From Corporate Life to Cajun Smoke: Food Truck Brings Louisiana to Colorado

Every Friday, Westword contributor Chris Byard spotlights one of the many food trucks that operate in the metro area's vibrant scene. His recent stops: Smash Wrap 'n Roll, El Tres Loras and Revolver. Now he's on his way to Barbecue on the Bayou.

Mandy Shurley never set out to run a food truck, but life had other plans for her. Born and raised in Lafayette, Louisiana, she grew up steeped in the bold flavors and traditions of Cajun country. After Hurricane Katrina, she headed west to Colorado in 2006, spending years in the corporate world of real estate law before trading contracts and conference calls for smoke, spice, and a rolling kitchen.

Today, her truck, Barbecue on the Bayou, serves a distinctly Cajun-inspired spin on barbecue that is hard to find this far from the Gulf.

"I was working in corporate America for years when I moved out here. I went from a small firm in Boulder to a big firm in downtown Denver," Shurley recalls, "Then COVID hit, and suddenly I was at home trying to teach my first-grader how to read. God did not cut me out to be a teacher of any kind. Learned that the hard way. Hated my life. Didn't know how much I hated my life until then."

That period of upheaval became a turning point. She began to pick up hobbies, including planting a small backyard garden and searching for ways to reclaim joy in her everyday life. "I was making cucumber margaritas from my fresh cucumbers. Then I found my grandmother's cookbook, and she had all these funny notes in it, like everything tastes better with sugar, and all these weird comments. So I was like, I'm going to start cooking," Shurley says.

Growing up, Shurley's family celebrated their rich Cajun culture with family cookouts, Mardi Gras parties, and gatherings where the table was always the heart of the action. While her mother didn't cook much, her many aunts and uncles did, but it was her grandmother who reigned as the family's culinary queen. "My grandmother's recipes were all about taste. All of her notes inside the cookbook were things you needed to know because you didn't really follow a recipe. Where I'm from, it's a heap here and pinch there. There's no measuring; everything is done by taste and sight," she says. "She'd put brown sugar in places you wouldn't expect, like in her beans, and it changed everything."
Although Shurley never cooked much herself, her newfound curiosity pulled her into the kitchen. "Can't be that hard. So I started cooking and bringing food to our neighbors," she says. Much to her surprise, they loved her food and encouraged her to dream bigger. "They were like, 'You gotta open a restaurant.' And I thought, no, but I could do a food truck," she recalls.

At first, she envisioned a cake decorating business, as she loves to bake, but quickly realized that was too narrow a niche. Instead, she embraced the flavors of her Louisiana roots, especially Cajun cuisine, combined with the beloved American tradition of barbecue. "At the time, I bought my husband a smoker, but he never used it. So I started experimenting. I smoked meat, smoked peach cobbler, all kinds of things on it, and it just clicked," Shurley exclaims. With that spark, she decided to go for it, and in 2022, she commissioned the build of her food truck trailer. On January 28, 2023, her birthday, she officially launched Barbeque on the Bayou, braving freezing temperatures outside a Longmont bar for her first gig.

Now, well into her third season of operations, Shurley credits her success to her willingness to learn early on. While waiting for her trailer to be completed, she spent nine months working at The Buff Restaurant in Boulder under the mentorship of Jacquie and Chris Meyer, where she learned every aspect of running a food operation. "I wanted to learn everything. For those nine months, I worked, learning every position. I started off serving, went to management, worked in the kitchen, I did it all," she says. "I'm still learning. I'm not a trained chef."

Shurley built her menu around a thoughtful blend of Cajun soul and classic barbecue staples, designed to appeal to a wide audience. The lineup features brisket, pork, chicken, and andouille sausage, slow-smoked to tender perfection. For vegetarians, she smokes jackfruit, serving it like pulled pork with tangy coleslaw and pickles. She also dishes out more classic Cajun staples, including shrimp and catfish po'boys, red beans and rice, shrimp and grits, gumbo, and etouffe.

Her secret weapon is a unique dry rub that balances the heat of Cajun spices without overwhelming the palate. "It's got some Cajun spice, but it's just enough to give great flavor with a little smoke," Shurley explains.

Sides play a starring role, too. Her smoked mac & cheese with crawfish tails is a crowd-pleaser, as is her chicken and sausage jambalaya. Family recipes shine in every dish. Her coleslaw follows her grandmother's method, earning praise for its balance and flavor. Even small touches, like adding brown sugar to beans or seasoning just right, reflect Shurley's upbringing in a home where taste mattered more than measurements.
"I love food and I love people. I want people to leave filling like they just go a hug from home," she says. And if you're in the need of a warm hug, be sure to try Nanny's banana pudding.

Operating mostly around West Arvada, Golden, Boulder, and Denver, Barbecue on the Bayou rolls five to six days a week. To find out where Shurley will be next, check the truck's Instagram @bbqonthebayou or visit bbqonthebayou.com for the latest schedule.