location: 352 E. Hood Ave., Sisters

Contact: luckeyswoodsman.com

Hours: 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday (Christmas Tree Lighting is 5 p.m. Sunday)

Price Range: $8-$20