Sassy Mac Boys prepares to grow with ‘big noodle monster machine’ in Rockford area

July 30, 2025|By Kevin Haas|In Restaurants, Featured, Eat & Drink, News, 815 News, Local, Rock River Current, Rockford, Business, Top Stories

Donald Czyzyk is the CEO of Sassy Mac Boys, a food truck and catering service in the Rockford area. Czyzyk is pictured Tuesday, July 29, 2025, in front of the Sassy Mac Boys food truck. They’re soon to upgrade to a larger trailer. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — On a scorching hot Tuesday afternoon along the Rock River, a few fans of Sassy Mac Boys arrived to make their orders before the food truck’s service for the day began.

The eager customers are an example of the loyal following the brand has built for its gourmet take on a classic comfort food. The nearly 2-year-old food truck specializes in freshly prepared macaroni and cheese that’s loaded with hearty options such as brisket, pulled pork, lobster, crawfish, sausage, chicken teriyaki and other options.

“It’s not like getting Kraft macaroni out of a box. It’s about as far from that as you can get,” said Joyce Lantz, who, along with here sister, Janet Clark, was among the first handful of customers Tuesday. “We’ll probably try to come every week we can and try something different.”

Now, Sassy Mac Boys is preparing for growth with a new, bigger trailer and eye open for the opportunity to fill a brick-and-mortar restaurant, CEO Donald Czyzyk said. His long-term vision is to franchise Sassy Mac Boys as a fast-food style restaurant.

“With our process of cooking noodles the way that we do, and our secret recipe cheese, I think for sure it is franchiseable and that’s where we want to end up in the future,” he said.

The company recently purchased a 24-foot trailer that was previously used to reboot The Sandwich Factory restaurant as a food truck. When that didn’t work out, Czyzyk stepped in to purchase the truck from Windsor Pizza, which had leased it to The Sandwich Factory.

The truck is being fitted for Sassy Mac’s needs now with a goal to roll it out after county fair season concludes.

Sassy Mac Boys recently earned an honor for unique food at the Stephenson County Fair. It will also be serving at the Boone County Fair next week and the Winnebago County Fair Aug. 13-17.

“I want to keep booming and keep growing and I don’t want anything slowing me down,” Czyzyk said. “That’s why we purchased the new trailer. After fair season we’re sliding into that new one, it’s just going to be a big noodle monster machine.”

The current truck was previously damaged by a fallen tree and ready to be retired. Czyzyk also said the larger truck will help it keep service quick when it has large catering events or when it’s serving bigger businesses with hundreds of employees.

“A lot of food trucks are not known for being fast, they’re not known for speed,” Czyzyk said. “That’s one thing we are known for is getting things out fresh and quick.”

Meanwhile, he has been slowly searching for an opportunity to bring Sassy Mac Boys into a brick-and-mortar location. He looked at the former Baked Wings, which closed along Riverside Boulevard in March, and the former Arby’s on Perryville Road, before deciding the lease was too expensive on each.

“Either the rent price has to be perfect, or I want to find an owner-operator who wants to come into the company and operate their own storefront and have us overlook it,” Czyzyk said.

Callie Woodcock takes an order Tuesday, July 29, 2025, at Sassy Mac Boys during Food Truck Tuesday in Rockford. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

Czyzyk started the company in November 2023 with former partner Dusty Campbell, who he credits for many of the recipes. Czyzyk later took over ownership of the brand. Its six-cheese macaroni is made with Fat Tire Beer and cooked fresh for every order.

“Every single time an order is placed we are physically dropping the noodles in water, stirring the cheese and melting it,” Czyzyk said. “Nothing is premade, nothing is dried out sitting around in a warming container.”

Lantz and other fans of the truck say you should plan for huge servings that can provide a couple of meals. They also like the unique recipes that Czyzyk creates. For Amanda Sisler of Rockford, the chicken teriyaki with pineapple is among her favorites.

“It’s very savory and it’s very cheesy. It’s bold,” Sisler said of Sassy Mac Boys. “The food speaks for itself. You have to try it.”