BELGRADE — The turkeys are defrosting, and the temperatures are dropping. With Thanksgiving around the corner, meal preparations have begun, and for one Belgrade food truck, those preparations are for families in need.
“I just felt, like, so strongly about it,” said Megan Smith, a Mississippi native and owner of Ms. Sippi’s Southern Cuisine in Belgrade.
“We just saw a need for southern and Cajun food in the area,” said Smith. “Our biggest seller is for sure our shrimp po’boys.”
Smith, who opened the food truck in 2021, says she didn’t think this would be her career route.
“I have an accounting degree, and I realized pretty fast I actually did not want to be an accountant,” said Smith.
Instead, Smith says, she’s always had a love for cooking.
“My dad and my grandma really taught me how to cook,” she said. “I always loved doing that with them when I was little and growing up.”
Smith says it was ultimately the food trucks at Music on Main that inspired her to open Ms. Sippi’s.
“I was like ‘oh maybe this is something I can do,’” said Smith. “By August, I had bought a food truck.”
Flash forward four years, Smith’s food truck serves people across the Gallatin Valley, and now, she’s using her love of cooking to help people in need by making and delivering Thanksgiving meals to two local families.
Megan Smith from Ms. Sippi's Southern Cuisine in Belgrade prepared free Thanksgiving meals for families who otherwise wouldn't have had dinner this year
“This year, especially, the way things have been going, you know, economically, we just thought now was the perfect time,” said Smith.
Smith says she had “quite a few people reach out.” MTN asked her how she made a decision on who she would make the meals for.
“I planned on originally doing one meal, but there were two family stories that really just touched my heart, and I just couldn’t say no,” said Smith.
“One family in particular, right now, they are living in a camper out in Three Forks, I believe. They’re just having a really tough time, and they said otherwise, they wouldn’t be having a Thanksgiving this year if it wasn’t for this meal,” she added.
Smith says for the meal she’s making bacon green beans, mashed potatoes, cornbread, dinner rolls, a turkey/ham for each family, and apple pie. She will be meeting with the families to drop off the meals on Wednesday, and she says she’s already looking to make more meals next year or for Christmas.
“It’s something I love to do. It’s my love language,” said Smith.
