Cheese Please!

Meet the owners Bob and Diane Mitchell and Kaasy ( the cutest cow on the side of a food truck this side of the Mississippi) of Kaaswagen Food Truck!

 

What is Kaaswagen you ask? It’s just that, a Dutch-inspired mobile restaurant selling mac and cheese, nachos, and grilled cheese galore. And, you’re probably wondering just how did Kaaswagen start? Well, it all started with a dream, retirement, and some really good advice.

 

“A year ago I was retiring from Vermeer after working there as a welder for 18 years. Diane and I talked about what our next adventure would be. I’ve had a dream for over 40 years of owning a restaurant. Keeping in mind the cost of opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant, we started looking into food trucks”, said Bob.

 

He continued “About this same time, Diane and I attended a nine-week retirement seminar hosted by Dale and Mary Andringa. Dale said something that stuck with us. He challenged everyone to retire to something, not from something”.

 

Once Bob and Diane heard those words of wisdom they knew they were on the right track. “ We both looked at each other and said ok. This is the confirmation we needed. Let’s start seriously looking. We know what we are doing with our next adventure.”

 

So, with their family of nine kids rallied behind them, the Mitchells brought their vision and dream to life. They got the ball rolling, created an LLC, and after searching the whole country found the perfect truck to purchase in Des Moines.

 

Kaaswagen Food Truck came to fruition, rapidly filled their calendar, and has been serving the most amazing comfort food ever since. And, the design of the truck was no accident. “We wanted to serve good food on a truck that people remembered. That’s why we have Kaasy the big cow greeting people. The front is red because it symbolizes fast. Yellow is friendly and stands out in a crowd. People love cheese. You can recognize us from a long way away”, said the Mitchells.

So, with their family of nine kids rallied behind them, the Mitchells brought their vision and dream to life. They got the ball rolling, created an LLC, and after searching the whole country found the perfect truck to purchase in Des Moines.

 

Kaaswagen Food Truck came to fruition, rapidly filled their calendar, and has been serving the most amazing comfort food ever since. And, the design of the truck was no accident. “We wanted to serve good food on a truck that people remembered. That’s why we have Kaasy the big cow greeting people. The front is red because it symbolizes fast. Yellow is friendly and stands out in a crowd. People love cheese. You can recognize us from a long way away”, said the Mitchells.

 

So, how do the Mitchell kids fit into this new adventure? Well, this family affair is staffed by all the children! The social media, marketing, promotions, and hands-on worker positions are all filled by Bob and Diane’s children. “We want our children to feel invested. We want them to learn a work ethic and build something together. This is a family business.”, said Bob. And the family ties don’t stop there. The AMAZING creamy Gouda cheese sauce is a family recipe. Staying true to the Dutch roots of Kaaswagen, the Mitchell family creates Dutch-inspired flavor combinations with their food.

 

Kaaswagen Food Truck can be found almost weekly at an event or place in Iowa, sometimes at even more than one event daily! They service both private and community events. And the best part? The wait time from ordering your food at the window to receiving your hot meal is about 2 minutes!

So what’s next for the Mitchell family and the Kaawswagen Food Truck? Well, we are proud to announce that they were the recent winners of the 2023 Red Rock Area StartUp! Pitch Event, where they took home the grand prize! With the winnings, they plan to purchase an oil cleaner for the fryer and expand their menu. Beyond that, they have BIG DREAMS and we are here for it!