While most 16-year-olds are eager to get their driver’s license and first cars, Shelby Brown was dreaming of food trucks.
“I think I saw one and I thought, ‘How cool is that? It’s a kitchen on wheels,’ ” said Brown, 31, of Harrison. “That would be so cool, just the flexibility. People are serving fantastic things out of there.”
In 2018, Brown hit the road in her own food truck, Main Squeeze Juice, serving cold-pressed juices, smoothie bowls and fresh fruit smoothies. Five years later, she is still running the truck and has set up a storefront in Tarentum that opened in March.
While the truck is seasonal, May to November, the storefront is not.
“We live in Western Pennsylvania,” Brown said. “I want to be readily available for the customer year-round.”
The Main Squeeze Juice Bar & Cafe is sharing space on East Sixth Avenue with Barley, a bar owned by Brown’s mother, Cheryl Stover. Main Squeeze operates from the morning until 2 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays; Barley takes over at 4 p.m. seven days a week.
“She’s been very accommodating,” Brown said of her mother. “We’re really not butting heads at all. We’re really getting along.”
Stover said she loves having her daughter there.
“It’s awesome. I think everybody in the town is happy and excited she’s there,” Stover said. “The word’s getting out. People are excited and so are we.”
A 2010 graduate of Highlands High School, Brown earned a degree in speech therapy from Penn State in 2014. While she worked for a hearing aid center for four to five years, a food truck was still something she wanted to do.
“I wanted to be my own boss,” she said.
She only did both for a year before going all-in on Main Squeeze.
“The truck got too busy,” she said.
When it came to deciding what kind of truck she would launch, she went with juice because she wanted to offer something healthy.
“I was juicing at home since I was a teenager,” she said. “I love the idea of juice. It’s good for the body.”
From the truck, Brown has sold fresh fruit smoothies, acai bowls and dragon fruit. This year, she is adding fruit teas she calls “Refreshers.”
Running her truck herself, she has been all over, from Kittanning to Robinson, using Barley as her commissary.
While the truck has just six menu items, the cafe has about 20, everything the truck offers and more.
“It’s a lot of things I like,” she said.
She also has taken on 10 employees.
Since she is open during breakfast hours, Brown has added hot foods that recently included sandwiches, a platter and pancakes. With hot foods starting at 8 a.m., she plans to have three to four hot menu items that will rotate every few weeks.
“I love breakfast,” she said. “We have the space and we have the kitchen. Why not expand the menu and have more options for the community?”
She plans to add more healthy options, such as grab-and-go salads, and boxes with fruit, cheese and nuts.
After having the storefront open less than a month, Brown said she has been humbled by the community’s support. She hopes to eventually have her own space in Tarentum.
“Now my little juice idea is starting its sixth year and doing well. Expanding feels awesome. Customers can find me more easily,” she said. “There’s nothing but excitement for the future. I’m excited to grow.”
Brian C. Rittmeyer is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Brian by email at brittmeyer@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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