In the corner of an otherwise deserted parking lot in Edison, New Jersey, a group of cars is clustered around the blue-and-white Lombardi Pizza Co. truck. Smoke billows from its chimney. At its side people shuffle about, arms crossed or hands in pockets, waiting. Every couple of minutes a pizza box or two appears on the service-window ledge.
Some customers return to their cars to eat. Others carry pizza boxes to the concrete benches near the entrance of the Executive Plaza building, a large, nondescript low-rise whose tenants are mostly medical offices closed for the weekend.
The lot is near where the Garden State Parkway meets the New Jersey Turnpike. This is not a walking community. You would normally drive through it to get somewhere else. But it became a destination when the Lombardi Pizza Co. truck started selling its pies here last summer.
This truck is making pizza that would hold its own in a brick-and-mortar joint. This is not just “good for a truck.” It is great pizza, period. If you live near Edison or have a commute that takes you anywhere near, this is destination pizza, folks.
Owner and pizzaiolo Peter Lombardi (no relation to the Manhattan coal-oven Lombardi’s) does private catering with the truck but parks in this lot on weekends when he doesn’t have an event. (His family owns the property.) Like many food trucks, Lombardi Pizza Co.’s hours and locations are available via social media—in this case its Facebook page, though its website also offers an up-to-date calendar of events.
Lombardi outfitted the truck with a Mugnaini Valoriani wood-burning oven, which is still a rarity among pizza trucks. Most use gas ovens and often parbake pies, finishing them on the vehicle. Lombardi makes the dough at one of his family’s restaurants then loads his truck with it and his other ingredients and makes the pies to order.
It’s a tight space, but the truck has some nice touches, like the prep counter cut to fit the pizza peel. Lombardi works fluidly in the narrow confines, the only time he looks cramped is in using the long peel to move the pizza from the oven to a cardboard tray for packaging.
The undercarriage and hole structure
The crust is crisp, chewy, tender, and airy. Some of my pizzas looked a little too charred, but I didn’t notice an overly bitter or acrid flavor, and most of the charred bits on the rim flaked away as I picked up the pizza.
Lombardi uses a long-rise cold-ferment for the dough, which gives it plenty of flavor. The end crust (or cornicione) is puffy and supple.
The truck offers a regular menu and a separate board with specials. Lombardi often posts photos of the special pies on Facebook as he makes them.
Lombardi’s Bianco pie.
I tried a Bianco (fresh ricotta, parsley, garlic, basil; $11) and a Piccante (tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, jalapeño, red onion, basil, oregano; $13).
Lombardi’s Piccante pizza.
The Piccante was like a Neapolitan-filtered take on classic American “pizza parlor” pizza—loaded with toppings yet carefully balanced, the can’t miss combination of onions and peppers, in this case spicy peppers. Jalapeños almost always come into play with some sort of meat topping, but in this case soppressata or sausage was unnecessary.
Do I see microblisters? Here’s a close-up of the crust for students of crustology.
Peter Lombardi learned the ropes under Enzo Coccia in Naples in 2009 and then sharpened his skill at Nomad in Hopewell, New Jersey.
This is what happens when a pizza truck uses Square.
Look for his truck in Edison. It’s often open Friday and Saturday for lunch and dinner and Sundays for lunch only. They take cash and cards.
Consider this an insider’s warm-weather, lunch-time survival tip for residents of the South and North campuses: Find that truck with the blaring, white “Little Blue” and the giant gray spatula on a bright-blue background, and listen for the loud music on its SiriusXM radio. If it’s a good day — and that depends as much on the kind of energy outside the truck as it does inside — action, positive vibes and incredible aromas prevail in and around Campus Dining and Shops’ newest food truck.
Manning the helm is Tom Acara, the 27-year-old single dad and supervisor of UB’s food truck fleet — Little Blue recently joined UB’s original truck, Big Blue, in the fleet. He’s UB’s champion for creating a “culinary experience” with a burning desire to outdo every restaurant iPad menu in the region.
“The longer our line is, chances are the more fun we’re having,” says Acara, one of the most personable, passionate-about-his-work-people anyone would meet on either campus. “That sounds contradictory, but it’s true. We really like that intensity. So things are going along smoothly, and the next thing you know there are 100 people standing there. Time to go turn up the radio a little louder and then hit the green light,” he says.
