Brett “Buster” Rhymes is a man who gives 100 percent at whatever he does in life.

A New Iberia native, Rhymes, 50, owned and ran his own personal food truck, “Buster’s Taste of Flavor,” a local food truck bringing southern food to the masses in the Teche Area.

Rhymes got his nickname after playing football in high school and the name has stuck ever since.

Before getting into food, Rhymes was a 30-year veteran in the oil field, but his first love has always been cooking.

“I’ve always had a passion for cooking,” Rhymes said. “I started cooking at outdoor banquets and barbecues and that led me to buy a bunch of cooking gear to cook for the public.”

That passion led him to start his food truck service in February of 2018, cooking everything from smothered greens to red and white beans, fried fish, crawfish fettuccine and his famous pork, chickens and sausage jambalaya.

“We even have sausage po boys, ribs, rice dressing or even cornbread dressing,” Rhymes said. “We have a nice little mix, just good, southern cooking, baby.”

Rhymes is currently working for Shell and due to his conflicting work schedule, sold Buster’s Taste of Flavor in early 2020 to the owners of present-day Cane Row Golf & Turf Club, formerly known as Squirrel Run Golf Club.

“Two months after (buying) the golf course, a pipe busted in the wall at night and the whole clubhouse flooded,” Rhymes said.

Rhymes noted that the Cane Row Golf & Turf Club needed to make repairs, including a new kitchen, and needed a place to cook, leading to Rhymes selling his food truck.

Rhymes said he plans to open a second food truck, “Buster’s Taste of Flavor II,” though he hasn’t done so yet. The plan is to have the truck ready and operating by the start of 2021.

“Once we get established, we’re going to right back at 1414 Center St and the old Arceneaux Ford lot,” Rhymes said. “We’re going to have operations open up and running there.

Rhymes said he wanted to have a food truck rather than an ordinary kitchen or restaurant because it was the best shot at getting his name out to the public.

“It helped provide food to the general public,” Rhymes said.

Rhymes credits his grandmother as a motivating factor for chasing his dream. He watched her cook and learned from her as he grew up, and was able to carry those traditions on to his adult life.

Now, married, Rhymes said his mother-in-law asks him to cook special meals each Thanksgiving and Christmas.

“That certain dish was shrimp fettuccine, cornbread dressing or duck, roasted turkey or a stuffed roast,” Rhymes said.

Rhymes enjoyed the work and cooking for residents of the Teche Area with Buster’s Taste of Flavor and wants the public to know what they can expect when their second food truck opens.

“Buster’s is an awesome place for people to stop, being satisfied with a full meal,” Rhymes said. “We provide a good service to the client. You’ll definitely want to come back to Busters again.”