Maxtro’s mobile kitchen was forged through COVID-19, perseverance and a dash of a mother’s love

Ever since he could remember, Ocoee native Zach Maxwell, owner and head chef of Maxtro’s Mobile Kitchen, has loved food.

“I always told my mom growing up that if I could pick a job, it would be food critic,” Maxwell said. “The idea that I could just go out and eat for free all over the world,  trying different foods and different things, was incredible to me.”

Despite that childhood wonder, after graduating high school, Maxwell ended up pursuing another passion — video production. After cutting his teeth in the business in Central Florida, Maxwell made the inevitable move to Los Angeles to further his prospects in his chosen career path, finding success producing music videos for various hip-hop artists. 

So, how did a promising videographer in Los Angeles end up owning and operating a gourmet comfort food truck in Central Florida? 

The short answer: When life tossed in a few dashes of a worldwide pandemic, a hint of encouragement from a Texas-based rap artist, and a heap of tips and tricks from his childhood in the kitchen with his mom, Libby Tomyn, a mouth-watering creation known as Maxtro’s mobile kitchen is born. 

Mom’s secret sauce

Maxwell’s passion for food started at home, while he was essentially serving as his mom’s sous chef. 

“My mom cooked a lot of different cuisines growing up,” he said. “Like, she’s white lady from Florida, but she got down in the kitchen. She cooks all types of different things. She took various cooking classes in college and this and that, so she knows how to make great Asian cuisine. She knows Mediterranean. She knows Southern comfort food and all types of stuff in-between.”

The variety of foods Tomyn introduced to her son’s palate did more than just keep Maxwell fed. It began to subconsciously build his passion for food. 

“I always was in the kitchen as a kid with her,” Maxwell said. “And even though that was never in my career plans … food always was something that’s been an important part of my life. It’s always something I’ve been very passionate about. I always loved helping my mom cook, helping her try different flavors. That’s where I think I developed — subconsciously and over time — a lot of my flavor profiles and techniques (that came) by watching her in the kitchen and chopping onions — just doing all the grunt work she would have me do.” 

Lockdown, chow down

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, few places in the world had stricter restrictions than Los Angeles, California. Maxwell was stuck at home for days on end. 

Without much work — and unable to grab a bite from his favorite restaurants — Maxwell found himself spending a lot of time in the kitchen.

“We were all stuck in the house — especially in L.A., we were on like complete lockdown,” Maxwell said. “You were lucky to even get groceries. People were rummaging through shelves like it was the apocalypse. It was hard to even get food at the time. You couldn’t eat out; all the restaurants were closed.”

With time on his hands and a desire for good food, Maxwell turned to the kitchen. 

“I started messing around in the kitchen — started creating some of my own recipes,” Maxwell said. “I was diving into different flavors, going on deep dives on YouTube and reading different articles on different recipe sites. … It’s just me and my friends stuck at the home, so eventually, I’m like, ‘Hey guys … try this thing I made today,’ and they seemed to like it. It got to the point that our house started becoming like a gathering place for us and a test kitchen for me to try out different recipes.”

Inspired by the positive feedback, Maxwell began to take his craft to another level.

“I’m a perfectionist,” he said. “I really started honing in on getting better at this. I wanted to try different things and get it right, but I messed up dishes left and right. I would burn some stuff, or be like, ‘Well, that didn’t work out. Let’s try something different next time.’ … I got addicted to the point where all I wanted to (do) was make good food.” 

But still, it would take more than Maxwell’s desire to cook a good meal for him to see that his skills in the kitchen would translate into a business he should pursue.

The push he needed

After lockdowns eased, Maxwell was able to get back to his day job producing videos. That’s when he continued to develop a professional relationship with a Texas-based rapper named RoadRun CMoe. The artist often took business trips to California, and as part of his routine, where Maxwell would produce his videos. 

Eventually, their professional relationship developed into a friendship. One night, Moe, as Maxwell calls him, ended up at Maxwell’s home. 

“I don’t remember how exactly it first happened,” Maxwell said. “But at the same time, when I was really messing around in the kitchen, he ended up at my house, after shooting a video at my apartment building. Instead of going out, I was like, ‘Why don’t I cook dinner?’ We were already there, like, no need to go out. … So I cooked dinner for us and … it probably wasn’t great, but they really liked it.”

Eventually, Moe started asking Maxwell to cook family-style dinners every time he and his entourage were in town. 

“It went from me just running to the store and grabbing some stuff to Moe calling me and saying, ‘Yo Max: We’re going to be in town; I’m going to send you $1,000. Go ahead and have some stuff ready for the next couple of days,’” Maxwell said. “I ended up cooking for the entire week multiple times and being like a caterer or borderline private chef every time he came to town.

“The whole food thing really clicked for me the first time that I did a whole meal spread and everything ,and Moe gave me like $300 on top of the money for groceries,” Maxwell said. “I started looking forward to when he was coming into town. I would get a little menu together, and I started actually like diving into it and trying different dishes. 

“I remember one time, specifically, when I was starting to get better,” he said. “I was starting to get confident in what I was making … and Moe told me in his Texas, country boy accent, ‘Bro not going to lie, you cold with it.’ He just told me that I was onto something with this food thing and that I should pursue it.”

Order up!

That a-ha moment carried Maxwell through some challenging times — nearly losing the function of his right arm, his truck catching fire and ultimately moving back home from California.

But now, at Maxtro’s Mobile Kitchen, Maxwell’s culinary expertise is pleasing palates throughout Central Florida.

“I just love cooking; I love food,” Maxwell said. “I feel like that passion can carry you as far as you want to go.”

Maxwell has found success serving up gourmet comfort food that takes high-end ingredients such as wagyu beef and brings them closer to home in dishes such as a classic smash burger. 

You can find Maxtro’s Mobile Kitchen at events all throughout West Orange and Southwest Orange County, most recently at the Ocoee Music Festival and Ocoee Community Market. During the week, from most Wednesdays to Saturdays, the mobile kitchen will be parked at 1620 N. Orange Ave., just north of downtown Orlando.