“We started talking about having a food truck many years ago,” said The Duck & Cat chef and owner Dana Christensen. “And then life intervened—in 2023 my brother passed. Then, my dad’s Alzheimer’s disease progressed, and I became his primary caretaker until he passed in May 2025.”
Christensen was at a crossroads with where to go and what to do, but the food truck idea kept coming up. His next question was, “What would it be named?”
“The only thing I could think about was honoring my dad and brother,” added Christensen.
His dad, University of Nebraska at Omaha chancellor emeritus John Christensen, was nicknamed the Duck in college. The “Cat” came from his brother, Anders, who had a favorite fish to catch—catfish.
“He was a duck hunter, and he had this long hair that flipped up in the back,” revealed Christensen about his father. “I think there might be some stories that didn’t get told about why he was called the duck—he was kind of a wild man when he was in college.”
Christensen continued, “My brother was a great fisherman. He loved the outdoors—it’s where he was most at peace and at home. He had all kinds of wild adventures catfishing.”
“Once we chose the name, the universe kept making a path for us,” said Christensen. “We went to look at a truck, and we were like, ‘Hey, let’s see if I even fit in a truck, because I’m a giant human being.’ I fit. We bought it.”
Now the family-inspired food truck was no longer just an idea— It was a reality. With the help of his spouse, co-owner, and creative director Jacqueline Wilber, Ed.D., and sous chef Brixz The Flip, the team transformed Dana’s traditional family dishes into a Danish-themed food truck.
“It started out with the concept of being Danish.”
Dana Christensen
Wilber, who created the food truck’s logo, said she aimed to incorporate the meaning of the namesake into the design, pulling remembrance, family values, and love to the forefront. The logo also ties in with a story Christensen heard from Ojibwe artist, Isaac Murdoch.
“He tells a story about stars—who represent the ancestors— reflecting their light on the surface of the water and salmon absorbing their energy. We adapted that story and thought the duck and the catfish would do the same thing. When we eat them, we’re kind of eating the stars,” explained Christensen. “There is this relationship and connection between them.”
The Duck & Cat logo, according to Wilber, has the duck on the top of the water and the catfish right underneath, tying in the symbolism of the story, the name, and memory into one.
“I’ve heard other people describe Dana’s food as ‘Grandma food’ in the best way.”
JACKIE WILBER
TWO TEACHERS FINDING LOVE
This isn’t the first time Christensen and Wilber have worked together, but it’s the first time they’re on the same side! Their origin story of dating started when they were both high school English teachers and debate coaches. She taught in Sioux Falls and he was in Omaha, and their students debated against each other… The rest is history.
Christensen started his career in the food and service industry during 2020, where he drove food relief to the food insecure for No More Empty Pots in Omaha while going to school at the Institute for Culinary Arts at Metropolitan Community College.
“Everything I do in food starts with the concept of service,” added Christensen. “That’s our main value.”
The importance of service was carried by Christensen to Vermillion through Feeding Vermillion’s The Welcome Table, which offers a free community meal every Monday. He asked to help cook in order to keep his skills sharp and give back to the community.
The Duck & Cat came to need a commissary kitchen homebase with enough freezer and refrigerator space, and The Welcome Table had space to offer.
“That basis of community is where we got our kitchen, and how we got our first and most loyal customers,” elaborated Christensen.
Family, both chosen and blood, are at the heart of why Christensen and Wilber create and serve, as their world of food trucking becomes a “sort of family heirloom.”
“My Æbleskiver pans are my grandma’s and my great grandma’s. We have linens and glassware from my great aunt,” added Christensen. “Our families are always supporting us and are at almost every event. We also believe in chosen family. We have many queer friends and people from communities that don’t have their blood family with them, and those people are with us, too—Brixz is the closest thing I have to a child in life.”
With family and community in mind, Christensen sources ingredients primarily from local producers like R Bar Farms and the Vermillion Farmers Market. Maple syrup, heritage pigs, eggs, produce, and much more are locally produced staples The Duck & Cat use.
Their communal partnerships span to the University of South Dakota, where Wilber is the director of the Center for Student & Professional Services in the School of Education. A highlight of this partnership occurred when USD Native Students Services and the Office of Sustainability invited Dana to cook for USD students and special guest speaker chef Sean Sherman.
“The week Dana cooked for Sean Sherman, he was named TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in the World,” said Wilber. “That was amazing.”
As The Duck & Cat menu evolves, stand-out staples include the classic Danish-style Hot Dogs, Rød Pølse, Brown Butter Onion Meatballs, Frikadeller, and the famous Danish Pancakes Æbleskivers.
“Our menu is highly evolving and revolving. I’ll always be running something that’s a special-something different; something that I saw on the farm that inspires me to cook.”
DANA CHRISTENSEN
The Duck & Cat is available for all kinds of events, private and public. Food pairings are customizable, and having a food truck as a part of a party boosts the overall experience in a unique way.
We actively try to create a vibe that people want to be a part of,” said Christensen.
Ailee Johns, front of house manager, is the newest addition to The Duck & Cat team.
“The best thing about working with chef Dana and Jackie besides the food, is their commitment to this community that I love so much,” said Johns.
Party planners can contact her book the truck or the classic catering buffet setup. Graduations, weddings, birthdays, themed dinners, and festivals are all events fit for The Duck & Cat.
“Dana’s cooking is extremely versatile. He can cook anything, lowbrow or highbrow. But it’s always going to be cooked with love, and it’s going to taste like the person who made it for you loves you, the same way your grandma’s food does,” added Wilber.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT THEDUCKANDCAT.COM+
MARK YOUR CALENDARS AND TRY IT FOR YOURSELF
The Duck and Cat will be at the Ben’s Brewing German Dinner on June 13 in Yankton, and Arts in the Park on July 25 and 26 in Mitchell.
