On your way home from work or to the store, you might have noticed a big white truck with a black and white checkerboard pattern sitting in a parking lot – most times with a line of people next to it. That truck is Leonard’s Backyard Bistro, a mobile food truck, who’s chef provides homemade, gourmet-style food to his customers.

Leonard’s Backyard Bistro owners are husband and wife duo, Leonard and Heather Duitch, of Williamsport. Heather takes the orders and helps with the fryers and packaging, while chef Leonard prepares the burgers, sandwiches, soups and sides – from “scratch.”

The truck officially opened in November 2014, but planning began for the couple in 2011, following a conversation about wanting to work together. “The truck seemed to be the way to cut out the middle man,” Leonard said.

Leonard has been cooking for 15 years. He began working in kitchens at age 16 – moving his way up the culinary ladder – without having gone to cooking school or undergoing any other formal training.

“The right people provided me with the right opportunities,” Leonard said, adding that it’s possible to make your dream job a reality, as long as you truly are interested in what you are doing and put the time and effort into it.

“I had zero expectations,” Leonard said about opening the food truck. “I thought I’d have a part time job forever.” But the business took off quickly for the Duitchs and soon it became the couple’s only job. The success was a bit surprising to them, especially for opening in the winter months – but they said they continue to grow every day.

Leonard went full-time on the food truck in December 2014, only about a month after opening, and Heather became his full-time working companion in March.

Some may think a married couple spending so much time together would not work out too well, but when asked how they felt about spending all day every day together, the couple gave a smiling glance to each other and answered sincerely and almost in unison, “We love being together all the time.” And watching them work, anyone can see that it’s the truth.

Inside the truck, there is enough room for the two to be comfortable for the amount of time they have to spend in it on a daily basis. It’s like a small kitchen – everything clean, prepped and in its place, which makes it easy to fill multiple orders as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Leonard said he actually welcomes the idea of competition and said he would like to see more food trucks come into the area because he believes it might open up more opportunities for them and for others in the same business.

Leonard’s Backyard Bistro has about 1,743 likes on Facebook, with 4.9 out of 5 stars from 114 reviews.

“Everyone loves Leonard’s food,” Heather said. “It (the Facebook rating) shows how awesome his cooking is – I was a vegetarian for 14 years and about a month after working side-by-side with my husband, that ended.”

Heather tried the cheesesteak egg roll and never looked back. Now, there isn’t an item on the menu that she hasn’t tested herself – noting the “beast” (roast beef, horseradish mayo, provolone cheese, carmelized onions and mushrooms with beef gravy on ciabatta) as her favorite. The classic burger (1/2 pound burger, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, ketchup and pickle) and the “pig pile” (pork loin, ham, bacon, pickles, Swiss cheese and Dijonnaise on ciabatta) are Leonard’s favorites.

Their daily menu tends to stay consistent, for the most part. The most popular items at the moment are the beast and the pig pile, with the “gobbler” (turkey breast, bacon, smoked gouda cheese, garlic-herb mayo, lettuce and tomato on ciabatta) coming in a close third. The fall will bring the return of the popular chicken and waffles – an item that sold out on a regular basis in the past. Leonard also always features at least one soup – right now, wild mushroom bisque. There also are vegetarian items like the “Bella” (marinated and grilled portobella, breaded and fried provolone cheese, chili garlic mayo, lettuce and tomato on cabatta).

“It makes me feel like I’m doing what I set out to do,” Leonard said about the positive response the truck has had so far.

“Sometimes there’s a line when we open,” Heather said. “We’ve had customers in the rain, snow, ice and even a blizzard.”

Leonard’s also is available for catering and special events. To place an order for pickup or for more information about catering, call 570-447-5437 or on Facebook, where they post truck locations daily.