The Nadas has one more talent to add to its list — truck-stop culinary reviews.

“Just ask us about any truck stop within 300 of miles of Des Moines, in any direction,” says singer/guitarist Jason Walsmith. “We’ve been on the road for so long that we can practically tell you what is on the menu in each and every one of them.”

All those trips have made The Nadas one of the most successful bands to come out of Ames. Over the past decade, the band has released six albums on its own Authentic Records label, sold more than 50,000 albums and packed clubs from coast to coast.

Through it all, the band members say they have never forgotten where they came from.

To kick off its anniversary tour, the band is playing a number of shows in Central Iowa. One of the first is Wednesday at People’s Bar and Grill, 2428 Lincoln Way.

Both Walsmith and bandmate Mike Butterworth say returning to Ames to play is like a personal homecoming.

After all, The Nadas were formed when Walsmith and Butterworth were both members of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity on the ISU campus.

The philanthropy done with their fraternity still shows. Band members say they’re excited to play for charity later in November.

“On Nov. 28 and 29, we’re doing a couple of shows in Des Moines for a really great cause,” Butterworth says. “The shows are called ‘Nada Silent Night’ and they benefit ‘Toys for Tots’ and Blank Children’s Hospital. We’re especially excited since we are the first act to play in the newly refurbished Hoyt Sherman Auditorium.”

As prominent as they have become, members of The Nadas still remember the days when they weren’t making much money. Some stories stay with them.

“Back when we first started, we were on the road down in Texas and saw a sign for a restaurant advertising a six-pound steak,” Butterworth says. “Basically, if one person ate it, everybody with them would get their meals for free. So Tony [Bohnenkamp], our drummer, orders this huge thing. He couldn’t finish it, so we ended up having to pay for our meals.”

Walsmith adds the event wasn’t funny at the time, since the band was getting $50 a show.

“Tony’s steak alone cost 50 bucks, and we had to pay for all of our meals because he couldn’t finish it,” Walsmith says.

Still, The Nadas have toured almost non-stop over the years. With each new album and subsequent tour, The Nadas have changed, both in members and in how it looks at music.

The Nadas’ last album, “Transceiver,” was recorded in Dallas, Texas in early 2003 and produced by Todd and Toby Pipes.

With “Transceiver” also came a new member to the band, bassist Jon Locker, who helped both re-tool the sound and get back to basics.

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Who: The Nadas, Grayson

Where: People’s Bar and Grill, 2428 Lincoln Way

When: 8 p.m., Wednesday

Cost: $10