Tom Acara checks out the line at Little Blue. He says that when the line gets long, it’s “time to go turn up the radio a little louder and then hit the green light.”
“On a busy day, we’re all dancing; we’re all smiling. We like it when it’s intense. We thrive on it. We love it when our backs are against the wall. It’s an adrenalin rush.”
It’s close to noon outside Greiner Hall on the North Campus on another perfect, temperate June day in Buffalo. And parked near the loop outside the residence hall, Little Blue has attracted a line. A Campus Dining & Shops (CDS) colleague had just leaned into the open back of Little Blue with a message.
“You’re about to get hit,” he tells Acara and his right-hand man, lead line cook Joe Hoffman. Sure enough, students and staff converge on Little Blue. Within a minute or so of the “hit” warning, there is a long line trailing Little Blue. Clusters of customers are talking and laughing and discussing today’s menu.
And the dancing and smiling inside Little Blue begins. Wearing his “Herd at the Curb” T-shirt and UB hat, Hoffman tends to numerous pita slices on the grill. Blue’s tater tots are in the fryer. Chicken for the UB food trucks’ signature Cha-Cha Chicken cooks on another grill. Melted cheese and cooked macaroni wait for the inevitable orders.
Little Blue’s signature Cha Cha Chicken recipe
Acara leans out of the window greeting his customers, making change, checking existing orders, helping Hoffman with his multi-tasking. He hands out food, calling out the names of customers, often by memory because they are return customers.
Outside, the Little Blue faithful gather.
“I usually come here twice a week,” says Mackenzie Davis, a senior business major who loves Little and Big Blue’s quesadillas and the pulled pork mac and cheese.
Mitch Krumm, left, and Mackenzie Davis enjoy some of Little Blue’s fare.
“It’s so different from anything else on campus. And the people who work here are really great. They know my name and they always call me by my name.”
Mitch Krumm, a senior graphics major holding a dish of white cheddar macaroni and cheese — along with tater tots topped with more melted cheese — loves the convenience and the atmosphere.
“It’s always right where you need it,” Krumm says. “And it brings you together with people you wouldn’t normally see.”
An interesting element to UB’s food truck popularity is how the appeal crosses that student world/adult world line. Acara would smile if he heard Davis’ and Krumm’s endorsements. He’d beam if he heard how Debbie Schifferle, executive assistant for UB’s vice president for communications, feels about his tater tots.
“I spend so many days eating lunch in front of my computer,” Schifferle says. “This way, you get to see people from other parts of the university. And it’s so much easier to wait in the sunshine.
“It’s not just the food. It’s a social experience. Everyone is outside and happy when they’re there.”
About those tater tots. Schifferle says she loves to see the tater tots “glistening in the sun.” She has been known to share this observation with others, primarily other UB food truck aficionados.
“I tell people that and they laugh,” says Schifferle. “And then they tell me, ‘You’re right.’”
This kind of adoration just fuels Acara’s passion. Restaurants — on campus and off — are evolving to the iPad system. Customers walk up to a computer screen, decide what they want and punch out their order on some kind of electric screen.
Acara finds that offensive — or at least the opposite of the “customer service” experience he tries to establish. This personal touch is the identity of the Blues, at least as long as he’s in charge.
“We’re not ready for customer service to be dead,” Acara says. “We’re fighting that. We don’t like that.”
“You don’t get that personality,” says Acara. “People like us because it’s a little different in the summer. It’s the vibe we put out. We like our music loud. We thrive on the chaos.”
“It’s a great gig,” adds Hoffman, student manager of the Ellicott Food Court before joining the food trucks in November. “We get a lot of room to come up with our own menu. It’s creative to work with food. It’s a form of expression.”
Little Blue’s debut is the latest chapter in UB’s food truck progression, as well as the newest example of CDS’ affinity for bold food service moves.
On Aug. 24, 2014, UB joined the national food truck craze by launching one of its own, the brainchild of CDS Executive Director Jeff Brady. In less than two years, Big Blue has become a success any way you slice it. Sales. Loyal fans. Creativity of menu (there are Big and Little Blue dishes not available anywhere else on either campus, Acara and Hoffman say). Star power of the truck and its crew. Feedback, especially through social media.
“That’s how we measure success. And by all our measurements, it’s been successful,” says Adam Coats, CDS assistant director who oversees the food trucks. “We wanted to stay on top of a trend. We wanted something that was mobile and could serve different parts of the campus where we didn’t have a presence.”
