At just 24, LCCTC Culinary alum Justin Ilkanhoff started his own business, Traveling J’s food truck, to bring Middle Eastern food to the people of Lancaster. Justin graduated from the LCCTC in 2018 and has since traveled to New York to study at the Culinary Institute in America, worked in Savannah, Georgia, and then made it back to Lancaster, where he worked at Willow Valley Communities and the Lancaster Country Club before starting off on his own.
Traveling J’s has been operational since June, and Justin says the past six months have been all about flexibility and change to see what works best for his business. Over the summer, he regularly appeared at the Lancaster Warehouse District Beer Garden and did private and one-off events. As the weather turns cooler, he has pivoted to afternoons and evenings on Fridays at the Tanger Outlets, where visitors doing Holiday shopping can grab a bite to eat between stores.
Justin spent over a year deciding on his menu, doing research, and getting his truck ready to be a mobile kitchen. He decided on Middle Eastern food to share a part of his heritage with Lancaster residents. His menu includes mainstays like homemade falafel and Israeli salad but also incorporates Middle Eastern flavors with more American fare like the Middle Eastern Cheese Steak, Lamb Burger, or Harissa Fried Chicken Sandwich. Justin is unafraid to try new recipes, like his North African Haria soup, perfect for crisp, cool days.
Justin says his time at the CTC greatly influenced his career trajectory, starting at the Willow Street campus in the Introduction to Culinary class. There, Chef Brooks taught him there is a fine line between slow and perfect. He says that advice has stayed with him over the years and reminded him to keep moving and not be a perfectionist at the expense of his customers’ experience. When Justin moved onto the full-year program at Mount Joy, he said Chef Green was another great teacher who focused on teaching the elements of creating a dish vs. memorizing a recipe. Those elements provided the building blocks for a meal and allowed for experimentation and creativity. Prepping, cooking, and serving food at Mount Joy’s on-campus Infusion’s Restaurant gave Justin experience in a professional setting before even graduating high school and set him on the course of a career in food.
As an entrepreneur, Justin has an eye on all the pieces of his operation and is meticulously keeping track of what works and what may need tweaking in the future. He is excited to be a part of the food scene in Lancaster and connect with customers across the county. Justin loves traveling and hopes to continue to explore and taste the different cuisines around the world so that he can use those experiences as inspiration for more delicious items on the Traveling J’s menu.
If you are out shopping at the Tanger Outlets this Friday -11/24/23, you will Find Traveling J’s there from 10 am–9 pm. Check out the website for more details or to book Traveling J’s for your upcoming event!
In 2015, Kami Dugan was looking to pivot into a new career. Although she had successfully earned a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish, she found it difficult to find a stable job where she could advance. Kami was working retail and teaching ESL part-time but was looking for a challenge and a career she was passionate about. After the ESL teaching program lost funding, she decided to make a change. Kami has always been interested in science and biology but knew she couldn’t afford to spend another four years to get a degree. The 
