Holyoke Food Truck Owner Brings Artistic Creative Twist to Menu
Holyoke, MA — Caribbean flavors inspire the menu at Crave, but the creative twist is all from owner Nicole Ortiz.
Her Puerto Rican heritage influenced distinctive items like the Cubano taco, a variation of a Cuban sandwich, or plantain fries loaded with mango or shredded cabbage.
Nicole Oritz, owner of Crave food truck
“I was trying to think of something cool and unique that I’d never seen before but that was still incorporating the Caribbean,” Ortiz said. “I like to base my food off of those flavors and ingredients, but I like to do it in a non-traditional way.”
Ortiz is relatively new to the dining scene, graduating from culinary school just under a year ago and opening her food truck several months later. While her food truck was closed for the winter she also began catering and opened a takeout storefront.
Cubano tacos are unique to Crave’s menu
Culinary school allowed her to experiment with different ingredients and think more about her future menu. She simultaneously got an enormous boost in 2019 when a friend pressured her to pitch the food truck idea to Entrepreneur for All, a nonprofit that helps underrepresented individuals start and grow new businesses. EforAll hosts periodic pitch contests, inviting those in the community to share their ideas with the hope of winning a cash prize.
It was the first time Ortiz had served an official menu to a group of people. She won first place and then was accepted into their organization’s business accelerator program, giving entrepreneurs the opportunity to learn from mentors and receive intensive business training.
Crave Food Truck in Holyoke
In February of 2020, Ortiz purchased a food truck and was on track to start her business immediately after graduation in May. Around that same time, she hosted a pop-up event that generated a lot of positive press and was the perfect momentum to help boost her success.
Then when the worldwide shutdown occurred, she realized the opening would have to be wait. The unfortunate circumstance turned out to be an unexpected silver lining. The food truck had some unanticipated expenses, and she hadn’t had time to familiarize herself with all of the equipment. The delay also gave Ortiz a little more time to perfect the menu.
“It kind of worked out better for me,” Ortiz said. “I think I really needed that time to hone in and make improvements before we opened.”
Loaded plantain fries with a variety of toppings are a distinctively delicious menu option
The biggest challenge she’s currently facing is finding employees, an issue that has hit the restaurant industry across the country. Some workers have found alternative employment over the past year, others are nervous about returning to the service industry while the pandemic is still a concern.
Someday Ortiz hopes to serve dine-in customers, but for now she’s brainstorming new recipe ideas and enjoying the opportunity to put her artistic stamp on the culinary world.
Follow Crave food truck’s locations at https://www.facebook.com/cravefoodtruck/ or visit the takeout restaurant at 285 High Street, Holyoke, Massachusetts.
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