Dessert trucks deliver on-the-go treats with a touch of whimsy

Next on the menu for a bougie makeover? Dessert.

Desserts for weddings and other big events have strayed from the traditional three-tier cake for years—from cookies and candy to pies and donuts, whatever tempts your sweet tooth is fair game. Now, a new wave of food trucks is taking that to the next level, delivering delicious desserts in style.

Better yet, rather than traditional catering that drops off goods to be displayed on a table and then cleaned up later, trucks can park, party and then pack up, leaving nothing but happy guests and a few crumbs in their wake.

This new trend has also ushered in a new player in the event dessert game: ice cream in all its forms. Thanks to the tricked-out food trucks as well as mobile serving stations, frozen treats can charm your attendees without the melty mess that usually accompanies DIY scooping.

Here is a sample of some of Western New York’s dessert food trucks. Don’t blame us if your mouth is watering by the end!

The Yummmm Truck

If you’re looking for retro-cool vibes and bingeable, nostalgic treats, this is where you’ll find them. Launched in 2021, this European micro-van is outfitted like a mini-VW bus and packed to the brim with more than 75 varieties of candy, plus snacks and ice cream novelties. Owner Melissa Mastantuono says she wanted something of her own as she turned 40, something that would make people smile.

“The van starts the conversation,” she says. “People get so much joy out of it—everyone has a favorite treat, and it just connects you with that feeling of fun and of being a kid.”

Sweet Melody’s Artisan-crafted Gelato

You can get Sweet Melody’s homemade gelato and sorbet (along with Italian desserts) at its food truck, but we’re even more excited about its mobile serving station for events indoors and out—all Sweet Melody’s needs is a single standard outlet. They can fit nine to 12 flavors of gelato or sorbet (we’re talking flavors from crème brûlée to peach zinfandel) in an elegant, glass-fronted display, and everything from spoons to servers are included.

Sweet Shack

Bridgett LaRusch and her husband Justin just acquired the Sweet Shack in May 2022, but you might have seen it over the last decade operating as the Yogurt Shack. Specializing in delicious soft-serve ice cream, sorbet and frozen yogurt, the Sweet Shack offers a choice of four syrups and 10 bottomless toppings, served cereal-bar style. Its white beadboard and minimalist neon sign give the self-sustaining box trailer a classy yet casual look.

Ice Cream & Chill

Sporting a fun, aqua-and-pink paint job, this food truck serves up homemade custard ice cream, hand-crafted to offer a richer and creamier treat. Owner Kelly Butler is just 23 and has helmed her truck for the last two years, but she’s long been in the ice cream business—her mom owns several ice cream shops of her own.

Ice Cream & Chill serves fun flavors like birthday cake (buttercream ice cream with pound cake and sprinkles) and cookie monster (blue vanilla ice cream with Oreos, cookie dough pieces and edible googly eyes), with new creations to be announced soon for the 2023 season.

A dessert mainstay, on the move

Some things never go out of style, and in Western New York, that includes Anderson’s Frozen Custard. A mainstay for decades, Anderson’s has six brick-and-mortar locations all over Erie County, and in 2016, it rolled out a food truck and took its beloved menu on the road.

Housed in a totally transformed, former mobile blood donation bus, Anderson’s food truck serves all of the brand’s handmade ice cream treats, including cones, floats, milkshakes (regular or extra thick), sundaes and ice cream sandwiches. They also offer a non-dairy frozen dessert option, as well as select sandwiches and sides from Anderson’s full menu—in fact, they’re the only truck in WNY to serve both food and dessert from one truck, says Anderson’s Director of Operations Torsten Wildermuth.

You can check out the website to book the truck for a private event and check where it will be day to day, and follow along with the #andersonsfoodtruck hashtag for the latest information.