A Trucker’s Paradise on Route 66: Emma Jean’s Holland Burger Cafe

Some places don’t need to change. Sitting on a gravel lot along Route 66 in Victorville, California, Emma Jean’s Holland Burger Cafe has been serving scratch-made comfort food since 1947. When Guy Fieri first rolled up in 2007 during the show’s second season, he found Brian and Shauna Gentry cranking out homemade everything in this classic truck stop diner. Sixteen years later, he came back to find something remarkable: “Everything I want it to stay as original as possible,” Brian told him. “When people come in here, you know they’re stepping back in time.”

And he meant it. The parking lot? Still gravel. The recipes? Unchanged. The counter? Same as it ever was.

Biscuits and Gravy from the University of Mom

Brian learned to cook from his mother, Emma Jean herself, and it shows in every dish. When Guy asked about culinary training, Brian’s answer was simple: “Just the University of Mom and the School of Hard Knocks.”

The biscuit-making process is all about restraint. Brian starts with flour and bacon powder, adds milk until hitting the right consistency, then mixes as little as possible. “You got to be nice to your biscuit,” he explained while demonstrating his twisting technique. For the gravy, it’s breakfast sausage browned in oil, flour stirred in, then salt, pepper, and hot milk whisked together until it stands up on its own. Guy’s verdict after tasting: “That’s a real deal biscuit right there. I don’t think I can eat more than six or 12 of these.”

The Redneck Burrito: A Monster with Housemade Salsa

This isn’t your average breakfast wrap. The Redneck Burrito gets loaded with potatoes, bacon, steak, sausage, and bell peppers, all seasoned and topped with a cheddar jack blend. The tortilla gets heated until bubbly, then comes the gravy and housemade chili—made with onions, 80/20 hamburger, beans, garlic, oregano, and cumin simmered for 45 minutes to an hour.

But the real star? The salsa. Made with tomatoes, jalapeños, serranos, onions, green onions, habanero, salt, cumin, garlic, and pepper. “If we run out of salsa, we might as well not even open up,” Brian said. Similar to how other Pork Sisig Tacos in San Francisco rely on their signature elements, this burrito lives and dies by that housemade salsa.

The Trucker Sandwich and Slap Your Mama Burger

The trucker sandwich features tri-tip slow-roasted with chopped carrots, celery, salt, pepper, season-all, garlic, and oregano, cooked at 350 degrees for two to three hours. It gets sliced, topped with cheese, bacon, and Ortega chilies, then steamed together. Guy called it “pretty simple but pretty tasty.”

Then there’s the Slap Your Mama—a half-pound 80/20 burger rubbed with garlic pepper, stacked with that same tri-tip, salsa, bacon, cheddar jack, American cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, and Thousand Island. Like the hearty portions you’d find at spots serving Pan-Roasted Turchetta | Big Bite, this is a destination dish. “That tri-tip is the bomb,” Guy declared. “That’s the kind of dish that is worth getting in your car and driving for.”

Real Cooking Tips from Emma Jean’s

For biscuits: Mix the dough as little as possible and use a good twisting motion when cutting.

For gravy: It’s ready when it stands up on its own—that’s the thickness you want.

For braised tri-tip: Pour water along the sides of the pan so you don’t wash the seasoning off the meat.

Forty-three years after Brian’s parents bought the place, Emma Jean’s remains exactly what it was meant to be: a trucker’s paradise where the food is homemade, the portions are massive, and nothing changes because nothing needs to. Find more classic Triple D spots in our restaurant directory.