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Local entrepreneurs said a virtual course that Douglas County offered helped grow their mobile food businesses, and a statewide version begins this fall.
Allyssa Foster was one of six who finished the six-week Douglas County Foodpreneur Bootcamp in fall 2024, according to an article from the county. She owns and operates The Pretzelly Truck, an old ambulance she converted into a traveling pink food truck.
“I’m absolutely thrilled with seeing our growth and the changes we have made,” Foster said in the article. “This year has unlocked a whole new level, and I owe a portion of that to the class.”
Katie Hoke, owner of Streamline Coffee, said the course provided recommendations on creating a menu, setting hours of operation and seasonal hours and menus, and optimizing both slow and busy days.
Hoke sells coffee and crepes at her shop, which is a converted airstream trailer parked at 4840 Bob Billings Parkway. She recently opened a storefront location at 13 E. Eighth St. in downtown Lawrence.
Other participants included James Thomas, Brain Freeze Mobile Daiquiri; Sherell Yarbough, Sherell’s Custom Treats; Nadine Peaches, Peaches’ Fry Bread; and Kristal Pohlman, Frozen Drinks On the Go.
The Douglas County Food Policy Council partnered with Network Kansas and the national Small Business Development Center to create a six-week Kansas Foodpreneur Bootcamp, set for Oct. 1 to Nov. 12.
Classes meet online at noon Wednesdays or 11 a.m. Thursdays. Enrollment costs $75 before Monday, Sept. 1, then $99 until the application window closes on Tuesday, Sept. 26. Learn more about the statewide version and enroll at this link.
Additionally, the Douglas County Food Policy Council created a guide to launching a food truck, accessible through the county’s website, dgcoks.gov.
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