Who are we?

Dean Marshall

Hi, my name is Dean Marshall, and I am a chef-owner of The Big Orange Truck. I was born and raised in Grand Rapids, MI.  I now reside in Harrisburg, SD with my wife and 2 of my 3 kids as well as our petting zoo: 3 cats (Leonidas, Echo, and Artemis), 1 dog (Calypso), and our very querulous red ear slider turtle (Pandora).

Professionally, I am interested in creating a locally run business to create the highest quality product.  I am also very intrigued with a completely self sustainable food truck and I’d like to base my career around eliminating food waste. This year I'm dedicated to teaching others how to cook healthy meals and the importance of buying foods without bar-codes.  We also collect non-consumable food and use it to fertilize the farm at Cradle to Grave.  We have created a partnership with Cradle to Grave because they have a lot in common with our vision for the future.

My vision is for this process to become something that businesses and people alike do automatically—much like recycling. I would love it if every business, restaurant, institution, farm, and grocery store committed to sending all of the food they would otherwise throw away to food banks, shelters, and orphanages. Food that is deemed non-consumable by human standards would be composted and used by farms.

If you are interested in more information about our cooking shows or techniques in providing a renewable future please feel free to contact us.  Thank you.

Your Friend,

Dean Marshall