During the busiest shifts at his food trailer, Willie Galvan can crank out a smashburger in 10 or 11 minutes. When there’s no line, he can do it in five.
“The buns take longer to toast than the burgers,” the Santa Maria native said.
After an order comes in, he toasts the buns and heats up burger toppings. The last step is to grill the freshly ground brisket patty for about four minutes.
Part of the reason Galvan and his wife, Angie, put smashburgers instead of regular patties on their menu was because they hoped to be so busy that they’d need every extra minute. They were right, but success didn’t happen overnight.
Treat yourself
For Culture food trailer’s complete monthly schedule and menu, visit culture805food.com or follow @culture.805 on Instagram. Send inquiries to the owners by emailing culture.food805@gmail.com.
In March the husband-and-wife team hit three years of operating their food trailer, Culture, selling burgers, fries, and mac and cheese. A big milestone came in January when they secured a spot outside Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria to serve lunch and dinner on Wednesdays and Fridays. It marked the start of a much-needed semi-permanent schedule for Culture.
“It was a big moment for us, getting in at the hospital,” Galvan said.
Around the same time, the Galvans booked the Thursday lunch hour at the California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo. They station their colorful, space-themed trailer by the entrance, so members of the public can park in the lot and hop in line.
Central Coast residents can also find Culture at Birchwood Nipomo on Thursdays for dinner and at Laetitia Vineyards and Winery on Saturdays. Occasionally the trailer pops up at Santa Maria’s Rancho Bowl (where the couple met) and Orcutt’s Naughty Oak Brewing Company. The Galvans update their website with their monthly schedule—they’re currently the busiest they’ve ever been.
“Lately, we’ve just been on fire,” Galvan said.
Credit: PHOTO BY PIETER SAAYMAN
That would also describe their menu, which Galvan said is a greatest hits sampling of all the entrees they’ve created. Galvan and his wife are “pretty proud” of how the menu looks.
Though it’s a close race for the title of best seller, The Impala burger sits at the top of the list now. Its patty is smashed with onions and jalapeños, then topped with cheddar cheese, pickles, and chipotle aioli.
Also sky high in popularity is The Cadillac, Galvan’s personal favorite. It’s the same signature patty filled with onions and jalapeños. In between the buns he also layers red wine garlic mushrooms, pickles, citrus herb aioli, and a melted pepper jack “cheese crust.”
The Cadillac is the best burger Galvan has ever had, and the phrasing caught on in his social media posts. Customers couldn’t help but agree.
“It’s got the sweetness from the onions. It’s got the crispiness from the patty. It’s got the umami from the mushrooms,” Galvan described. “It’s just a really good, balanced burger that hits all the senses for me, and it’s so good I can’t get enough of it.”
With so many popular entrees, the Galvans walk the line between prepping too many ingredients and selling out. Freshness is key to their work.
‘It’s just a really good, balanced burger that hits all the senses for me, and it’s so good I can’t get enough of it.’
—Willie Galvan, co-owner and chef
“We use our fresh-ground USDA prime grade brisket, and we fresh grind the beef every day,” he said. “We slice the onions every day. We chop the lettuce.”
Every detail matters when it comes to quality. He knows they’re just selling burgers, but at the same time, it’s much bigger than that.
As a culinary school graduate, Galvan understands how to balance flavors and fill in gaps with the right ingredients. At 19 years old, he got classic French training in Scottsdale, Arizona, at a Le Cordon Bleu program. It was an intense but exciting time for the young chef.
One dish that stands out from his training is crème brulee. He’s been making it the same way ever since and brings his butterscotch recipe to the food trailer. Galvan said it comes out perfectly every time.
Culture’s mac and cheese is made with a classic béchamel sauce, Swiss cheese, and bacon. All three mac varieties on the current menu—Korean Beef, Buffalo Chicken, and Nashville Chicken—have won awards at the Avila Beach Macaroni and Cheese Festival.
“We take a lot of pride in what we do just because we like to eat the food ourselves,” he said.
Culinary school was Galvan’s first experience working in a kitchen, and he got hooked. Before becoming a business owner, he gained experience in many fine dining restaurants, including the private Club 33 at Disneyland.
He found himself back in Santa Maria with Angie, noticing scarce food options in town. They had a “crazy” idea to set up social club nights serving five- and six-course meals for up to eight guests out of their home. Each event featured a different cuisine, hence the name Culture, which carried over to their food trailer. When everyone kept asking for burgers and mac and cheese, they knew they’d found their specialty.
The power duo is no stranger to working together, having met in in the kitchen at Rancho Bowl 10 years ago.
Nowadays they are the only two working at Culture, except for the occasional third pair of helping hands during busy events. Galvan is the chef, and Angie does everything from taking orders to stocking the trailer.
“She’s the muscle behind the operation. She preps. She cleans,” Galvan said about his wife. “She’s just running around doing everything with a smile on her face, taking care of everything.”
Credit: PHOTO BY PIETER SAAYMAN
They haven’t always worked together but realized when they were apart professionally, they missed it. The two got married last year and have plans to continue growing Culture.
“It took a while for us to get really busy, but we’ve been hot lately,” Galvan said. “It’s exciting, and we’re ready for it.” ∆
Sun Staff Writer Madison White, from New Times’ sister paper, and Staff Photographer Pieter Saayman don’t think you can go wrong at Culture. Tell us what you tried at mwhite@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in March 12-19, 2026.