Despite Challenges, the Farmer in the Hive Food Truck Has Persevered

"I was in oil and gas for 25 years and had a great career, but I was miserable," says Colorado native Stacia Hazlett, owner of the Farmer in the Hive food truck. "But I made good money, and so you don't leave when you're making good money."

But when the company she worked for offered her a layoff package, she decided to take it and pursue something completely different: culinary school. At age 42, she enrolled at Johnson & Wales University, though she never graduated. "I took enough classes to learn how to move food and make food for a lot of people," she says. "Their internship was to go work at Marriott or Hilton, and I'm like, I don't want to do that. I'd rather spend the money and travel and figure out what I want to do after that."

So Hazlett spent time in Europe before returning to Denver and getting a job at a restaurant. "I did not like it," she says of the experience. "I was like, I'm not working for $12 an hour in the back of the kitchen. That's not why I left a six-figure salary."

Instead, she began searching for a food truck so she could launch her own business. In the process, she crossed paths with the now-incarcerated food truck builder and scam artist Larry Perez. "I had looked around, and everybody was like, 'Don't go to him.' When I went down there, one of his employees was waving her hands and shaking her head behind him, and I thought, okay, that's a sign," Hazlett recalls.
Fortunately, she avoided the scam and found a place in Missouri that builds custom food trucks. The trip home with her new rig was her first time driving a truck that big. "The reality of it all was starting to sink in, and I was like, 'Oh, my God, we're doing this, we're doing this,'" she remembers. "It's been the hardest thing I've ever done in my life."

One early challenge was coming up with a name for her business. "My first mistake was I went with the name Urban Farmer," she says, which is the name of a modern steakhouse with locations in Portland, Philadelphia and Denver. Hazlett wasn't aware that another business with that name already existed, so after having the truck built with an Urban Farmer logo, she had to rebrand everything and rewrap the truck. "My family has a long history of farmers in Kansas and Wyoming, and so I just went with the Farmer in the Hive. I'm the farmer in the city for our family," she explains.

Hazlett was 46 years old when the Farmer in the Hive officially launched on December 31, 2016. "I couldn't get the gas lit, and it blew up. I had third-degree burns and my ring melted to my skin," she says of the first service. There have been other obstacles along the way, too.

A few years ago, she suffered a late-night attack following one of her services downtown. "I was attacked by a homeless person who came up from behind and tore my meniscus," she recalls. "I didn't have any health insurance. For the last three years, I have done nothing but limp around, and I'm in constant pain." The truck has been vandalized several times, as well. But while challenges like the ones Hazlett has faced might drive some people to quit the industry, she has persevered. "Love. I didn't think I'd love the service part as much as I do, but I love to feed people," she says.
The menu at the Farmer in the Hive is eclectic. Hazlett's favorite dish is the elk sliders — ground elk topped with melted Gorgonzola, caramelized onions, mixed greens and a dash of barbecue sauce served on toasted brioche buns.

Her top seller is the gyro, made with thinly shaved lamb and beef served in a grilled pita with hummus, tzatziki, fresh vegetables and a drizzle of lemon-garlic tahini. "They're huge, and most of the time people share them," she notes. All of the entrees come with a side of tots and a sweet treat to complete the meal.

As she looks toward the future, Hazlett plans to focus more of her attention on catering private events and weddings, and she's considering opening a brick-and-mortar. But no matter where or who she is serving, she's focused on delivering a satisfying experience. "We're native. We're local and we love Denver. We love feeding people, and we'll come to your house. We'll feed you, and you're always going to get a good meal," she concludes.

To find the truck's full schedule, visit farmerinthehive.com or follow it on Instagram at @farmerinthehive.