AUGUSTA — The husband-and-wife team behind a popular Asian food truck plans to open a permanent location in a spot on Hichborn Street.

Trevor Charette and Pear Nalaphas run Bao & Beyond, the Asian food truck that has gained a following in central Maine selling bao buns — a soft, fluffy bread that traditionally is filled —  cold soba salad and Korean corn dogs, plans to open a new location with counter service, along with beer and wine, at 1 Hichborn St. in mid-June.

The pair will continue to run the food truck and with an expansion to a more permanent location, they plan to cater to the working population in Augusta, offering brunch on Sundays and expanding the menu.

“We will have takeout options and focus on online ordering so we can be a convenience to people for lunch that work around that area,” said Charette.

Charette started Bao & Beyond with Nalaphas in 2020 after working in kitchens across central Maine for years.

Nalaphas has worked around food since she was 10 years old, helping her grandfather with his Taiwanese restaurant.

She incorporates some of the food that she grew up having in the bao buns, including tofu that is on the menu.

“I grew up with my parents making meals with soy, so that was my thing,” she said. “The tofu on the menu has a really good flavor. It’s a little savory and salty. The tofu we do is called Tofu Karaage, so it’s deep-fried crispy tofu with pickled cabbage, cucumber and spicy mayo.”

The buns that Bao & Beyond make are open, like a taco, Charette said, with the fillings like meat or tofu with veggies stuffed on the inside.

Items on the menu take inspiration from Vietnamese, Taiwanese, Korean and Thai cuisines.

“Spicy, salty, sweet … we play around with the flavors,” Charette said. “It can go anywhere.”

Through having a food truck, Bao & Beyond has gained a following, the pair said. They see regulars on a daily basis, but they also have people who try the food, never having had a bao bun before.

“Then they come back, order it again, and ask if we can teach them how to say it (the food name),” Charette said.

After years of working in kitchens, Charette and Nalaphas say they have a love for making and trying new foods. Nalaphas recognizes that not everyone wants to try new cuisines, but seeing people try their food is what makes it worthwhile for her.

“Sometimes, we see with older generations, they don’t want to try anything new, but then they try us for the first time and they come back and order more. I’m happy with that. It can be so hard to change a way of eating and try new foods, but then they say, ‘OK, I like this!’ and bring their friends next time,” she said.

The restaurant at 1 Hichborn St. will be open Tuesday to Thursday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., close for an hour and open up from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday to Saturday it will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., then 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.; and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.