August 2 will always be a special day for Angel and Juan Mejias. It’s not only their oldest brother, Jose’s, birthday, but it’s also the day that Angel’s restaurant, Halo’s Eatery, opened its first physical location on Cherry St. in Columbia.
Cooking for others is a family tradition.
Juan said he learned to cook from their mother, who cooked for the priests at the diocese in Lancaster.
Angel on the left, Juan on the right
Angel was also inspired by Chef Martin Yan and his TV show “Yan Can Cook.”
Angel was working at Howells Glass (now part of Garrety Glass) when he first enrolled at York Technical Institute. He continued working full-time while doing his coursework at YTI and graduated in 2013.
Afterwards, he “bounced around for a little bit trying to find my niche.” Eventually, he landed a position as a corporate chef at Armstrong World Industries in Lancaster.
“I could have retired from there,” he said, citing the job’s steady hours – 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., with weekends off – as something rare to find in food service, which often requires late nights. But the COVID-19 pandemic had other plans for Angel’s future.
On Nov. 6, 2021, the food truck that would become Halo’s Eatery had its grand opening as “Halo’s Kitchen,” serving up what Angel and Juan call “Soul-Rican” cuisine, a portmanteau of soul food and Puerto Rican cuisine.
The drink menu at the time of the interview
He pivoted to the current model of “global fusion cuisine with a Latin twist” to better differentiate from other similar food trucks and the two haven’t looked back.
Their food truck bookings have been primarily corporate events, church events and weddings.
They’ve also been part of community events like the Fourth of July celebration at Stone Gables Estate in Elizabethtown (the home of the Star Barn) and served students in the Lancaster School District and at Millersville University.
“I really wanted a food truck,” Angel said. “But, the overwhelming response, ‘Hey, do you have a place? Do you have a place? Do you have a place? You know, it pushed me to get a place.”
The restaurant had its soft opening on Aug. 2, 2025, with a grand opening and ribbon cutting on the 22nd.
The location choice was part strategic – “Columbia put us in the center of where we wanted to be,” says Angel – but also part nostalgic, as the brothers grew up there 30 years ago.
Although the restaurant has been here less than a year, it’s integrated itself into the community, with a pay-it-forward meal program and offering free empanadas to students with a C average each marking period.
Those empanadas are a Halo’s signature, stamped with the restaurant’s name and made to order.
An Empanada From Halo’s Eatery
“Nobody likes a soggy empanada,” Juan said.
Other popular Halo’s menu items include the eponymous Halo Bowl and Sol Bowl, the “Goddie” and their Jerk Chicken Cheesesteak, which started its life as a special before becoming a permanent menu item.
The Jerk Chicken Cheesesteak
“People kept coming back and asking for it,” Angel said. “And we listen to the people.”
This is the first season that both the food truck and restaurant will be operating. The truck has its first event on March 13. This summer brings first anniversary celebrations for the restaurant – to be announced. Future plans for Halo’s include adding a mural outside for photo ops, and, eventually, a larger space with more sit-down capability.
“It took us three years to get this,” Angel said. “Maybe in three more years we'll get a sit-down restaurant.”
Visit Halo’s Eatery Wednesday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.