Spring 2021: Sitting on the porch at Cindy's we were looking at food trailers on our phones. Not sure why, but once you look at one...they pop up constantly, right? For a solid week, every night we would end up on the porch looking at food trailers. Over many years of friendship, we have planned so many restaurant ventures. Never fancy, we have always both agreed on casual good food with creativity. We have dreamed of retirement beach shack pop-ups, even peered into the windows of several buildings just imagining the "what if" of cooking food for people. 3 months later, The Flying Waffle made its way from Texas to Kentucky and the 2 of us are now business partners/waffle chefs/dishwashers/floor sweepers/trailer mechanics.
We agree The Flying Waffle is a side-hustle, with our "real jobs" remaining in healthcare and slinging waffles just for fun. At most times, we are always eager to tell you all about our fun little weekend gig, but it's truly a ton of hard work and trial by fire.
Thanks for stopping by, whether you eat or not, we appreciate you.
UPDATE Spring 2022: Whew. Who would have thought that generators would be the Achilles' heel for The Flying Waffle?! We have spent the winter missing our food truck events, ran a side-side hustle as concessioners for the Kentucky Horse Park and are planning our next big step in agribusiness. Goals still remain the same: (1) good food that supports farmers and families in Kentucky and (2) finding a local expert at fixing things...we always appreciate you!
Summer 2022: Well, the AC stops us from playing with food. With our 5th unit on the way, the temps in the truck get a bit steamy. Not sure how other people do it, but at the end of the day we just won't. It isn't fair to us nor our helpers to be miserable all day... On a happy note, we are so proud of our flavored lemonades and some new items on the menu! We have renewed our membership with Kentucky Proud to support our Kentucky farmers and joined the Kentucky Farm Bureau. Lots of moving items this summer in preparation for winter....can't wait to share it with you! As always, thank you for your support.
Winter 2022/Spring 2023: the 525 Kitchen finally opened right around Thanksgiving and we launched our food prep business "Bluegrass Home Chef"...we love playing in our kitchen clubhouse on the weekends and preparing food for delivery & pick-ups on Sundays. We are learning a lot about kitchen management, food costs, and of course...$8 eggs all winter! We may be looking for a change for The Flying Waffle soon, but for now she is ready to roll! Hopefully the truck holds out a little longer #deathwobble. Joking aside, demands from the full-time jobs keep us both hopping and have limited some of the days we can roll out the waffle wagon...as always, we do the best we can and hope for pretty weather and functioning AC all summer long!
See you soon!
What Kentucky Proud means to us
When we were planning this big adventure, one thing we quickly agreed upon was to use products grown by Kentucky farmers and to be a part of the Kentucky Proud program.
Food is the heart of The Flying Waffle and we love putting our spin on southern comfort meals. We have always loved a good road trip, but taking off in search of jams, jellies and smoked bologna has been a fun part of building a food truck. As a community, we cannot sustain our food chain without supporting the farm family. Cindy is from a 4th generation farm family and understands the challenges of farm life as well as the importance of supporting our local farmer. Not only has farming been an important part of Cindy's childhood, but understands that support for farmers and small business is key to strengthening our communities for our future.
Julie is an avid artisan and business owner who has supported the Kentucky Crafted program since it's inception. From selling handmade soaps at the Good Foods CoOp in Lexington during college to selling Kentucky Crafted products at her well-loved store in Frankfort, Julie loves the pride shared by Kentucky farmers and makers in our beautiful state. Julie is working on her PhD in agriculture nursing from the University of Kentucky, where, as an emergency nurse, saw first hand the need for improved occupational healthcare and safety promotion in our farm and rural communities.
We are always sourcing local Kentucky Proud products for our waffle creations. Send us a message if you know a farmer who needs some business <3
Food is the heart of The Flying Waffle and we love putting our spin on southern comfort meals. We have always loved a good road trip, but taking off in search of jams, jellies and smoked bologna has been a fun part of building a food truck. As a community, we cannot sustain our food chain without supporting the farm family. Cindy is from a 4th generation farm family and understands the challenges of farm life as well as the importance of supporting our local farmer. Not only has farming been an important part of Cindy's childhood, but understands that support for farmers and small business is key to strengthening our communities for our future.
