An increasingly popular food truck will soon be settling in to a new riverfront location.
Anton and Ariel Lockett, owners of St. Joseph-based food truck Evelyn Mae’s BBQ, announced they have purchased the former Wheatberry Tavern in Buchanan. The new restaurant is named Fifteen-2-Twelve after the building’s address, 15212 N. Red Bud Trail.
Fifteen-2-Twelve will be The Lockett’s first brick-and-mortar restaurant, and Lockett said he’s both excited and nervous for the endeavor.
“There’s a lot of nerves involved,” he said. “But, with out history with the food truck, I’m excited to expand and see how it goes.”
The Wheatberry Tavern was a popular restaurant tucked along the winding, forest-lined road along the St. Joseph River. It was known for its tavern fare, as well as its take on southern-style BBQ. The restaurant closed in April 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and never re-opened.
“Wheatberry was one of my mom’s favorite restaurants,” said Anton Lockett. “It’s kind of weird coming around full-circle and owning it. … It’s a spot we frequented, so I know the history and I know the food they put out. We’re excited to re-open it and hopefully people will enjoy it just as much – or more.”
After a series of unexpected life events led them to open Evelyn Mae’s BBQ as a catering-only company in November of 2019, the two expanded their business to operating out of a food truck in the summer of 2021. Since then, the food truck has popped up at events all across Southwest Michigan, including the 2022 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship where they catered the Makers Trail 19th Hole, helped push their demand to a level that required yet another area of expansion.
After a different location fell through, the Lockett’s discovered the potential of the Wheatberry location. Anton said its a perfect location between several southwest Michigan towns, and its natural beauty and proximity to the Red Bud motocross track will serve them well.
“I just think with the scenery and the things that are happening around this area, that it was the perfect location.” Anton said. “Hopefully, if we do it the right way and and get people talking about it, we’ll be able to reach a long way. … It’s a big plus that barbeque was on the menu when it was Wheatberry, I think it’s equal parts fate and luck.”
Anton says the restaurant has plans for an expanded menu of appetizers, entrees and meatless options in addition to their BBQ offerings, as well as a full bar with smoked cocktails and local craft beer on tap. As for the BBQ, he describes his style as a mix of different BBQ styles.
“The brisket is pretty Texas-style … the rest of our meats are more Midwest-style,” he said. “We don’t use a lot of sugar – we let the meat speak for itself. We have a vinegar-based BBQ sauce, as well as a mustard-based sauce. We also have a blueberry-habanero sauce we make with local blueberries.”
The couple closed on the purchase of the Wheatberry Tavern building on Oct. 31, and have tentative plans to open mid-December. Anton said they are bringing in TV’s, offering lifetime memberships, and generally want to make the restaurant an inviting space for the community.
“We plan on venturing into some events with music or maybe some DJ’s out for a set,” he said. “We want to do some things to bring the community into the building. … Some feel-good music, activities and just make the space more than a restaurant.”
For more information on Fifteen-2-Twelve and Evelyn Mae’s BBQ visit their Facebook page.
