Waffle Lab

Warm weather is just around the corner and students are getting ready for a summer in Fort Collins. A great way to get off campus and enjoy some of the offerings of this town are food truck rallies.

Served with chicken, served with avocado, served with bacon or served with syrup, a waffle is always a delicacy to enjoy.

Sweet or savory, The Waffle Lab food truck has all waffle connoisseurs covered this summer.

The Waffle Lab originated as a food truck in 2012 and now has a restaurant location that is celebrating their one-year anniversary. The Waffle Lab prides themselves on their unique take on a waffle. Their Belgian-style liege waffle comes from a yeast-risen dough rather than a batter. The best part? Both savory and sweet waffles are available at the truck.

Waffles such as the Blue Sky, featuring bacon, avocado, egg, tomato and cheese atop their famous waffle, or the Voodoo Monkey, topped with peanut butter, bananas, raspberries and drizzled with chocolate, are often featured on the truck’s menu.

Student case manager at Colorado State University, Jay Tolpa, said, “they are a family approachable truck that has a variety of options for even the most finicky eaters.”

Food truck rallies work to build a family inclusive environment that can be enjoyed by all ages of people.

With Fort Collins not only serving a collegiate-based audience but also a family-oriented audience, their eclectic menu aims to feed everyone while still pursuing that unique waffle.

“It’s always my boys’ first choice any time we see [the truck],” Tolpa said.

They are a success that many future business owners aspire to follow. Remember to support local businesses to keep our neighbors, our neighbors.

You can find where the Waffle Lab food truck will be located and what events they will be attending this summer on their Facebook page or website.

Sweaty Moose

After an adventure filled day, there are few things better than enjoying a meal on wheels.

A mobile café that looks to please consumers with a variety of options known as Sweaty Moose is here for culinary excellence.

Scott Atchison, certified executive chef at the Sweaty Moose, provides a versatile menu that is able to please any patron at any event. From participating in corporate events to food truck rallies and every stop in-between, the Sweaty Moose eatery.

Their menu’s versatility is something remarkable. “I try not to fit into anything,” Atchison said. “I’m more than a festival truck or caterer. I’m a mobile café, not a niche truck.”

From a Tequila Lime Tilapia Wrap to their popular Sloppy Elk Sliders or a classic Smoke Brisket sandwich, this mobile café can adhere to most foodies.

The Sweaty Moose began after Atchison wanted to start something for himself. “I was an executive chef for an array of venues, but one day I wanted to start my own business; and so, I decided to move on and build something myself,” Atchison said. As a stepping stone, the Sweaty Moose has been his independent venture into the future.

“My truck looks to push the envelope of culinary success,” Atchison said.

Atchison accentuated that there is not a single item on his menu that is bad. If you get a chance to drop by the Sweaty Moose, a couple favorites to try are the Sloppy Elk Slider made with Colorado ground elk in a sloppy joe style or the Jalapeño Corn Fritters served with moos-made salsa.

Both of these and many other selections will show the culinary excellence that the Sweaty Moose excels in providing.

To check out the Sweaty Moose’s extensive menu, drop by the Coloradoan’s Food Truck Festival on May 9, 2018, starting at 5 p.m. outside the Coloradoan building. Their Facebook page also has information on where they are parked for the day.

Ba-Nom-a-Noms

Summer is calling and so are the cravings for a sweet treat to beat the heat. At Ba-Nom-a-Noms, there is no competition between sweet and healthy.

Ba-Nom-a-Nom is a healthy, vegan take on the traditional soft-serve ice cream truck. How can ice cream be vegan? Bananas. A lot of bananas: they used 40,000 in the year of 2017 in fact.

“It started with my interest in obesity and my degree in health and societies with a concentration in public health, biology and nutrition,” Sarah Ladely said, the founder of Ba-Nom-a-Noms. “I wanted to push for a healthier alternative to dessert, so I started as a booth at farmer markets. People really enjoyed the product which eventually snowballed into here today with the food truck.” Ba-Nom-a-Noms prides themselves on their banana based soft-serve because the ingredients are solely fruit.

Ladely said, “Food trucks are only around because they have been fighting for their rights. Food Trucks weren’t allowed at breweries in the beginning, but now they are because we fought for it.” Food trucks are better in numbers, they give a sense of community from community.

“We love to joke that getting all of us together is like herding cats,” Ladely said. “We are so wild and free.” Most food trucks gather at events because of this sense of comradeship.

Ba-Nom-a-Noms has plenty of unique qualities that adheres to a wide audience. Compost is crucial for a business that runs entirely on fruit and tries to push for sustainability. “[We] composted around 30,000 pounds. of food waste [in 2017],” Ladely said.

If you are looking for a sustainable, healthy sweet treat on a hot summer day, make sure to swing by the Ba-Nom-a-Noms food truck and try out their popular Root Beer Float or mixed berry flavors.

You can find the Ba-nom-a-noms truck at the weekly Tuesday City Park Food Truck Rally at 5:30 p.m. at the Fort Collins City Park beginning on May 15, 2018, along with many other great trucks. They will also be at several of the Wednesday Lagoon Series events from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. beginning June 13, 2018, held at the Colorado State University lagoon outside the Lory Student Center. For more information on locations, events visit their Facebook page.