BY CAYDEN SANDERS
With food trucks being one of the newest popular trends in America, local food trucks were part of the scene at the Wild West Festival. Tiger Media Network spoke to a few trucks about their experiences at the Wild West Festival.
One food truck owner, Luke Hemphill, owns the Tacos El Guero Guey taco truck. He said he brought the truck to the Wild West Fest to get the business name out there in the Hays community but also get a taste of being a part of a more extended event.
“This is the first big three-day event we’ve done before,” Hemphill said. “But we planned to sell out every night. So we prepared as much as we could be one of the smaller food trucks in town.”
And sell out they did, running out of the al pastor on the third night and only offered tacos as they ran out of the tortillas for quesadillas.
Items sold during the Wild West Fest were Tacos, Quesadillas, and walking tacos. Hemphill said the walking tacos were just a special for the Wild West Fest. But, the different types of meat the business sold were Chicken, carne asada, and al pastor.
“My favorite meat to eat from the truck is Al pastor, which is marinated pork and pineapple. Some people get thrown off because of the pineapple. But it makes for a unique experience,” Hemphill said. “I am also a big advocate for people trying their tacos with lime. It just balances out the spices with the tartness of the lime.”
The business is very new to the scene here in Hays, is owned and operated for a year and a half, but Hemphill is optimistic about the fans he and his business has drawn in.
“We have been able to see our regulars here at the Wild West Festival, but we also have had a crowd that doesn’t know us and wants to find out more about us. It’s just been fun to see new faces come to our window,” Hemphill said.
Hemphill said the truck can be found at the nightlife scene in Hays outside local bars such as Chuck’s, On the Rocks, and Toby Jugs but also parks at the hospital every first and third Wednesday of the month. He also said the truck plans to be at upcoming festivals in the Hays area.
Another local food truck in attendance was “The Local” food truck owned and operated by John and Kathy Hafliger – who are new to the food truck industry as they opened The Local within the last couple of years. The Hafligers started making food for the Hays High wrestling team’s fundraiser for their means of funding, as the family made bierocks for the team to sell at Fort Hays’ homecoming event Oktoberfest. Once John retired from being the Hays high wrestling coach, Kathy and John took the risk of opening up their food truck.
“We had our hands full learning the proper ways of making and selling food, especially not wanting to make anyone sick,” Kathy said of starting out in the food industry with no prior experience. “But, we were able to make that a priority of ours from day one, which has helped us in the long run.”
At the Wild West Festival, the family had long lines waiting for their food all three days, and by the second night, The Local sold out of their specialty bierocks. But, that wasn’t the only thing the family had in high demand, as the loaded pork nachos were another fan favorite.
“We started our business using our bierocks as our main staple food, but once we have added the loaded pork nachos, they have been a huge hit. At some events that we go to, we think we sell the nachos more than the bierocks,” Kathy said.
As the truck started being a hit around the town, the family made it a mission for their business to be able to support the people that support them. Since John and Kathy have both been teachers for the Hays school district, the family knows the Hays community will have their back and find them where ever the truck may be.
“We definitely have regulars come up to the truck that are former students of John and mine, but we also have their family members come up and see us, and it is always a delight to see them come back to see us time and time again,” Kathy said.
While The Local has not been open up for long, they stay busy with events.
“We have multiple events we go to a year that keep us busy, as we are at the high school homecomings, we are going to Wakeeney for their fair, and some other events this summer and fall that will keep us busy,” Kathy said.
If you want to find The Local, you can find them on their Facebook page or at local events around Kansas, and if they are not at events, they are at Home Depot.