Photo for Best Soda City Vendor: Belgian Waffle Truck
Photo by Tyler Sprague

Best Soda City Vendor: Belgian Waffle Truck

By Tyler Sprague

Serving Columbia since 2014, The Belgian Waffle Truck has been a staple of the Soda City Market and has now been voted Best Soda City Vendor in Best of Carolina for the past 5 years. 

Owned by trained chef Jean-Louis Ledent and his wife Yvette Ledent, both born in Belgium, the truck has become known for its thick, decadent waffles made with special dough consisting of sugar pearls straight from Belgium. Served sweet or savory these waffles are sure to put a smile on your face and the equivalent on your taste buds, especially their famous “Strawbwaffle” which is layered with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. 

The couple has been in the food, hospitality and restaurant business for a while and have loved bringing a piece of Belgium to the area.

“This is our passion. I am ‘back of the house’ and Yvette is an awesome ‘front of the house’ person. We are a great team, and we love working together. This is probably the best job we ever had! Sharing part of our culture with our food truck is what inspired us to pursue [this business],” Jean-Louis said.

Not only have Jean-Louis and Yvette had success with their truck, in 2020 Yvette was able to start and become the CEO of her own woman owned franchise, “The Belgian Waffle Cart.” The franchise provides everything to start your own waffle cart. Everything is included in their package, including training. Yvette hopes to expand the franchises across North and South Carolina, bringing waffles and joy to each customer. With business booming I’m sure we’ll see the Belgian Waffle Truck continue to serve Soda City delicious waffles for years to come.