Big Blue even got a very favorable electronic snapshot in the Buffalo News’ Food Truck Guide.
“College favorites taken up a notch,” Elizabeth Carey wrote approvingly. “All the concepts on the truck came from UB students.”
Big Blue has been versatile. The food truck fed 800 people at a huge tailgate party during UB’s Family Weekend. An appearance by the truck was raffled off at UB’s annual Scholarship Gala — the truck served 100 people for highest bidder Teacher’s Desk, an organization that gathers school supplies and distributes them to city teachers. And Big Blue once fed a high school graduation party for a family of UB alumni and current students.
To keep up with students’ habit of eating on the go and grabbing something that’s different, CDS earlier this spring added Little Blue, a slightly smaller but more state-of-the-art vehicle, to its food truck fleet. On May 25, Little Blue made its maiden voyage outside the Student Union.
And earlier this month, Little Blue fed the hungry at Bills Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly’s annual Celebrity Golf Tournament at Terry Hills Country Club in Batavia — the second consecutive UB food truck appearance at the tournament.
Little Blue this summer rotates between the South and North campuses. For now, Acara posts information on the BigBlue Twitter account @ubbigblue. He tweets the location at 8:30 the night before, and then again at 9:30 the next morning and includes the details of that day’s menu. He deliberately waits and gives out information selectively to create some excitement and anticipation. Acara intends to extend this information to the Big Blue Facebook page before the end of the summer.
By the start of the fall semester, CDS hopes to have both food trucks up and running throughout the week. And one of the trucks will be at all home football games.
Both Big and Little Blue have left a legacy of ardent, loyal customers, at least partially due to Acara and Hoffman’s mission to provide a unique “culinary experience.” Both can rattle off, on demand, the names of their special customers — the ones who eat at the UB food trucks “religiously.”
A young woman named Shelby who works on the South Campus is one regular. She always orders a Caesar salad with tater tots.
“I don’t know if she ever missed a day at South,” says Acara.
Then there’s another customer who calls himself “Moe,” short for Mohammad. He likes to try out all the different menu items and go with something new every time.
“He’s an example of one of the regulars who likes to come to the truck to mingle and talk with us a little while,” says Acara.
In the end, it’s all about gathering a food truck faithful. Taking Cha Cha Chicken and Eggplant Parm Quesadillas to the streets. Getting Kale Salad and Pulled Pork Mac to the people.
“There are good options on campus,” says Erin Borovitcky, a rising senior majoring in exercise science. “But living on campus, it gets a little repetitive.”
“It’s more fun,” Borovitcky says of the food trucks. “Again, UB really has great food. But the food truck is a little more exciting. And I think the food is really good.”
Just wait until the next time Borovitcky steps up to that order window.
Taking your product to the customer has always been our goal ever since William Sikora Sr. started the company. Today, still run by family, it’s still our goal and no one does it better than Custom. Being able to take your product to places never before can really expand your business. Food trucks are seen everywhere, golf cart sized units can travel sidewalks and college campuses where other big units can’t fit. It’s really up to you how you want to bring your product to the customer.
In today’s post, we feature the Tasty Trolley which was custom built out from an old trolley car. It’s signature look stands out and grabs everyone’s attention. You can literally make anything in one of our trucks, check out what Tasty Trolley is doing with theirs!
Our Passion is to provide delicious, quality food prepared from premium ingredients for your next party, event or festival. The Tasty Trolley brings you a mix of boardwalk-style eats clashed with gourmet Southern Italian dining, culminated from a culinary expertise spanning over three decades. Brought to you by the team behind Red Bank’s iconic Gaetano’s Restaurant, which has been satisfying the cravings of the Monmouth County area for over 17 years.
Features include our award winning Fried Calamari and Buffalo Calamari, homemade famous Mac-n-Cheese Balls, assorted Gourmet Grilled Cheese and Loaded Cheddar Bacon Fresh Cut Fries, South Philly Cheese Steaks and our famous (and dangerous) Lobster Grilled Cheese and Lobster Rolls and much much More! Don’t forget to save room for our Fresh Squeezed Lemonadeor Raspberry Lemonade, made on premises and never from a mix or concentrate. Last but not least, The Tasty Trolley team is proud to announce the addition of our classic Italian treat -Zeppoles and Fried Oreos! Made from our authentic, unchanged recipe from over 4 decades of experience on the Seaside Boardwalk. Never tried a Zeppole? Look for The Tasty Trolley at your next event and we’ll give you a taste of the good times!
