The Magic Food Bus Offers a Culinary Adventure

While you won't find Ms. Frizzle on this school bus, you will find Ashley Southard and her husband, Gary, serving up burgers, chicken sandwiches and more. "I was born in Salida, and Gary is from Michigan," Southard says. "We met seventeen years ago in a restaurant we were both working at."

The two quickly fell in love and continued with their careers in the hospitality industry, primarily working for large food-service companies that provide meals for colleges and universities. During that time, the couple had the opportunity to help some cousins who operate a pizza food truck. "They invited us up to Estes Park for a wine festival a couple of years in a row and we helped them out," Southard recalls. "We just kind of caught the bug. That was around 2010."

While they knew they wanted to launch a truck of their own, the idea was still on the back burner until Southard got a job offer. "I moved to a company called Sage Dining in Lafayette, where I was for about ten years. I was the food service director at a private school in Lafayette, and that's where the bus came up for sale," she explains. "We weren't going to do a bus food truck. We wanted to do a food truck...but we got a deal we couldn't pass up."

After purchasing the bus in 2018, "We didn't have a business idea or any business plan whatsoever," Southard continues. "It was an idea, then a bus, and then a business."
With the vehicle secured, they began working with fabricators to build out the bus for food service. "It took about a year and a half to complete the whole process," Southard says. "And then we just sat on it for a few months until COVID happened and it kind of pushed us."

When brainstorming names, they turned to nostalgia. "I grew up watching The Magic School Bus — you know, Ms. Frizzle and her adventures — and so that was always a name in the back of our heads, but we tossed around countless names and eventually kept coming back the Magic Food Bus," Southard says. "It embodied the concept we wanted — just like a fun, magical journey of food and culinary delights. We didn't want to be stuck to any specific genre or concept. We just wanted to do what we love to do. We keep it creative and fresh, and so it's a journey of culinary adventures."

The bus needed one final inspection before hitting the streets. "We hadn't really even turned the equipment on yet," Southard recalls. "Then somebody called us on June 2, 2020, from Thirsty's in Thornton and said, 'Hey, we really want to open tomorrow. Do you think you could bring your food truck out?' And we're like, well, we'll see. We managed to get a virtual inspection by Tri-County and then went there. Our first day of service was June 3."
Now, a little over three years into operation, the couple is happy with their decision and the freedom that comes along with running their own business. "I think the places we go to and the people we meet has been the most incredible aspect," Southard says. "We do everything from breweries and wineries to goat and horse shows. We did a roller derby and ultimate Frisbee event. Just everywhere that we can go, we go."

The Magic Food Bus offers a variety of dishes. Along with a smash burger and a hot chicken sandwich, you can order options like vegetarian chili cheese tots and Parmesan truffle Brussels sprouts. There are also weekly rotating specials such as a gyro or firecracker dog.

The bus will be taking a winter break, but until then, you can find its full schedule on Instagram @the_magic_food_bus or at mfbusco.com.