From the Windy City to the Mile High: Papa Friets Makes Its Mark in Denver

After two successful seasons dishing out poutine and friets (Belgian frites) in Chicago, chef Alex Carter and his wife Blake have hit the reset button. They've brought their beloved food truck, Papa Friets, to Colorado in hopes of rebuilding their brand and making a name for themselves in the local food truck scene. Launched less than a month ago, the truck delivers the same handcrafted flavors that earned them a loyal following back in Illinois.

Originally from Chicago, Carter first landed in Colorado Springs in his twenties, where he met his future wife, Blake, who grew up in Colorado. "I lived out here in my twenties for about seven years, met her, got married and everything, and then we both got opportunities back in Chicago," says Carter. Although it wasn't an easy decision for the newly married couple to relocate in 2019, Carter received an opportunity he couldn't pass up: a sous chef position at The Kitchen, a restaurant co-founded by Kimbal Musk with locations in both Chicago and Colorado. "I've been a chef for a long time, so that was a golden ticket for me," Carter recalls.

Not long after they relocated to Chicago, the pandemic hit, and the entire restaurant industry was upended. While many establishments paused operations or shut down entirely, the Kitchen remained open, though not without turbulence. Amid that uncertainty, Carter began exploring alternative options and the idea of striking out on his own. "We were kind of thinking about doing something already, nothing serious," he recalls, "and then COVID just pushed us further in the direction."

What started as a humble festival tent in the Chicago suburbs quickly evolved. "Our first event was Taste of Roselle," he says. "That was where we started, and it was called Pot, Pots Poutine. So like pot, pot. ... We had a pot of oil and a pot of gravy, and we just fried fries and did poutine."
Poutine is a dish from Quebec that tops fries with cheese and gravy, and the couple's version was born out of practicality and simplicity. "A buddy of mine was organizing the event and struggling to find food vendors. We started talking about how easy it would be to do just fries and gravy. No complicated menu, no hour-long queues. Just use nice potatoes, good beef tallow, and you should be golden. And it worked out," explains Carter.

The concept took off, coinciding with the moment Chicago began emerging from the depths of the pandemic. Running with the momentum, Carter began refining the concept and shifting the focus toward friets, what Americans might call French fries with gravy. "We realized the fries were the star of the show. The poutine is great, but the fries are the bones of the whole thing. So, we just spent time on that and dialed them in. And that's when we started doing the Belgian marketing kind of stuff," he says.

By 2023, the couple had graduated from tents to a full-fledged food truck, complete with a menu that expanded beyond poutine. While Belgian friets remained the star of the show, the team added juicy smash burgers and a rotating selection of housemade sausages. The new menu was well received and helped build a loyal following. But after two full seasons in Chicago, a family medical emergency prompted the couple to relocate to Colorado. They brought their mobile food business with them, and got straight to work rebuilding their customer base from the ground up.
What sets Papa Friets apart is Carter's unwavering commitment to doing things the right way, even if it's labor-intensive. "There's no shortcuts when it comes to our fries," he says. "You have to punch them. You have to soak them with a little bit of vinegar. You have to blanch them. We blanch twice and then do a third fry for the final fry. That's the key to a good fry. All hand-cut and fried in beef tallow." The painstaking process results in a crispy, golden fry with the unmistakable richness of beef tallow.

The same level of care extends to Carter's sausages. "It's super simple curing," he says. "We don't smoke them or anything like that. Just good seasonings, and a good pork and veal mix. We steam them on the trailer, and then fry them in beef tallow to order."

Although the menu isn't exactly a vegan's best friend, it's all about delivering bold, satisfying flavors that keep customers coming back for more, especially the fries, which are the heart and soul of the operation.

With a fresh start in Colorado, Papa Friets is excited to explore new territory.

"Denver loves food trucks," says Carter. "We're just trying to get through the season, get as much exposure as we possibly can, get in as many people's ears and bellies as we can, and hopefully make a name for ourselves."

If you're a fry aficionado, be sure to put Papa Friets on your shortlist of must-visit food trucks. For the summer season, the team will be at the Cherry Creek Farmers' Market every Saturday. For other events and locations, follow the truck on Instagram @papafriets and check the website papafriets.com.