UTICA — Road Kitchens U.S.A., which builds custom mobile cuisine trucks and concession trailers, held its grand opening Monday in Utica, according to a news release from the Mohawk Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Owner Paul Sperling founded the company, which is located at 1300 Broad St., in 2012. He started the business after working his own fleet of food trucks in the Central New York area and after an extensive banking career in the New York City area, according to the release. Sperling has since leased out his trucks — one each in Utica, Syracuse, and Rochester.
Recognizing the explosive growth in the mobile food industry, the release explained, Sperling teamed up with Mohawk Valley Welding and Stainless Steel Company in June 2012 to formally launch Road Kitchens U.S.A. (www.roadkitchensusa.com).
The business currently has four full-time employees, but to keep up with growing demand, Sperling expects to hire four more employees in the next six months, according to the release.
The most recent truck Road Kitchens U.S.A. built is a custom BBQ trailer called Boneyard BBQ, which will be operating in the Utica area. All of the concession trucks and trailers are built as a collaborative effort between the company’s team and the buyer, according to the release.
“We are thrilled to be able to manufacture our products in Utica, due to its central location, with target markets reaching east and west. The reasonable costs of doing business here will allow us expansion opportunities,” Sperling said in the release.
Contact Carbonaro at mcarbonaro@cnybj.com