Get your creole fix at new food truck in Minturn

The Mountain Belles food truck is bringing flavors of the South to the Vail Valley. Currently parked in Minturn, the Mountain Belles food truck is the creation of longtime locals Lindsey Eckman and Abbey Wickham.

Everything on the menu is made from scratch. Look for classics like the shrimp or andouille sausage po’ boy, jambalaya, shrimp étouffée, beignets and Wickham’s favorite, the Nashville hot chicken tenders served with pickles and potato bread.

“I love the Nashville hot chicken tenders and out here, they do not make them how they’re originally supposed to be made. So, every time I would come back to Colorado after being home, I always craved them. And that’s my favorite item in the menu,” Wickham said. “But honestly, the jambalaya is phenomenal and Lindsey’s coleslaw! You have to try her coleslaw!”

“I don’t use sugar in my coleslaw. I’m not really a big fan of sugar, and some people will probably say it’s a very refreshing coleslaw. And it’s really different than any coleslaw you’ll probably ever try,” Eckman said.

Wickham says that southern cooking is in her blood.

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“I’m from Virginia, but I spent a lot of time in the Carolinas and Alabama and I learned a lot from my grandma,” Wickham said. “I didn’t go to culinary school, I guess you could say that I went to the ‘School of Grandma.'”

Eckman is originally from Chicago and said she’s been cooking since she was five years old and would cook for her family.

“I would fall asleep watching the Food Network and took all the home economics and cooking classes I could in high school and then in college I also learned about different aspects of hospitality. So, front of the house, back of the house, sales, and I think that’s really important to know before you start your own business,” Eckman said.

This duo didn’t have much time to set up Mountain Belles. The opportunity to buy the food truck came about on June 11.

“All of the background work of starting a business such as licensing and working with the health department, it’s insane. We have been working 12-plus hour days for weeks straight so it’s a lot,” Eckman said.

The first day Mountain Belles served the public was on July 4 at Beaver Creek’s Independence Day celebration.

“That night I was closing up and I just see the fireworks going up above and I’m looking at the food truck and thinking, ‘this is our first day open and it went so smoothly for us,'” Wickham said.

“We work really well together. It’s amazing how much we can communicate without saying a word. It’s just us two and it’s a lot of work and the food we’re preparing isn’t something typical of a normal food truck. It’s high-quality, from-scratch ingredients,” Eckman said.

The food truck can typically be found on Main Street in Minturn at the Agora, which is a community gathering space for dining, drinking and social therapy. Here you’ll also find Agora Wood Fired Pizza and Wild Mountain Cellars.

“The Agora is our home base, but we also hope to be at many festivals and events throughout the year,” Eckman said.

“We love what we’re doing, and we just love putting out food that people really enjoy and that is what keeps them coming back.”