One of Moab’s newest culinary delights, YummyTown Food Truck, opened up shop roughly four months ago and has already garnered a loyal clientele.
Serving up fresh Mediterranean cuisine ranging from gyros to falafel, owners Max Schon and Joelle Riddle offer exciting flavors never before available in Moab. When they’re not parked at 83 S. Main St., next to the Canyonlands Trading Post, they can be found at various events in town or the Four Corners area.
Since opening, they’ve shared their creations at the Moab Farmers Market, Red Rock Arts Festival, Bluff Arts Festival and many more.
The pair relocated to Moab with the dream of offering one of their favorite cuisines to locals and visitors alike. The happy couple describe their business as their “love child,” and say that the name “YummyTown” is a whimsical phrase that Schon and Riddle would often use at home to describe tasty dishes they cooked in their kitchen.
With a long history between them of working in various restaurants in places such as Durango, Colorado, as well as in San Francisco under renowned chef Michael Mina, Schon and Riddle have succeeded in capturing an array of delicious flavors from Spain to Greece and beyond.
“I love how they use quality local ingredients,” Moab resident and regular customer Ally Cirenza said. “I can really taste the difference in their food. My favorite are the pickled beets they put on their falafel!”
In an effort to be environmentally conscious and support local businesses, YummyTown sources its produce locally – a business decision that stands out to fellow restaurant owner and local foodie Bella Prucktrakhul.
“I appreciate that they use local produce and (use) microdegradable utensils,” she said.
Castle Valley Farms provides the bulk of YummyTown’s vegetables, while they use melons from Green River and peaches from Palisade, Colorado. The fruits they use can be found in their signature drink – the shrub – which is described as “an ancient method of preserving abundant harvests of fruit and vegetables” – created by macerating them along with organic sugar, sparkling water, ice and other ingredients.
In addition to all the savory items that make up the menu, every component of each dish is created from scratch – the rotisserie of meat for the gyros, house-pickled veggies, the tzatziki sauce, and even the delicious baklava dessert.
Customers seem to have different favorites from the menu, but if you ask the chef if he had to pick one, he would tell you that the lamb kofta reigns supreme.
“The savory combination of lamb and merguez, the refreshing tartness of the yogurt, and the spicy harissa sauce all come together in a great balance of North African flavors,” Schon said.
While carnivores will relish the meat dishes, the menu is satisfying to vegetarians and gluten-free eaters, as well. Riddle also advises people to keep an eye out for daily specials in the future.
Schon and Riddle say that customers have been impressed with their state-of-the-art food truck, and the two of them don’t see giving up the freedom of their wheels in exchange for a brick-and-mortar setup any time soon. They have everything they need in their mobile kitchen, plus life is just more “simplified this way,” Schon said.
Not having to incorporate a front-of-house staff makes it easier for them to operate. Riddle said that her favorite part of being a two-person operation is “being able to do our own thing.”
For the energetic couple, that often includes outdoor recreational activities in the beautiful backdrop of southeastern Utah that draws so many people here.
So what would Schon say to someone who has never tried their food before, to get that person to pay YummyTown a visit?
“Don’t be afraid, it’s super fresh and flavorful,” he said.
Moab newcomers serve delicious Mediterranean cuisine out of snazzy food truck
