South Routt chef Wolff Donis rolled out his new business idea Friday, saying he is looking forward to serving the community with the Chow Haul food trailer located in the heart of Oak Creek, at 106 East Main Street.

“The crêpes are my specialty, but there is a Thai pork wrap and I also have a veggie wrap … We have braised pork and braised chicken, and we’re doing some European dishes — I’m doing a roast poutine today for a special and I have crêpes of different varieties as well. I’ve got a Thai pork wrap, a Cuban sandwich and chicken bacon ranch sandwich,” Donis said. “So, a little bit of everything.”

Donis said he purchased the food truck a while ago, and it’s taken a little longer than expected to get the Chow Haul up and running this summer. He was able to open last week and plans to serve customers in South Routt through November, weather permitting.

He is still working on a plan for when the snow and cold arrives but is hoping to make the Chow Haul a South Routt standard.

“We’ll be here until the winter gets bad, so probably end of November, then the plan is to close and reopen in spring,” Donis said. “It’s still up in the air if we want to stay open.”

He said he may take the truck with him to Texas in the heart of the winter and give it a go down there until Oak Creek weather improves in the spring.

“It’s turned out to be a pretty cool thing for me,” Donis said. “It can be very rewarding and profitable if you know how to work in tight quarters, have experience with food and offer culinary skills. What we’re planning on doing, most likely, is taking the trailer down south to Texas in the dead of winter so we can operate down there, too.”

The Chow Haul will be open seven days a week from 11 a.m-9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and then from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Sundays during the Farmers Market.

“We bought the trailer a while back, and it just took quite a while to get it all fixed up to where it could be operational,” Donis said. “I’ve been in the industry for a while, and I just wanted to be my own boss.”

Donis has been in the Yampa area for more than eight years and has been a chef for the past 10 years. He worked at the TBar at the ski area for several years, noting it was a learning experience.

He said customers should expect a few regular offerings, and he plans to do specials throughout the week. The menu will also include a Nutella or Fruite crêpes, pasta or caprese bowls and grilled cheese or a peanut butter and jelly for the children.

Donis is thrilled that Chow Haul was able to open in time for the Labor Day holiday in Oak Creek this weekend.

“Labor Day is going to be wild,” Donis said. “I don’t know if there’s going to be any other food vendors. If I’m the only one it’s going to be pretty crazy, but I’m ready for it.”