Attend an event in Kansas City and chances are you may spot Irvzilla’s Hawaiian Grill, the city’s only food truck of its kind. With a unique brand, authentic Hawaiian flavors, and an equally noteworthy man behind the brand, this food truck is not one to miss. 

Irvin “Irv” Der, chef and owner, worked in the kitchens of his parents’ restaurants as early as 10 years old. Irv’s mother, Annie Der, has been the owner and head chef at Tao Tao Chinese restaurant in Kansas City since the 1970s. During Irv’s childhood, when he wasn’t working in the family restaurant, Irv often put his cooking skills to use for the family. These days, he works full time in his food truck business, which takes him all around Kansas City attending events and festivals. “Cantonese food was the building blocks for me,” Irv said of his cooking skills. “I was born and raised in a restaurant and had to work to help contribute to the family, but I enjoyed cooking. So I cooked Italian, Mexican, and American food at home or anywhere and everywhere.”

Through the years, Irv learned to smoke meats and cook his own barbecue. He has a natural talent for tasting foods and recreating them in the kitchen. “Cooking always came easily to me,” he said. “I could always taste something or visually see it in the taste, and I could go home and recreate it.” This natural talent for creating recipes from scratch proved handy when it came to opening his own restaurant on wheels. 

It was during COVID when inspiration struck to invest in a food truck. While Irv could have leaned into his heritage and gone the Chinese food route, he spotted an exciting opportunity in the Hawaiian food niche. “I noticed that food trucks in the Kansas City area were kind of lacking, and it felt like I could fill a niche with that,” he said. “We ate a lot of Hawaiian Brothers and we knew Mo’ Bettahs were coming, so they basically kind of paved the way.”

Irv’s partner, Abhaydee (Haydee) Abarca, is from Hawaii. Hence, having a Hawaiian food truck was something of a tribute, Irv said. With Haydee, his “right hand” by his side, Irv began to develop traditional Hawaiian dishes and added his own creative spin to the meals. When it came to menu selection, Irv began with Chinese food staples: egg rolls, rangoons, and spring rolls. These filled out the menu. The next step was to focus on Hawaiian flair. For this, Irv said he looked to Haydee for ideas and to taste test his recipes. “Haydee knew what she liked,” Irv said. “She grew up eating the food and was kind of my test subject. She would say, ‘That is good or this is better, and hey what do you think about this?’ ”

Haydee was keen to add Spam musubi to the menu, which is a popular Hawaiian dish. “The United States forces brought Spam to Hawaii during World War II,” Irv explained. “They’re crazy about Spam.” Similar to a sushi roll, the traditional Spam musubi incorporates the canned meat with white rice and a seaweed wrap. While the couple aims to recreate authentic Hawaiian food flavors, Irv is also focused on speed and efficiency. Since the traditional presentation of Spam musubi is time consuming, he took an alternative approach. Irv said Haydee initially had her reservations about his unique take on the dish, but they are now both happy with the results. “We created a Spam musubi bowl, which is basically a deconstructed Spam musubi,” he said. “I’ll take the Spam and fry it crispy and then slice it. I will shred an entire sheet of seaweed, instead of one little strip, so that you have more seaweed in every bite. And then we take rice seasoning, teriyaki sauce, and decorate it with sesame seeds.”

Another popular Hawaiian dish the couple has introduced to the menu is chicken katsu, which is Panko fried, breaded chicken. Rather than explain the meaning of katsu, Irv opted to name the dish “Teriyaki Fried Chicken.” It’s more self-explanatory, he said. In addition, Irvzilla’s menu features malasadas, which is the Hawaiian version of a fried doughnut. Traditionally, malasadas have a filling such as custard, passion fruit, or coconut, but Irv said he had to “cheat a little” for the sake of time. Rather than piping ingredients into each doughnut, he adds flavorful fillings to the outside of the fried bread. “If you’re staring at 30 to 40 people in line, you’ve got to be able to move that line, so I streamlined my entire operation where it feels like you’re at a Chipotle on wheels and I can just keep cooking,” Irv said.

When it comes to the business of food, Irv likened himself to a hunter who hungrily seeks out opportunities. Last year alone, he filled his calendar with up to 230 events. “I’m more hyper-aggressive than most food truckers,” he said. “Most of them park in a set location. I sign up for everything: festivals, concerts, public events, HOAs, corporate jobs.” 

In 2023, the Irvzilla’s food truck made appearances at First Fridays, a Christmas amusement park in Monarchs Stadium, and the Super Bowl Watch Party at Power & Light District. “We were only one of two food trucks inside the perimeter, and there were 10,000 people there inside the fence line,” he said. “We started selling food at 10:00 a.m., and, finally, we had to shut the windows at 2:00 a.m. – even after the Chiefs won. We could have kept going but my crew was passing out on me.” On the topic of staff, the Irvzilla’s crew are all family. “We started with no help,” Haydee said. “For more than a year it was just Irv and I working together.” 

With Haydee’s Hawaiian upbringing, family is especially important, and for Irvin, work ethic is a strong value. This led to the couple’s decision to involve their children in the operations of the food truck. “We’re kind of like the Asian Brady Bunch,” Irv said. “She has three girls, and I have three boys and all the kids grew up together.” Haydee said she never imagined she would work in a family food service business. However, like her Hawaiian upbringing, which was centered around food and family, her American lifestyle has followed suit. The couple’s teenagers work alongside Haydee and Irv when their schedules allow. “We’re teaching them about an honest day’s pay,” Irv said. “That’s how you start teaching some responsibility and the social skills of interacting with the public.” 

At the end of the day, Irv said he simply wants to provide customers with a great experience. “What gives us the most joy is that we’re able to provide a hot plate for a good value and put smiles on people’s faces,” he said. “There are many relationships that have grown out of it.” Blending Irv’s Chinese heritage with Haydee’s Hawaiian upbringing, the Irvzilla’s Hawaiian Grill experience fittingly comes down to hard work, great food, and family. 

To enjoy the Irvzilla’s food experience, follow the family food truck by visiting its pages on Facebook and Instagram, where Irv is sure to post his latest whereabouts. 

Featured in the May 4, 2024 issue of The Independent.
Photo Credit: Matt Cook
By Monica V. Reynolds