{The recently acquired, soon-to-be mobile Rise coffee truck}
St. Louis’ food truck fleet adds yet another to its ranks with word that Rise Coffee House, which opened in September 2013 at 4180 Manchester Ave., in The Grove, is bringing the first java-concentrated concept to the streets in August. Nick and Sara Endejan, manager and barista at Rise, respectively, co-own the truck in partnership with Rise owner, Jessie Mueller. The husband-and-wife team wanted a mobile way to caffeinate St. Louisans without sacrificing the experience of a quality coffee house. “In other, bigger cities, there are coffee trucks already rolling down the streets,” Sara Endejan said.
On board, expect to find a full line of cafe options, including hand-brewed coffees, pour-overs and traditional espresso drinks. Like the brick-and-mortar, Whisk: A Sustainable Bakeshop will supply the truck’s line of breakfast treats, ranging from savory scones and seasonal muffins to gluten-free pastries. The truck will use beans from Blueprint, Goshen and Sump, although Endejan said she hopes to feature other roasters currently unavailable at Rise. Tea-sippers can enjoy a selection of ReTrailer products.
Art Farm, a screen-printing shop and graphic design studio that initially helped brand Rise, is currently designing the exterior of the food truck. Look for the same eye-catching shade of teal and eclectic array of accents Rise currently sports at the coffee house.
In other mobile food news, the popular sandwich shop Fozzie’s Sandwich Emporium caused buzz online when it tweeted an image of its new catering truck, prompting questions about a potential Fozzie’s food truck. A manager at the shop’s Richmond Heights location, as well as a follow-up tweet, confirmed that, for now, the truck will only be used for catering.
This article appears in May 2014.