Vendor Spotlight: Mama Tia's Kitchen

​Do you remember the first time a bite of food made you say “wow”? That’s the moment Tjwania Wilson lives for. “Meeting new people and hearing the ‘wow’ your food brings is my favorite part,” she told us. It’s why she launched Mama Tia’s Kitchen LLC, a Southern-comfort food truck built on heart, hustle, and old-school hospitality.

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​The “Why” Behind the Window
Tjwania’s reason is simple and powerful: “I have a passion for cooking and meeting people.” After working as an analyst and project consultant at BCBS, she turned personal loss during 2020 into purpose—refining her culinary skills and opening her truck two years later. That blend of resilience and service shows up in every plate.
What’s on the Menu?
Southern classics with a signature spin. The crowd favorite? Beef Oxtails. “I use a Jamaican recipe with my own spin,” she says, and her secret isn’t really a secret at all: “Cooking with love!” Add in fresh vegetables from the market and meats cut to order—oxtails and lamb chops prepared fresh—and you’ve got soulful food that travels well and tastes like home.
Moments That Stick
Ask about the funniest, most unexpected night on the job and Tjwania lights up. She once rolled up to an Amazon distribution site and turned a hungry crowd into a full-on chorus: “They started singing about how good my food was for the soul. They sounded like a church choir.” And then there are the encounters that go deeper than dinner. One young man came to her window just needing someone to listen. “Not only did we have physical food,” she recalls, “we had spiritual food also.” That’s the kind of hospitality you can’t fake.
Challenges, Lessons, and Leadership
Like many operators, hiring has been the toughest nut to crack. But Tjwania’s built capacity from the inside out, crediting her daughter’s leadership on the truck: a sixteen-year-old with serious operations chops. 

​What would she tell new owners?

• Reality check: “It’s a lot of work and sometimes 24 hours in a day is not enough.”
• Commitment: “You must be dedicated to being successful.”
• Mindset: “Understand the business you’re going into, and learn from your mistakes and from others. You don’t know everything.”

Where to Find Mama Tia’s
The team often serves Amazon distribution sites—“they always have a desire for Southern cuisine”—but wherever they set up, the standard is the same: clean, consistent, and caring. “I take pride in cooking with love and keep my truck well kept,” she says, adding that she works to maintain “the cleanest truck in the D.”
What’s Next
"I see much success and a new truck,” Tjwania says. With a product people crave and a purpose that resonates, that sounds less like a dream and more like a plan.

​Follow & Support

• Instagram: @mamatiaskitchen
• Facebook: Mama Tia’s Kitchen LLC
• Contact: [email protected]