The lattes come with a variety of flavors: banana, lavender, peanut butter, salted honey and honey cinnamon — and your choice of almond, oat or whole milk. There is chai and matcha, too. And, of course, a house brew, hot or cold. Any pick goes perfectly with your almond croissant or lemon blueberry scone.
It all depends on what you order… from the food truck.
When Kristen Cheatum decided to jump into the food truck business as a career, she sidestepped any effort to create the tastiest empanada, juiciest burger or the most tender brisket. She went the coffee route, creating Hudson Willow Coffee — and doing so in an upscale way that defies conventional wisdom of what a food truck should be.
Hers is one that fits perfectly at a mid-week corporate event or a weekend farmer’s market — anytime and anywhere you want your beverage options to elevate an event more than simply quench a thirst.
We found her earlier this week at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Montvale Rehabilitation & Healthcare facility. And like the few dozen others who waited in line for the perfect drink, we were glad we did
Hudson Willow Coffee, just over a year old, is a custom-built mobile coffee bar that took months to build. Cheatum, 51, said she doesn’t cut corners. On anything.
“What is very important to know about my coffee is that I only use high-end ingredients,” she said. “That’s my choice.”
It comes from a place of purpose.
When Cheatum decided on this for the next chapter in her life — following a stint in corporate America and as a personal assistant — she told herself she wouldn’t only create something that she would drink.
“All of my ingredients are organic,” she said. “They’re clean ingredients. So, if it’s oat milk, it’s only oats and sea salt. It’s the same with my almond milk. My syrups are so fresh they have to be kept in a refrigerator. My peanut butter is just peanuts.”
This clearly isn’t a Box of Joe and a few dozen munchkins.
Which reminds us, her croissants and scones are made the day of, at a bakery in Cranford.
Which makes for great taste … and a long day.
On Wednesday, Cheatum left her home in Garwood at sunrise for an event that started at 10:30.
“It’s a lot of prep,” she said. “It takes hours, even afterward.”
Cheatum doesn’t mind. She said it’s far better than returning to the corporate world.
After her role as a personal assistant ended with the retirement of the banking executive who employed her, Cheatum was determined to find a role where she got to make all the calls — where she got to do what she wanted to do.
“I just said, ‘Now’s the time,” she said.
The first step was finding someone to build the custom trailer. She did, in Nashville. It took a little longer than she anticipated, about two months, but she loves the finished product — and she loves the finishings on the outside that give it an upscale look.
The next step was a business plan.
Here’s how it works. If clients choose to pick up the cost of the drinks (which is normally the case and was so on Wednesday), there is a flat fee for every drink made (it takes into account the drink and the prep).
If clients just want to pay for her time and travel, she’ll give a different price for that — one that comes with a guaranteed minimum.
The final step was perhaps the most important: The name.
That was more challenging. Cheatum ended up going back to her upbringing, a four-bedroom, one-bath house built by her grandparents in East Keansburg (now a part of Middletown) that was used by her parents to raise her and her seven siblings.
The house was on Hudson Street. A willow tree stood outside the kitchen window.
“So many people are throwing names at me, and I was like, ‘Nope, nope, nope,” Cheatum said. “And then one day, it literally just came to me. I don’t know how to explain it. I was just like, Hudson Willow Coffee.”
It doesn’t sound like a food truck. And that’s a good thing — because this is anything but.
