The guacamole salad with lobster and the lobster roll from Nana C's Food Truck.

After decades in the software industry, a Bend man is following his mom’s advice and slinging lobster rolls.

Shane Roy founded and named Nana C’s food truck after his mom, Barbara (or Nana), and 11-year-old daughter, Charlotte. He recalled his mother’s words on her first visit to Bend in 2010 were, “Everybody likes lobster, they just don’t know it.”

Roy keeps his menu small and ingredients simple. Each lobster roll ($24) is made with lobster shipped from his home state of Maine, dressed with melted butter and hugged by a New England-style brioche roll from Big Ed’s Artisan Bread.

The straightforward combination allows the lobster to shine. It’s served on blue-and-white checkered wax paper with a slice of lemon and a side of Tim’s Cascade-style potato chips.

Lobster from Maine

Lobster at Nana C’s is sourced from a certified B Corp, Roy said, indicating the company has met certain social and environmental standards specified by a third party. The certification is designed to protect fishermen against the volatility of the industry, which Roy likens to the boom-or-bust nature of the timber or mining industries.

“It was really feast or famine for a lot of the fishermen,” Roy said.

It ensures that fishermen can catch other species during periods when lobsters aren’t plentiful.

“They collectively work as a group, so everyone stays employed year-round. And so that’s super important, especially for the small fisheries in Maine,” he said.

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What else is on the menu?

Also on the food truck’s menu is a chunky salad with chopped avocados, yellow peppers and black beans ($9). The salad, mixed with red onion, jalapeno and red onion, is fresh and filling. It’s also vegan and gluten-free and may be enjoyed on its own or with the addition of lobster ($7). Roy is working to offer additional gluten-free options, such as a lobster roll lettuce wrap on romaine, depending on the availability of ingredients.

Keeping with the Maine theme is a pie Roy bakes from scratch with Maine blueberries in a prep kitchen. The East Coast blueberry varietal is considered a lowbush berry, in comparison to its bulbous and highbush counterparts of the Pacific Northwest.

“Maine blueberries are a lowbush berry. They’re smaller than your pinky nail, but they’re just packed with flavor,” Roy said.

How do I find Nana C’s?

Nana C’s has yet to establish a permanent location and occasionally pops up at concerts, festivals or outside the LOGE hotel on Century Drive.

Its most frequent haunt is in front of Austin Mercantile in Brookswood Meadow Plaza from 4-7 p.m. on Wednesdays, where it has attracted weekly regulars.

Roy is glad he listened to his mom’s advice. The lobster roll food truck has given him back time to spend with his family.

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Details

What: Nana C’s Food Truck

Location: Check @getnanacs Instagram or subscribe to email updates on the website for the latest location

Contact: nanacs.com

Price range: Entrees $9-$24