Food Truck Spotlight

Ancient Greek confection proves to be a heavenly, and successful, venture

Tammy Levent and Robert Lenair initially launched their Heavenly Puffs food truck as a weekend business but it has grown into much more than that in just two years. In fact, this February the truck was tapped as one of the official vendors for the NFL Super Bowl Experience Event.

Image by Networld Media Group. Photo provided.

February 22, 2021 by Judy Mottl — Editor, RetailCustomerExperience.com & DigitalSignageToday.com

Food truck name: Heavenly Puffs

Operators(s): Tammy Levent and Robert Lenair

Founded: August 2019

Location: Palm Harbor, Florida

Number of food trucks: One for now

Where did the name come from?
The original name was "Honey Puffs" but we could not get a trademark on this name so instead we changed it to Heavenly Puffs. Kevin Harrington from Shark Tank actually suggested this name.

What prompted you to start a food truck?
We own three companies and we are true multi-preneurs. I have had our travel agency for the past 25 years. About two years ago, we were looking for a weekend business. Food truck was a concept I always wanted, but did not want the same as everyone else. I researched and found that no one had a Loukoumades food truck in the area or the state for that matter. It was well received.

What's your cuisine?
Heavenly Puffs bring the ancient Greek confection "Loukoumades," to the modern era. They are like doughnut holes with a pleasing crunchiness on the outside and a unique fluffy, airy interior. These fried delights are made with all-natural ingredients served up in the authentic honey and cinnamon style or with toppings including chocolate, powdered sugar, Nutella, caramel, white chocolate, churro, jelly donut or just create your own.

Do you operate brink-and-mortar locations under this brand as well? If yes how many?
We turned our food truck into manufacturing/ invented a product that is par cooked and then frozen to sell for food service and markets. Once we developed that, I pitched the product to restaurants and markets in a matter of six short months. We had to quickly scramble and get our manufacturing license and find a place to start making these for the demand.

Do you make all the food on the truck or do you use home-based kitchen or commissary space?
We initially made all of the food in the truck but now we manufacture in a catering kitchen.

What's the best part of being a food truck operator?
The creativity and the freedom it gives you with when and where you want to be working. The people you meet and most definitely the cost.

What's the worst part of operating a food truck?
Inventory and storage is limited because of space.

What lessons have you learned since launching the truck?
Read and learn everything you can about the truck, your product, and (most importantly) about permits in different cities. I also learned that food truck marketing is different from any other type of business promotion. Word-of-mouth is the best and social media sharing to groups. We have done absolutely no paid advertising.

Is there anything you would have done differently at the start?
Not really. There is a learning curve to everything and it gets easier with experience.

Any tips/advice to others thinking of launching a food truck?
Think outside of the box. The product has to be simple and on-point. The more you add, the more complicated it becomes. We have one product with 10 toppings, we will be adding more products but introducing them one at a time. Unique sells!! Also we have a great looking truck, so make sure it's aesthetically appealing and tells your story and brand by looking at it. I have seen so many trucks that have so much art on them that you have no idea what they are selling.

Do you have any anecdotes about running a food truck?
We are truly blessed to have been selected as official vendors for the NFL Super Bowl Experience Event.Thankfully this event happened after we invented our frozen, ready-to-cook product. This allowed us to ramp up production and make the puffs in advance because there was no way we could have made them all on the spot.

About Judy Mottl

Judy Mottl is editor of Retail Customer Experience and Digital Signage Today. She has decades of experience as a reporter, writer and editor covering technology and business for top media including AOL, InformationWeek, InternetNews and Food Truck Operator.

Connect with Judy: