When she had a newborn and a two-year-old, one of Rochelle Chalmers’ go-to activities was hitting the drive-thru for doughnuts. And when the family visited the beach, they made a beeline to buy those specialty doughnuts with all the amazing toppings.
So, when Rochelle and her husband Corey decided to start a food truck business, it was easy to decide upon their specialty.
“We just love doughnuts,” Rochelle said.
And it has so far proven to be one sweet idea.
Drifter Doughnuts specializes in miniature doughnuts are dressed in sweet and savory style.
“We have the basic cinnamon sugar and powdered doughnut, but people really like the premium toppings, like maple bacon, apple crisp, strawberry shortcake, cookies & cream, double chocolate and so many more.”
Inside their truck kitchen, the couple whips up basic cake donuts, selling them by the dozen or half dozen. Within those units, customers can purchase a minimum of three doughnuts with the same toppings.
“We bake the doughnuts fresh in the truck. We have a doughnut machine, so everything comes out hot and fresh,” Rochelle said. “When the doughnut comes out of the machine, we put it in a little paper boat and from the station of toppings, we add s’more toppings, Oreo toppings or whatever the customer orders.”
Coming this fall, apple cider and pumpkin doughnuts will also be available. Each season, Drifter Doughnuts will feature a couple specialty flavors, Rochelle said.
The idea for the business name came before the truck was purchased. Though there were some changes to the original plan, the name just kind of stuck.
“We originally planned to remodel a camper of my grandma’s – an old Scotty 1960s camper that’s been setting in the woods for years – and make it a drifter, nomad-type of thing,” Rochelle said. “But the logistics of remodeling it didn’t work out. An opportunity just fell in our laps to buy a cargo trailer that was pretty well outfitted inside, and we knew we could get that up and running quicker.”
Like doughnuts, the Chalmers family loves camping and one day, they plan to utilize that theme.
“Eventually, we hope to drive around to different campgrounds, selling doughnuts and coffee,” Rochelle said. “But for now, we want to try to get the flow going before we try to add coffee.”
Corey works full time during the week. Both he and Rochelle operate the food truck on weekends. Recent locations have included Home Depot and Jackson Square in Clarksburg. Follow the Drifter Doughnuts Facebook page for future events and locations.
So far, the family hasn’t tired of doughnuts, even after weeks of experimenting with equipment and recipes from their garage.
Who knows? Someday, Drifter Doughnuts may turn into a storefront business.
“People ask if we’ll ever do a brick & mortar store, but right now we just love the flexibility and getting to see the kids during the week and fulfilling a dream we’ve had for such a long time to do this together on the weekends,” Rochelle said.
They are taking it one day – and one doughnut – at a time.