Check out our full menu and more. We guarantee to make your next party or event an absolute hit!
Displays of soft pretzels—more than likely sourced from Philly Pretzel Factory—are hardly an uncommon sight at weddings around these parts. You’ve probably even given a little internal jump for joy yourself when you’ve stumbled off the dance floor at a friend’s celebration to find trays of them, warm and beckoning hours after the reception dinner has been served.
If you were considering offering your guests the same treat/relief at your celebration, you should know that there is now a new way to get our city’s signature treat into your guests’s hungry little hands: Philly Pretzel Factory’s new food truck!
You have your mobile food business concept, you have ordered your mobile food equipment from us at Custom Mobile Food Equipment, now where do you go to source your ingredients?
We want your mobile food business to be as successful as you do. Here are some tips on how and where to source your ingredients. You should take the time to not only consider cost, but also quality. Your success in the food truck business will depend on both of these factors. Prepare a budget that includes your best estimate of volume and stick to your budget. Consider the possibilities of running out and spoilage. Make a list…then let’s source!
FARMER’S MARKETS
Farmer’s markets and green markets are very popular places to source ingredients. Costs can be a bit higher, but stressing the quality and organic nature of the food will definitely attract the more health conscience consumer. Go to the farms and get to know who is growing your ingredients.
CLUBS
Wholesale clubs like Sam’s, Costco and BJ’s are great places to buy ingredients in bulk. There is typically an annual membership fee. Prices are reasonable and shopping at these clubs will allow you to stock up on ingredients with a longer shelf life.
WHOLESALE FOOD DISTRIBUTORS
There are a plethora of wholesale food distributors to choose from. There is more than likely a number of them located in your area and offer delivery. Major wholesale food distributors include Sysco and US FoodService. Unlike clubs, there is no membership fee and the convenience of delivery and vast inventory of products may make this option a better one for your mobile food truck business.
FOOD CO-OPS
You can save a lot of money on ingredients by joining a co-op. You order large quantities through collaborations with local food truck businesses and even restaurants. You can look in your neighborhood for co-op opportunities or even create your own.
You want to run a mobile food business, but funds are limited. What are your options? At Custom Mobile Food Equipment, we can take your dreams of owning a mobile food business beyond the typical food truck, and turn them into a reality with our variety of custom made mobile food solutions.
KIOSKS
Food kiosks are not only mobile, but they can be temporary booths or stands you can use to prepare and sell food. Ice cream, coffee, and hot dogs are our most popular type of custom made kiosks…however, the possibilities are endless.
Lower overhead and flexibility of use, have made food type kiosks grow in popularity.
FOOD CARTS
This type of mobile food business has been around for a long time and is a multi billion-dollar industry. The food is either prepared in advance or is purchased from a ready-made vendor. It can be as simple as hot dogs and ice cream bars. Food carts are much easier to maintain and the licensing requirements are minimal compared to a food truck.
MOBILE CATERING
Mobile catering can easily be done by transforming a truck into a catering service. Mobile catering is typically warranted for a special event in which the client chooses the menu. Risk of loss tends to be lower when owning a mobile catering service, because the quantity is typically pre-ordered by the client.
CONCESSION TRAILERS
If you have ever gone to a fair or carnival, odds are you have spotted a concession trailer. These are typically hitched and can be parked in one location for a while. Most concession trailers have on-site cooking and vending capacity.
Walk out of your office building or stroll down the streets of most major cities, and you can’t help but sense the aroma wafting from a street-side food truck. The food truck concept is no longer just a passing fad or trend…it is a $1 billion dollar industry. What makes dining “a la carte” so appealing? Several factors have led to the success of the food truck industry…slow growing economy, shorter lunch hours, low overhead as compared to a brick and mortar location, and mobility. How can you start your own food truck business? First, consider these factors; menu, licenses, startup costs, locations and branding. Sounds simple, right? It can be, with a clear vision and business plan, you can be well on your way of fulfilling your dream of entrepreneurship in one of the fastest growing food related industries.
