ADVERTISEMENT

    Early Bird Food Truck Coming to University District this Fall

    A new food truck parked just north of OSU’s campus will be serving sweet treats come October. Early Bird will offer fresh beignet-style donuts, sweet and savory hand pies, as well as coffee and espresso drinks.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Four and Twenty Blackbird Bake Shop Founder Libby Glover is using the truck to highlight the classical desserts she loves to bake with a fresh take. The menu includes beignet-style donuts that patrons can customize with their own fillings and toppings. Flavors will have a seasonal flair with raspberry, pumpkin, chocolate and Nutella in the lineup.EarlyBird

    Early Bird will also serve sweet and savory hand pies. Patrons can expect another batch of seasonal flavors with apple, hand-roasted pumpkin, sweet potato, raspberry nutella and salted caramel apple on the menu. Glover plans to rotate flavors based on both seasons and popularity.

    Early Bird will spend its first months parked at 2141 Indianola Ave. in the University District.

    “We’re really close to campus but there aren’t a lot of food venues in the immediate area,” Glover says.

    The address is also home to the Indianola Church of Christ, with which Early Bird will share a unique business partnership. The church is looking to build a coffee shop and Glover is hoping to use her food truck as a catalyst for the operation. In exchange for kitchen use, Early Bird will help market the coffee shop.

    The coffee shop will be a brick-and-mortar location and once it’s up and running, Early Bird will hit the road exploring other parts of the city.

    Early Bird is aiming for an Oct. 27 opening. The truck will be serving up treats Monday through Saturday from 7:00 to 11:00 a.m. with additional hours from 4:00 to 10:00 p.m., Thursday through Saturday.

    Launching a truck has been a long time coming for Glover.

    “I’ve wanted a food truck for about three years now,” she says.

    Glover went to Kendall College in Chicago for baking and pastry. Post graduation, she worked at The Hills Market before joining another small bakery, but when the owner decided to step back and spend more time with her family, it was her opportunity to start something from scratch.

    “I’ve wanted my own business ever since I can remember, since before I was able to work actually,” Glover says. So when she started Four and Twenty Blakbird Bake Shop in January of 2013 it was really a dream come true.

    Four and Twenty has primarily been selling treats through special orders and frequenting markets like the Nationwide Farmer’s Market and Pearl Market. Her cupcakes are also available at Weiland’s Market in Clintonville, with hopes to develop partnerships with other local grocers.

    The truck will now be another outlet for the bakery’s treats. Glover was drawn to the freedom of a truck versus a brick-and-mortar location.

    “There’s less boundaries there, I can go anywhere in the city,” she says. While a brick-and-mortar Four and Twenty is a long-term possibility, Glover wants to measure response to the food truck before committing to a location.

    There’s another aspect Glover likes about food trucks as well.

    “There’s one less wall between the back of the house and the customers,” she says. “I want to show my customers their food being made.” Seeing the prep process helps customers connect with the food more – an aspect she finds refreshing.

    For more information, visit fourandtwentyllc.com.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Subscribe

    More to Explore:

    CRIMSON Expanding with Campus-Area Location

    Local coffee roaster Crimson Cup will expand its spinoff...

    Sarah Maldoror: Tricontinental Cinema at the Wexner Center for the Arts

    Sarah Maldoror, a pioneer of African cinema and Black...

    Restaurant Review: Winning Wings from bb.q Chicken

    CM Chicken shines bright like a beacon in Columbus. No...

    Proposal Calls for Apartments, Coffee Shop on Church-Owned Site

    Indianola Presbyterian Church wants to bring new apartments and...
    Susan Post
    Susan Post
    Susan is the editor of The Metropreneur and associate editor of Columbus Underground, and also covers small business and entrepreneurial news and the food scene in Central Ohio.Susan holds a degree in Communication with a minor in Professional Writing from The Ohio State University. She sits on the board of the Central Ohio Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and loves coffee, whiskey, cooking and spending time with friends and family.
    ADVERTISEMENT