Julie is an avid artisan and business owner who has supported the Kentucky Crafted program since it's inception. From selling handmade soaps at the Good Foods CoOp in Lexington during college to selling Kentucky Crafted products at her well-loved store in Frankfort, Julie loves the pride shared by Kentucky farmers and makers in our beautiful state. Julie is working on her PhD in agriculture nursing from the University of Kentucky, where, as an emergency nurse, saw first hand the need for improved occupational healthcare and safety promotion in our farm and rural communities.
We are always sourcing local Kentucky Proud products for our waffle creations. Send us a message if you know a farmer who needs some business <3
Friends and health care professionals launch Flying Waffle food truck
by Shannon Clinton October 26, 2021 With a menu as unique as its name, The Flying Waffle food truck recently debuted as a longtime shared dream between friends. Julie Derringer and Cindy Smith both work in health care in Lexington — Derringer as an emergency room nurse for UK HealthCare and Smith as an applications trainer for CHI St. Joseph Health. Friends for more than three decades, the duo enjoyed collaborating when launching a few businesses in the past, Derringer said, but one goal remained unfulfilled. “The last one was a sports bar, where we developed a menu for the grill,” she said. “It was an abbreviated menu, and that’s when we started saying we should open a restaurant. That was 15 years ago.” Plans started to take shape in May 2021, when the Frankfort-based friends decided to open a food truck business. They began searching for trucks as well as a hot food trend that would get people talking — and eating. They researched the finer points of operating a food truck and weighed different styles and concepts, including a kebab venture, but ultimately decided that serving sweet and savory waffles was the way to go. The Flying Waffle has created what it calls “waffle works of art,” with sweet and savory varieties. With waffles serving as a culinary blank canvas of sorts, they set about creating, as their website describes it, “waffle works of art.” The Flying Waffle food truck launched in early September, popping up at Lexington venues such as Ethereal Brewing, Kentucky Horse Park and the Break Room. A Kentucky Proud food service provider, the owners source Kentucky-based meats, cheeses, sauces, spices and produce, including those from the Lexington Farmers Market, for their recipes. Derringer previously worked as a traveling nurse and describes her culinary tastes as eclectic, while Smith most enjoys Kentucky-inspired comfort food. Together, Derringer said, their preferences meld into a nicely balanced menu, which will vary seasonally. Some of their first waffle pairings have included jerk chicken on a waffle with Caribbean spicy sweet potatoes and a mango salsa garnish, and what Derringer deems the most popular with patrons, chicken and waffles. A pimiento cheese wa e, spicy hot chicken waffle and one topped with shrimp and grits are among other savory options. Dessert waffles include Nutella, Oreo, bourbon bread pudding and one dubbed “Bananas Stephen Foster.” The dessert waffles are served on special Liege waffles, Belgian-style waffles with layers of chunked sugar folded into the dough. Smith said the Mary Margaret’s Lemon Pie dessert waffle was created in tribute to her late mother, following her recipe. “My mom passed about 11 years ago, so when we came up with that one, we needed to have her on the truck with us,” Smith said. Inventive sides like Hatch chile mac and cheese and street corn in a cup are available. Cooler weather menus will include pumpkin-themed dessert waffles and maybe a few soups served alongside waffle-based sandwiches, Derringer said. For now, the truck is only open weekends and occasional weeknights at sites within about an hour’s drive from Frankfort. Bookings are promoted via a calendar on their website and social media. They hope to add weddings and other private events in 2022. But Smith said the food truck venture wasn’t designed to become their new careers. “We have both agreed that’s a firm ‘no’ on doing this full time,” she said. “We’re both going to keep our full-time jobs and be responsible.” Though the food truck is meant to be a fun diversion, the research required, getting the truck up and running, mastering new skills and obtaining permitting posed challenges, but the pair has taken them all in stride. “It has been the hardest, physical, brain-busting work I think either one of us has ever done, and I’m an ER nurse so that says a lot,” Derringer said. “It’s not the food; it’s not the food prep; it’s the nuts and bolts of parking a trailer and leveling it and getting plumbing correct or electricity correct, just the logistics of driving this vehicle that we’re going to serve food from. It’s been a lot of work, but it’s been a lot of fun.” |