You may find it hard to believe, but there are a vast number of universities and community colleges offering classes on how to start a food truck business. Some universities have incorporated food truck studies, as either course offerings or workshops, as part of their curriculum. Drexel University has an award-winning program that offers degrees in both Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts & Sciences. Atlantic Cape Community College offers both an Associate Degree and Certification in Culinary Arts. The Community College of Philadelphia offers a non-credit mobile food management workshop and even developed a Mobile Food Truck Management Program. Many online courses and seminars are also available at your fingertips on how to enter the food truck industry.
You have planned your course of study, determined your menu and developed your business plan. Now, you actually need a food truck. This is where we come in. With over 60 years of experience in designing, building and creating mobile food delivery equipment, Custom Mobile Food Equipment is dedicated to making your dreams of owning a food truck a reality. We are committed to “doing the right thing” for our clients and are with you every step of the way. Our quality is unsurpassed and our team of dedicated designers and builders will be by your side from vision to creation and beyond. Contact us today to see how we can partner with you in one of the fastest growing industries…visit our website http://www.custommobilefoodequipment.com/ or call today 609-561-6900.
At Custom Mobile Food Equipment, our tradition is “Always do the right thing.” This rich tradition not only holds true when dealing with our customers, but also in the way we admire our skillful employees. When the company was started back in 1952, our founder Bill Sikora provided numerous jobs to immigrants from Russia, the Ukraine and Mexico. These were talented and gifted people who needed a start in America. It was not unheard of for Sikora to even help the families of his employees with medical bills.
Since our start back in the early fifties manufacturing hot dog and ice cream carts, our custom built mobile food equipment products have expanded to include; food trucks, carts, kiosks, trailers, scooters, stands and so much more.
The company was built on values that have been passed down from generation to generation. We custom build in-house and are a one-stop shop. We design and produce each piece with quality materials and workmanship. We provide our customers with one of the industry’s best warranties and use steel-framed bodies that are durable and warrant a long-term investment.
We believe that personal attention is key in order to satisfy our customers.
We are committed to helping you succeed in your business. As a generational business, our family is dedicated to you, your business and helping it grow.
Times are changing…and in the right direction for food truck owners and for food truck manufacturers, like us, at Custom Mobile Food Equipment. In the past few months, several cities have changed or proposed changes to relax their current ordinances related to food truck businesses. The food truck trend is ever-growing and is projected to be a $7 billion industry.
In March of 2017, an article featured in the Charlotte Observer, outlined a proposal to allow food truck owners to park within 100 feet of residential areas, instead of the current 400 feet law. Food trucks in Charlotte would also be able to stay open later than under current law, which currently requires them to close at 9pm. The proposed changes will go up for vote by the City Council soon and the decision(s) could be several months away.
In April of 2017, the City of Nacogdoches in Texas is considering revising the current ordinances in order to do a better job of serving food truck vendors and their customers. The city’s leaders have recognized that current regulations are outdated and do not meet the industry’s needs. One such proposed amendment to the current regulation would allow a food vendor to be parked at its location longer than an hour. A number of food truck vendors find that the current ordinances are too restrictive and are counter-intuitive to growth.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported that the Illinois Restaurant Association is supporting a plan to also allow food truck vendors to extend their current parking limit of two hours. When food trucks first rolled out onto the food scene, there was quite a bit of animosity between restaurants and food truck owners. Times have changed and we have seen a shift in their way of thinking. A number of restaurants no longer feeling threatened by the competition, but joining in on it. Some restaurants are now rolling out food trucks of their own or utilizing some type of mobile catering service and some are now supporting the relaxation of local ordinances regarding food truck vendors.
“Dreams really do come true”…food truck dreams in Walt Disney World, that is. The food truck craze has hit the scene at one of the most magical places on earth. Visit the West Side of Disney Springs in Exposition Park, and you can now indulge your appetite in a number of food trucks cleverly themed after various venues in Walt Disney World. We, at Custom Mobile Food Equipment, were elated to take part in the customization and manufacture of these food trucks.
Namaste Cafe’s food truck is bold and vibrant and features flavors of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The retro look and feel of Superstar Catering will have you feeling like you are dining during the Art Deco period of the 1930’s.
Fantasy Fare, with its bright and brilliant red truck, features fare from Disney parks around the world.
The big green food truck you see decked out with vintage travel stickers, features menu items from the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival.
Custom Mobile Food Equipment was honored and elated to take part in the customization and manufacture of these amazing food trucks. Contact us online by clicking here or call 609-561-6900 to see how we can make your food truck dreams come true too!
