The Easy Vegan Competes in The Great Food Truck Race, Premiering June 18

“A casting team reached out to us on social media, and we thought, 'What better opportunity to put our small business on the big screen?’” recalls Alexi Mandolini, who co-owns pop-up kitchen The Easy Vegan with Taylor Herbert. The two, along with Matt Heikkila, executive sous chef of Local Jones, teamed up to compete on the latest season of Food Network’s The Great Food Truck Race, set to premiere at 6 p.m. MDT on Sunday, June 18.

“Lex and I started our business during COVID after losing our jobs,” says Herbert.

Adds Mandolini: “Matt was actually my former boss, and he's who let me go during the pandemic, so it all came full circle. To bring him on this journey was a lot of fun.”

In part, the invitation for Heikkila to join the Easy Vegan was strategy-driven. “Sometimes, two kitchen leads don't work well together, [but] Lex and Matt have worked together for years," notes Herbert. "They've got great rapport in the kitchen.” The idea was that Mandolini could act as a floater, supporting Herbert’s sales focus in the competition whenever business slowed.

Although the Easy Vegan owners don't want to give away too many spoilers, “we can say some of our regulars might recognize a dish that we chose to share," Mandolini says of the first episode.

Remembering that first day of filming, Herbert adds, “Once we started seeing the teams that were coming out, we were like, ‘Where are the home cooks?’” For the first time in the show’s sixteen seasons, The Great Food Truck Race pits five rookie teams that have never owned or operated a food truck against four teams of experienced food truck professionals. Contestants represent food businesses from across the country, with specialties ranging from Jamaican tacos to modern Pakistani street food.

“This season’s unique twist really delivers, and while you may think the food truck pros have the advantage, the energy and talent of the up-and-coming rookies make for a level playing field. It’s anyone’s race!” says Betsy Sanner Ayala, head of Content, Food at Warner Bros. Discovery.

While the Easy Vegan was placed in the show’s rookie category, "our goal has never been to have a food truck," Herbert says. Competing in The Great Food Truck Race wasn’t necessarily about gaining food truck experience; rather, she says, it was largely driven by the opportunity to increase brand awareness and potentially help finance its upcoming business venture: a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Denver.

The $50,000 grand prize winner won’t be revealed until the season’s finale, set to air at 6 p.m. MDT on July 30. But regardless of how the Easy Vegan fares in the competition, its owners are actively seeking a permanent location after receiving a grant from the city.

“[During] Denver's inaugural Restaurant-Up program last summer, I took classes through the Denver [Metro] Small Business Development Center,” says Herbert. Funded by the Denver Department of Economic Development and Opportunity and the American Rescue Plan Act, the initiative also provides aspiring restaurant owners with grant money to open their businesses.

A mentor was provided to selected applicants. “We have Andy Niemeyer from Cart-Driver — like, what a legend. We are so obsessed with that place,” says Herbert.

She adds: “We can't wait to share more about the concept that we plan on opening, which will be different from the Easy Vegan, but the Easy Vegan will continue on. In a post-pandemic world, seeing what it's done to the industry, it's definitely a priority for us to have multiple revenue streams going. ... We started off doing restaurant pop-ups, which are kind of a proof of concept and the menus that we'd like to serve at our restaurant when that opens. The Easy Vegan is more [focused on] plant-forward street food.”

“We really appreciate vegetables, and that is our main focus, always,” says Mandolini.

But on the show, the team is competing against non-vegan concepts. “It was really important for us to build menus that grab everyone's attention, whether they're vegan or not," Herbert says. "I don't feel like that's any different from what we do here in Denver. A lot of our regulars and clientele aren't even vegetarian. We try to do composed dishes that [aren’t] missing or replacing something.”

Until the brick-and-mortar opens, the Easy Vegan’s approachable, plant-based creations are available at the City Park Farmers Market, on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., as well as the South Pearl Street Farmers Market, on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“We're all over town, so we'd love to see everybody this summer at different events, pop-ups and farmers' markets,” says Mandolini. “Follow us on social media at @theeasyvegandenver for our schedule.”