Owner Justice Marcellus poses for a portrait Thursday next to his Mighty Vegans electric food truck in Longmont. The food truck will be at Renaissance Wine and Spirits in Longmont on Monday from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., and the first 100 customers will receive free food. (Matthew Jonas/Staff Photographer)
A new all-electric food truck, “The Mighty Vegans,” will open in Longmont next week.
Owner Justice Marcellus chose an all-electric truck to be more sustainable. The truck is powered almost entirely by roof-mounted solar panels, and the onboard oven and refrigerator are powered by a generator.
“We wanted to make it as environmentally friendly as possible, even though it was expensive,” Marcellus says.
The menu has three options ranging from $9 to $13. All meals are gluten-free or have gluten-free options. Marcellus is touting the “Vegan Delight,” stuffed with quinoa, salsa and falafel, as the truck's must-try special. Pizza topped with vegetables and meatballs, as well as burgers and waffle fries, will also be available.
Vegans and non-vegans alike can sample Mighty Vegan on Monday at Renaissance Wine and Spirits (1425 S Airport Road Suite 104) in Longmont. The event begins at 4 p.m., and the first 100 people will receive a free meal.
Marcellus will then cater a private graduation event and then make appearances at local businesses around Longmont. Mighty Vegans' schedule can be found on their website, themightyvegans.com.
The menu is vegan, as Marcellus himself is vegan. She started the diet at the urging of a lifelong vegan friend of hers. She points out that despite her common misconceptions about vegan food, the menu is protein-heavy and wants people to try the recipes she's created over the past three and a half years. I am.
“It’s like a really good Chipotle,” she said.
She cites her experience working in a defunct scratch kitchen in Denver as inspiration for this latest venture. Marcellus originally thought of starting a restaurant, but a friend in the food industry advised her to start with a food truck.
Now, the tracks themselves are a big part of what makes The Mighty Vegans unique. Marcellus has been driving electric cars for years, and an electric food truck seemed like the next logical step. The vehicle was manufactured in China and was equipped with a working kitchen. Marcellus installed solar panels on the roof and replaced the truck's battery himself, but was otherwise configured with the original schematics. She is happy that the generators she purchased to power her appliances are odorless, and says the contaminants produced by gas generators should not be near food.
Mighty Vegans maintains this ethos in its endeavor to source ingredients locally. Employees are also sourced locally, and while Marcellus runs the show, her twin brother helps cook and her teenage daughter sometimes mans the cash register.
Marcellus has big dreams for the future of trucks. She's put off new recipes like mango sushi and multi-bean dip, and is considering hosting Renaissance Wine and Spirits' Mighty Vegans every Monday. But eventually, she thinks the fleet of Mighty Vegans trucks will expand, serving “absolutely delicious food.”
What about its reach?
“All over the world,” Marcellus said.