Category Archives: Food trucks

Schwarma truck to be called The Hopping Pita

Feb. 22, 20134:12 p.m.

Initially, they were going to call it Pita Hut.

Then, Melad Stephan, his son, Jordan, and chef Roni Attari thought better of it.

They’ve decided to call their Lebanese food truck, which should take to the streets soon, The Hopping Pita. 

That name beat out several other clever runners up, including my personal favorite — Eat a Pita.

The Hopping Pita’s launch has been slightly delayed by recent weather developments, but it’s close, Stephan said. He shared this photo of the finished, green product.

I’ll let you know when it’s ready to go.

By Denise Neil | Tags: Filed under About-to-open, Food trucks | Comments

Cake Face finds spot for new eatery

Feb. 22, 201311:00 a.m.

The Cake Face logo

Cake Face food truck owners Summer Schoenhals and her husband, Dave, called to let me know that they signed a lease on a building that will house their new, not-mobile restaurant –  Cake Face Bake Shop & Deli.

The spot is at 1100 E. Douglas, which is at the corner of Douglas and Wabash. The space previously held part of Kitchens Plus.

The duo hope to be open by May 1. They’re waiting on the previous tenants to remove their displays, then they’ll add a kitchen and do a little remodeling. The front half of the 1,478 square-foot-space will hold the restaurant, and Schoenhals will house her bakery business in the back half.

The restaurant will serve breakfast and lunch, including some of the more sought-after dishes from the food truck, which the couple hope to put in the hands of their oldest daughter once she graduates.

Among the items they’re planning: grits, “Wafflewiches” and several sandwiches and lunch specials, such as chicken and dumplings.

By Denise Neil | Tags: Filed under About-to-open, Food trucks | Comments

Food trucks throwing a Cajun party

Feb. 14, 20135:04 p.m.

The Flying Stove’s new Cajun menu

Hold on to those Mardi Gras beads you collected on Tuesday.

The local food truck fleet is gathering in a couple of weeks to put on a belated Mardi Gras party. Spearheaded by the Flying Stove, which just today put out its tempting Cajun menu (mmmmm, Po’ Boy), the event will be from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 2, near the WaterWalk Pavilion. The truckers have obtained permission to close down part of Water Street to set up the event, and they’ll have a live jazz band performing.

So far, the usual suspects such as   B.S. Sandwich Press, MMM Sandwiches, Cakeface Bake Shop and Espresso To Go Go are on board and are planning Cajun items for their menus. The Flying Stove guys encourage any other food truckers who are interested in joining in to contact them via their Facebook page.

By Denise Neil | Tags: , , , , Filed under Food trucks | Comments

Well-known chef will staff schwarma truck

Feb. 6, 20131:56 p.m.

Melad Stephan has hired Roni Attari to cook in his new food truck.

Old Town Square restaurateur Melad Stephan’s long-awaited food truck should hit the streets sometime next week, and it’ll be staffed by a familiar face.

Roni Attari, who has owned several restaurants in town over the years — most recently Pitas & Paninis at 602 N. Tyler — left a job working in the kitchen at Lakeside Club to cook in the yet-to-be-officially-named truck.

The truck will specialize in authentic Lebanese fare, Attari said. It will have schwarma, hummus, Lebanese soups and rotating specials, among other things. Once launched, the truck will be stationed at a different spot around Wichita every day.

At the moment, Roni and Stephan’s son, Jordan, are working on final details for the truck. They’re designing logos and trying to choose a name from three finalists.

I’ll let you know when the truck is ready to roll.

By Denise Neil | Tags: , Filed under Chefs, Food trucks, Lebanese food | Comments

Another food truck: Official Bar-B-Q

Feb. 4, 20132:35 p.m.

Kris Maples and his 7-year-old daughter, Mia, in the Offical Bar-B-Q truck. Photo courtesy of Michael Carmody.

Another food truck needs added to the roster.

Official Bar-B-Q operates out of a  stationary trailer owned by Kris Maples, who is a barbecue chef by day and an official for youth sports leagues all over Wichita by night. The truck never moves from 241 S. Hydraulic.

Maples opened the truck in October and serves items such as brisket, links, pulled pork and more. During basketball season, he’s open from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. When basketball season ends and his officiating duties lighten up, Maples operates the truck from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.  I’m hearing lots of good reviews of the food all of a sudden.

To place an advance order, call 316-871-8977.

By Denise Neil | Tags: Filed under Barbecue, Food trucks | Comments

Cake Face planning a stationary spot

Jan. 22, 20136:50 p.m.

Behold: The Cake Face “wafflewich.”

The Cake Face food truck has been rolling the streets of Wichita since last summer, spreading the gospel of bacon cheese grits, waffle sandwiches and ridiculously sweet and tasty pastries.

Now, owners  Summer Schoenhals and her husband, Dave, are looking at a location that doesn’t move.

The couple is in negotiations with a landlord to open Cake Face Bake Shop & Deli. They don’t want to say where it is until the ink is dry, but the restaurant would likely open in early April and would serve breakfast and lunch. The couple plans to offer some of its most famous creations from the truck and also would use the space to create its baked goods.

The food truck wouldn’t be parked permanently, though. The couple’s oldest daughter is about to graduate and wants to go into the food biz, so she’d keep the Cake Face truck on the road.

Summer says she’d serve the grits, her increasingly famous “Wafflewiches” and several sandwiches and lunch specials, such as chicken and dumplings, from the truck rotation.

I’ll let you know if and when they sign the lease.

