CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Mikey Wasnidge was scrolling through online ads when he came across one for a 26-foot concession trailer in Nova Scotia. He messaged his buddy, Jesse Clausheide.
“Hey, do you want to start a business?” he asked.
Clausheide responded instantly. “Yes.”
A few days later, they drove over to Nova Scotia to pick up the trailer.
“That’s when we started dreaming up what it could be,” Wasnidge said. “It was completely on a whim.”
Now, the two men are getting ready to make and sell food from the trailer for their new business, Nimrods’.
They plan to open officially on March 29, just in time for Burger Love 2019. The food truck will be parked on the corner of St. Peters Road and Allen Street in Charlottetown, but they’re hoping to secure a space downtown for this summer.
The duo is leaning into the idea that they’re a couple of nimrods trying something new, Wasnidge said.
“We just wanted to create something that was really fun and vibrant and silly for the community.”
The trailer is currently being refurbished in Dundas by their colleague, Nigel Haan. It has required more work than the team anticipated when they bought it.
Haan is extending the trailer, adding a more esthetically pleasing service window and making room for more equipment.
“We gotta organize ourselves and create an efficient workspace,” Haan said.
Wasnidge and Clausheide were both involved with Upstreet Craft Brewing during its early days. This is their foray into running their own restaurant, and the project has evolved since they got the trailer in January, Clausheide said.
“Every morning we wake up, it’s a little different than the day before.”
So, what the heck are these nimrods selling?
The food truck will sell pizza, hamburgers and handpies from The Handpie Company to begin with. Over time, they’ll experiment with making different foods based on what the community wants, Wasnidge said.
“We’re hoping to just get in here and play around with the menu.”
Clausheide’s mother, Junellen Clausheide, recently retired from her booth at the Charlottetown Farmers’ Market, and some of her dishes may appear on the menu.
“Over the course of 30 years, she sold everything you could imagine,” said her son.
He and Wasnidge want to adapt some of her classic recipes, such as her sandwiches and her aioli. They’re also trying to convince her to cook for them every now and again.
There’s a chance Nimrods’ could expand into an outdoor patio on Great George Street this summer. The trailer would be parked there to sell food and alcohol, but they’re still working to get the city’s approval for that project.
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