Damariscotta native Colin Frey and his wife, Dawn McKenna Frey, stand in front of their food truck, Burgers & Freys. The Freys, of Gardiner, will visit Damariscotta with the truck Saturday, March 18. (Photo courtesy Colin Frey)
A Damariscotta native will return to Lincoln County to sell homemade burgers and fries out of his new food truck Saturday, March 18.
Colin Frey, of Gardiner, owns and operates the food truck Burgers & Freys. Frey has wanted to run a food truck for as long as he can remember, he said.
The opportunity presented itself last summer, when Frey came across a food truck for sale, but there were challenges in the way. He and his wife, Dawn McKenna Frey, have full-time jobs. Colin works for the American Red Cross as the director of blood collections for New England.
“We were both a little hesitant at first, but then we just decided to go for it and make it work,” Frey said.
The couple purchased the truck in October and spent the winter preparing it for business. Burgers & Freys officially hit the road in December.
The name of the truck, thought up by Dawn, is a play on their last name, Frey said.
Burgers & Freys partners with Maine farms for its produce, Frey said. The cheese comes from Pineland Farms, of Gloucester, and the meat comes from Farmers’ Gate Market, of Wales.
“One of the things that is really important for us is sourcing everything from Maine,” Frey said. “We have some really close partnerships that have been really great.”
Customers can create their own burger or order one from the menu. One of the offerings is The Classic, a burger with cheddar cheese, grilled onions, tomato, mixed greens, and bread-and-butter pickles.
The Farm Stand is another favorite among customers. The burger is topped with cheddar cheese, summer squash pickles, mixed greens, and Dawn’s homemade tomato jam.
“It’s sweet, but with just a little spice to it,” Frey said. “I can’t tell you how many people are just blown away by it.”
The burgers come in a basket with fries made from Maine potatoes cut to order.
Burgers & Freys operates on the weekends in Gardiner, Frey said. The truck travels to special events, including a winter fun day at the Augusta Dog Park and a hockey game at Bowdoin College.
The food truck made its first trip to Lincoln County on Saturday, March 4. Frey’s sister, Angela White, the troop leader of the Nobleboro-based Girl Scout Troop 144, asked if Frey would bring his truck to Damariscotta the day the Girl Scouts would be selling cookies at 441 Main St., across from The Penalty Box. Steve and Eva Frey, Colin and Angela’s parents, own the property.
“My family’s been pretty enthusiastic and supportive about the truck, and when this came together we decided to just give it a shot,” Frey said.
Despite the cold, Burgers & Freys was busy.
“The feedback I heard was pretty good,” Frey said. “There was an hour where just everyone showed up, so there was a bit of a wait and the line got pretty long, but people were pretty understanding.”
Burgers & Freys will return to Damariscotta on Saturday, March 18 for another team-up with the Girl Scouts, Frey said. The truck will be at the same spot, 441 Main St., and will be open from 11 a.m. until supplies run out.
Frey said he would love to bring the truck to the area in the future for more special events.
“I love the area and miss it a great deal, so it was a lot of fun to be able to get down there,” Frey said. “I would definitely like to be a part of events in Lincoln County. It’s always nice to get to go home.”
For more information, find Burgers & Freys on Facebook.
