CUDDEBACKVILLE—A new food truck has set up residence off 209 in Deerpark, and it is uost likely the only food truck in Town, said owner Ranae Ruger.
The 20-year Navy veteran started the food truck after selling baked goods at farmers markets through her business Piranha Cafe.
She said she was thinking about opening a brick and mortar café but liked the idea of being mobile, and being able to offer homemade food at competitive prices.
“I love to cook and I love to bake so a very good friend of mine said, ‘Why don’t you get a food truck?’” she said.
Piranha Grill opened March 21 and already it has some regulars who are spreading the word, Ruger said.
The menu, which at this point is lunch and breakfast only, boasts donut muffins, egg sandwiches, burgers, spiedies, freshly made french-fries, and “piranhaissimos,” which is chicken or pork with provolone, onions and peppers on a roll or in a pita.
She says she tries to use organic ingredients as much as possible, and source everything locally, including the truck.
“I ordered it in October from [Paul] Congelosi Trailer [Sales] in Montgomery, it was built in Pennsylvania at Integrity [Trailers, Inc.] … and then I went to Mountain Restaurant Supply in Middletown and ordered all of my equipment,” she said.
The name, Ruger said, came to her after she found the logo online, which is a blue, yellow, and green piranha with an obvious underbite, a fork, knife, and napkin tied around its neck.
“I kept throwing around names, using the Navy and other things, and then I was like, ‘Piranhas like to eat and this guy has a fork and a knife, so let’s just go with Piranha Grill,’” she said. “It’s catchy, people remember it, and it’s very colorful.”
Her truck is located at the corner of Prospect Hill Road and 209 in the mobile home park where she lives, and while Ruger said the location gives her good visibility, she also plans to travel. She has a peddler’s license that allows her to sell on the side of any state road in the county, and she also plans to sell at festivals.
Right now Ruger, who is the only employee, is open during the week, but she says she plans to open six days a week starting in May. She also plans to have a picnic table for people who want to stay and eat.
Her hours are not set in stone but she is generally open around 7:30 a.m. and tries to close at 2:00 but “it’s just dependent on if a customer walks up and I still have equipment on,” she said.
She has been told she is crazy but she plans to be open in the winter, or at least most of the winter.
“My thought was to be open in the winter for the plow drivers, the state workers—where else are they going to eat?” she said.
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