Mo Taylor ’02 still remembers the long hours spent as a teenager in the kitchen of the Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, stationed at a prep table, slicing cantaloupe for what felt like an eternity.
“Eight hours a day, just cutting fruit,” he says.
But he was determined to learn — and he did. Taylor quickly worked his way up to the brunch line, where he cranked out hundreds of made-to-order omelets, a skill he later put to use at college parties.
Fast-forward a couple of decades, and he’s now overseeing a pierogi production line in Allentown, Pennsylvania — proof that even cantaloupe duty can be a stepping stone to greatness.
Jersey Strong
Taylor's culinary journey began at age 13 in Somers Point, New Jersey. He juggled summer mornings caddying at Greate Bay Country Club with afternoons in the kitchen under the watchful eye of Chef Nick. Soon, he was running the club's sandwich shop, slinging cheesesteaks and stirring soups from scratch. That same mix of hustle, creativity, and drive would later power his rise from Lehigh football player to one of the Lehigh Valley’s most beloved restaurateurs.
Taylor's high school years were a mix of DJing parties, starring on the football field, and acing AP Physics. His athleticism led him to Lehigh
University, where he majored in mechanical engineering, DJed at campus events, and acted in productions such as A Raisin in the Sun.
"I ate everything in sight back then. The coaches wanted me to gain weight," he laughs. "I could crush about three Burger King chicken sandwiches in one sitting."
Building a Career — and a Restaurant
After graduation, Taylor stayed local and took a job at Starter's Pub in Lower Saucon Township. Though he started in the kitchen, he gravitated to the front of house, eventually managing the restaurant. When the owner launched Starter's Riverport in Bethlehem, he brought Taylor along for the ride.
"I used my engineering brain to help build the restaurant, blueprints, design, everything," he says. "That was my baby."
At Riverport, Taylor met Cristian Duarte and Jerry Straub, his future business partners. The trio dreamed of launching their own spot, and when Riverport closed, they made the leap. The "Bayou Boys," later joined by Matt Weaver, opened The Bayou in 2014: a Southern-inspired eatery with roots in New Orleans cuisine and a built-in fan base from day one, thanks to their loyal clientele from Starters.
"We look at The Bayou as a big family reunion every night," Taylor says. The Brisket Po' Boy, a nod to Taylor's days at the country club, is still on the menu.
The team quickly expanded, opening new ventures including Grain, Queen City BBQ, The Bayou Easton, and the first Wiz Kidz, a casual cheese steak joint. While some locations, such as Grain, Queen City BBQ, The Bayou Easton, and a different Wiz Kidz location, eventually closed their doors, Taylor remained grounded and pragmatic.
"The life expectancy of a restaurant is two to three years," he says. "It's tough."
Pandemic Pivot
When COVID-19 hit, Taylor's wife, CJ, a nurse, warned him, "This is going to be bad." It was. With CJ working grueling shifts on a COVID-19 unit, Taylor couldn't step into the kitchen because of his exposure. Instead, he ran marketing from home and helped local restaurants band together for mutual support.
"CJ would come home after double-digit deaths some nights," he says, his voice catching. "We'd never seen anything like it."
Even amid hardship, Taylor saw opportunity. At Wiz Kidz, he wanted a creative alternative to fries and landed on pierogies, another Pennsylvania favorite. They first sourced from local maker Uncle Paul's, and when that business shut down, the team launched its own line: Bayou Boys Pierogies.
Pierogies proved a hit, and not just on the menu. Other restaurants requested them, and schools tapped them for fundraisers.
"Some schools sold 7,000 pierogies in a week," Taylor says proudly. To date, Bayou Boys Pierogies has helped raise $125,000 for community organizations.
The pierogi-making journey had its quirks. The Bayou team tracked down Uncle Paul's original machine builder in Long Island and hauled a custom machine back to Pennsylvania. The pierogi operation moved around like a culinary caravan before settling in Allentown, where it now shares space with the latest Wiz Kidz location in Allentown.
“Can Lehigh reverse-engineer a pierogi machine for us?” Taylor jokes.
Taylor, now a father of two, 15-year-old Isaiah and toddler Tessa, sees his restaurants as more than business.
"I’ve lived in the same house since 2008. My kids go to school here. This is my community.”
Today, The Bayou and two Wiz Kidz locations, in Bethlehem and Allentown, are thriving. The Allentown Wiz Kidz and Bayou Boys Pierogies combo shop allows customers to walk in and purchase pierogies to heat and enjoy at home.
Whether he's serving cheesesteaks or building a pierogi empire, one thing is clear: Mo Taylor feeds people in every sense of the word.
“All I want to do is feed the community and make people happy,” he says.
“Lehigh shaped a lot of that: discipline from the classroom and the athletic field, meeting people from all walks of life. I carry that with me every day.”
