What started with an idea for a hot dog cart has blossomed into a mobile mecca (and now two locations in Wyomissing!) serving gourmet spins on street food crafted with always-fresh ingredients. We sat down with Gourmand co-owner Mitchell Kriebel to ask about the inspiration behind his flagship sandwich, The Berks, and other menu offerings.
PA Eats: The Gourmand brand is a collaboration between you and Kristen Lutz. Where did the initial idea of jumping into the food truck industry come from, and why are you two the ultimate “dream team”?
Mitchell Kriebel: I’ve been in the food service industry for over 15 years, and opening my own place has been a dream for a long time. The idea of a food truck started as a joke. I lived near a local bar and the thought of opening up a hot dog cart to service the people leaving the establishment came up. After some initial research we found that the municipality did not allow cart vendors, but a food truck was plausible. The idea took off from there. As for our dream team, Kristen handles the event and catering booking and I handle the cooking and menu creation. We are a very good partnership in that we can split the workload fairly evenly.
For those unacquainted with the beauty that is Gourmand, tell us what your food truck does and how you’ve set it apart from other mobile kitchens in the region.
Our core theme revolves around the street food movement. All of our offerings are gourmet spins on regional street food offerings from across the United States. We offer a Chicago-style Italian beef sandwich, ceviche ahi fish tacos, as well as “The Burgh,” a reverse engineered take on a Primanti Bros. sandwich from Pittsburgh. We stand out from the competition by using only the freshest of ingredients. We stray away from frozen products and create all our sauces, soups and salads from scratch.
You’ve gone after my Pennsylvania Dutch heart with your creation of the Berks. Who came up with the genius idea of sandwiching tastes of our local heritage (apple butter, Lebanon bologna, Good’s potato chips) together on a potato bun? What other regional offerings of yours have become hot items?
I have to take the credit. The Berks is our flagship sandwich, and I wanted to incorporate all things Berks County into one sandwich. The combinations of ingredients are based off of basic umami flavors present in many Asian styles of cooking. The Berks has many layers of flavor utilizing sweet, sour, salty and spicy. Some of our other regional fare includes the Dutch Po Boy as well as the Dutchy at our new cafe location in Wyomissing, Pa. The Dutch Po Boy is a combination of fried eggs, scrapple, bacon, and maple cream cheese on a Conshohoken long roll. The Dutchy is a favorite that we sold at The Hamburger Festival in Hamburg, Pa., last year: all of the same ingredients piled high on a hand-formed ground beef burger.
Who develops Gourmand’s menu and ongoing additions? From the addictive truffled goat cheese fries to the Burgh, we’re also eager to find out more about the inspiration behind the options.
Again, I handle all the menu items created at Gourmand. I strive to create items that are Berks County–friendly with a gourmet twist.
Follow Gourmand on Facebook and Twitter to track down the truck’s next location, or dig into creative twists on regional fare at two brick-and-mortar Gourmand Cafes in Wyomissing (at 945 Berkshire Blvd. and at 3103 Paper Mill Rd., inside Body Zone Sports and Wellness Complex); phone: (610) 743-3233.
- Steak sandwich and food truck photo: Gourmand
- Other photos: Nina Lea Photography
