Winter 2025 | Edible Notables

Careers on Wheels

Local food truck prepares young people for jobs.

It’s not just a food truck; it’s a career-readiness classroom on wheels. That’s how Lindsey Habtemicael, Boys & Girls Club of Truckee Meadows’ director of food services, describes the organization’s workforce-readiness food truck, which was designed to teach lifelong career skills to teenagers.

The new food truck started serving homemade pizzas, fresh cookies, and watermelon lemonade at Food Truck Fridays at Idlewild Park in Reno on June 6. The teens working onboard served customers almost every Friday throughout the summer and have continued their services beyond the park to include catering, private rentals, and some school and BGCTM family events.

“Just because it’s colder doesn’t mean we’ll deprive the community of our delicious pizza,” Habtemicael says.

Serving Up Skills
The food truck/work-readiness hybrid model was created with teens in mind. It was the brainchild of three of the organization’s food operations team members: Habtemicael; Mark Jacoby, vice president of operations; and Fabian Guerrero, culinary director.

“Our intention was to create a food concept that would generate more revenue for the kids and the club while also offering a program to involve our teens,” Habtemicael says.

Working on the food truck teaches basic workplace skills such as customer service and teamwork while also leaning into more technical kitchen capabilities. Teenagers who work the food truck benefit from this professional development, a confidence boost, and real-world work experience for their résumés.

“Our teen members are getting involved, from taking orders to learning small business operations,” says Allen Taylor, the organization’s life and workforce director. At this time, the program focuses on Neapolitan-style pizza made to order using Gozney wood-fired ovens. Toppings are subject to change, but the summer markets showed customers had an affinity for two specific pies: the meat-lover’s (sausage, pepperoni, and bacon) and the spicy peach (grilled peaches, bacon, and hot honey drizzle). For the future, the club leaders’ goal is to expand culinary offerings, but that will come when the food truck has generated enough revenue to support additional kitchen equipment and ingredients.  

“Ultimately, the program is designed to empower our youths, helping them develop a strong work ethic and a sense of responsibility while contributing positively to the community,” Habtemicael says.

While providing life skills to club youths is a big part of the formula, creating another revenue stream was another motivator. Money earned through food sales directly supports the programs and services of the Boys & Girls Club of Truckee Meadows.

“Our goal is to connect the community not only with great food but also the mission behind it,” says Mike Wurm, president and CEO. “Every slice served helps us build great futures for the kids and teens in our programs.”

To support or request catering from the BGCTM Workforce Readiness Food Truck, call 775-364-1237, or visit Bgctm.org/services/workforce-readiness-food-truck.