What IS Taiyaki
(and how do I pronounce it?)

Taiyaki (Tie + yaki like teriyaki) are waffles that are shaped like a fish and stuffed with various sweet or savory fillings. They were first made in Japan in the early 1900s and were meant to be a symbol of good luck. Taiyaki is made with a sweet waffle batter, stuffed with various fillings, and then waffled to perfection and served to you piping hot.

Who are you?

Hi, we are Sam and Maggie, the owners of Neko Taiyaki! We met in July 2022 and fell in love over our mutual dislike of pickles. I shared my dream to start a food truck shortly after we started dating. Maggie encouraged me to follow my dream… and now here we are!

My career so far has been in graphic design. I graduated from Grand Valley State University with a Bachelor of Fine Art degree. Outside of work, I have a passion for cooking, vinyl records, video games, and all things Japan. My role is to man the waffle iron in the truck and create the graphics.

Maggie is a licensed hospice social worker. She also graduated from Grand Valley State University with a Bachelor of Social Work degree. Outside of work, Maggie enjoys attending sporting events and volunteering for a local pet food pantry. Her role is to run the service window on the truck and manage operations including social media, responding to emails, scheduling events, and so much more!

Why are you making them in Michigan?

Great question! In 2018, I moved to Japan for a year to teach English. Initially, I chose to move to there because I love anime and video games, but I left in love with the culture and the food. In the United States when people think of Japanese food, they most often think of sushi or ramen. Japanese cuisine has so much more to offer and that is why I wanted to bring it back to West Michigan. My goal is for you to feel transported to a street festival in Japan every time you take a bite of Neko Taiyaki.

What does Neko mean?
(and how do I pronounce it?)

Neko means cat in Japanese. Our logo is a maneki neko which is another good luck charm in Japan. Maneko neko is also called lucky cat which has a waving paw or even the Pokémon Meowth (yes, that’s right!)

It is pronounced like neck-o, but knee-co is fine too :)

We have 2 cats named Sushi and Yama. They are the inspiration for the Neko name.