By Denise Neil | Filed under About-to-open, Food trucks | Comments

Flying Stove’s first birthday party

Dec. 11, 201210:53 a.m.

The Flying Stove’s first day in business was Dec. 8, 2011.

A year and hundreds of servings of crying tiger Thai tacos, Umami burger and rolled chicken doobies later, Wichita’s original food truck is celebrating its first birthday surrounded by a bunch of restaurants-on-wheels that followed in its footsteps tire tracks.

The Flying Stove’s owners and operators, brothers Jeff and Rob Schauf, have organized another food truck rally, scheduled for noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 22 in the parking lot south of Intrust Bank Arena at Commerce and Waterman. Many of Wichita’s food trucks will participate, including  B.S. Sandwich Press, MMM Sandwiches, Cakeface Bake Shop and Espresso To Go Go. Those same truckers got together in October for a Halloween-themed food truck rally.

If all of you cooperate and vote correctly, I will be reunited with this amazing banh mi sandwich on Dec. 22.

The brothers will be serving free birthday cake and selling their new T-shirts at the Dec. 22 event.

The most exciting part (to me, anyway) is that they’ll also be serving a menu of their greatest food hits from the past year, as voted on by their customers.

The Flying Stove’s Facebook page has on it a slide show of some of the truck’s most popular dishes, including my all time favorite banh mi sandwich. They’re asking customers to vote for their favorites by “liking” the pictures. The top vote getters will make it on to the new menu, which will be served at the rally.

I beg of you all: VOTE FOR THE BANH MI!!!!!!!!!

Voting is open through Friday. Go to the Facebook page and look for the post that’s titled “2012 Greatest Hits Menu.”

By Denise Neil | Tags: , , , , Filed under Food trucks | Comments

New food truck an ode to lost sister

Nov. 29, 20125:19 p.m.

Mel’s Diner is named after the late Melody Webb, who was planning the food truck with her brother when she died.

UPDATE: Mel’s Diner’s opening was delayed. It now will open on Thursday morning in front of Convergys at 7236 E. Harry.

A new food truck will join Wichita’s growing fleet on Monday when Doug Gibson and his fiance, Donna Johnson, open Mel’s Diner.

Gibson had been planning the business for months with his sister, Melody Webb. But early this month, Melody suffered a massive heart attack and died in the hospital a few days later. She was 55.

Gibson still wanted to see his sister’s dream business take to the road, though. “We decided to carry on,” he said.

The new food truck, which will operate out of a cargo van fitted with a service window, will serve grilled sandwiches, soups and breakfast items. Among the specialties: broccoli cheddar soup and French toast made with Frosted Flakes. It’ll open weekdays for breakfast and lunch and will be set up mostly on the west side, Gibson said. They’ll also do special events around town.

“We want to do a better alternative to what they call ‘Roach Coaches,’” Gibson with a laugh.

Gibson will setup a Facebook page for the truck in the next day or so, and it will announce the truck’s location each day.

I’ll update this post when they pick their opening day spot and get the Facebook page up.

By Denise Neil | Tags: Filed under Food trucks | Comments

Schwarma truck on hold till January

Nov. 23, 20122:30 p.m.

Melad Stephan

Local diners are pretty excited for Melad Stephan’s schwarma truck to join the fleet of mobile food businesses in Wichita.

But they’re going to have to wait a little longer. Though he initially said he’d open the mobile Mediterranean food court this fall, Stephan now says he’s going to have to put it off until January.

He’s just too busy trying to open Revolution Rock Bar, which he’s putting the former Air Capital Grill/Whiskey Creek Wood Fire Grill at 233 N. Mosley. He plans to have that business open sometime next week. It won’t serve food but will be open for drinks Wednesday through Saturday evenings, he said. He’ll use the restaurant’s kitchen to work on catering jobs.

He has the truck, Stephan says, but he’s working on getting it painted and outfitted. His son, Jordan, will run it along with a local chef who Stephan is not ready to name yet. The truck will serve chicken and beef schwarma, falafel, hummus, fries, fattouch salads and more.

I’ll update you when Stephan settles on official dates.

By Denise Neil | Tags: , Filed under About-to-open, Food trucks | Comments

Chino’s Parrilla: A new mobile food business

Nov. 5, 20121:30 p.m.

Chino Herrera and his wife, Kim, cooking up deliciousness at Sunday’s Wichita Toy Run.

Wichita can claim another mobile food business — this one specializing in Mexican food.

Chino’s Parrilla opened this summer, but the family that runs it doesn’t cart it out as regularly as other food trucks and carts… so far.

It’s owned by head cook Chino Herrera, his wife, Kim, his daughter, Tasha Schrant, and his son-in-law, Bill Schrant. The business, a mobile grill and prep cart covered by a canopy, is manned by the quartet with assistance from  friends. They grill up delicious meats such as carne asada and al pastor and serve them in flour tortillas with traditional toppings.

The Chino’s Parrilla menu board on Sunday

During the summer, the family would park the cart in Old Town and serve after-bar crowds. But the bulk of their business came between 1 and 2:30 a.m., and after an outbreak of Old Town violence this summer, street vendors are required to close down at 1 a.m.

Now, they’re concentrating on catering gigs and the occasional street fair. I saw them at the Wichita Toy Run in Delano on Sunday, and a long line was forming. Come Spring, the family might start taking the cart out regularly throughout the week.

When the cart is out, its location is listed on its Facebook page. To reach Chino’s Parrilla, call 316-990-3646.

By Denise Neil | Tags: Filed under Food trucks, Mexican food | Comments