Since launching in 2011, Drift Food Truck has become a staple of Edmonton’s food scene, offering friendly vibes and delectable handhelds at local farmers’ markets and summer events. The teal-coloured truck can be spotted around town throughout the summer months, until it hibernates in October.
Owned by Nevin and Kara Fenske, the Drift brand has evolved over the years, exploring things like event catering, a short-lived restaurant and the concession at The Shamrock Curling Club. Earlier this year, they welcomed the brick-and-mortar shop Drift Eatery to their roster. Their new store front, built into their prep kitchen on 99 Street, is filled with frozen soups, specialty sauces and bagged handmade favourites, like their signature buttermilk fried chicken.
We chatted with Kara Fenske about their new space, her journey as a business owner and Drift’s signature pork belly sandwich.
Edify: What was the first thing that drew you to start a business?
Kara Fenske: We had always worked in hospitality, so I think for a lot of people the natural step is wanting to create their own restaurant. We had the idea to open a restaurant and then food trucks were just kind of becoming a big thing in the States at the time. So, we thought maybe that would be something interesting and thought it would be less expensive.
Edify: What was your inspiration for the menu?
Fenske: We had done a lot of travelling so we wanted to pull some inspiration from different cuisines we had tried. Since we wanted to open a sandwich truck, Nevin, my husband and business partner, adapted all these interesting recipes into sandwich form. We did have to scale down the menu because being a food truck you serve quite a volume in a very short amount of time.
Edify: Do you have a signature sandwich?
Fenske: Yes, our Pork Belly sandwich. It has been on our menu since day one. People love it.
Edify: What do you do when the food truck hibernates for the winter?
Fenske: We have been at the Shamrock Curling Club for 7 years now. From October to March, we operate their food program there. That is our winter gig.
Edify: Now your business has also expanded to include retail?
Fenske: Yes, we incorporated it into our production kitchen space that we built a number of years ago. We always had a front end that we had leased to another food-based business, and then they found another location so we thought we would open our own little shop. Not only do we have the retail space, but we sell groceries, frozen chicken, all this kind of stuff to approximately 15 stores across the city — the Italian Centre, Bonton Bakery and a couple of butcher shops.
Edify: Is there any advice you would give someone else starting their business journey?
Fenske: I always say do it. You got to do it, or you’ll never know if it was meant for you. It can be scary. I will say that having other small business owners we can bounce ideas off each other and get advice. It is truly helpful to build that community around because it is tough out there. Do your research, don’t go in blind. If you are passionate about it, then I say go for it.
This interview was edited for brevity and clarity.
Drift Eatery
Coronet Industrial | 4823 99 Street NW, Edmonton | driftfoodtruck.ca
