News
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Have Cooker Will Travel is truly a family business.
Lee VanHouten took over the catering company from his dad who retired after 15 years cooking in Las Vegas. VanHouten brought the mobile cooker to his native Grand Junction six years ago, and enlisted the help of his grown kids to help him run the catering business.
“I'm an onsite, full-service caterer,” VanHouten said. All the meat, whether pork, chicken, ribs or beef, is cooked and cut at the event.
VanHouten uses fruit woods from local orchards to stoke his cooker — also good for baking potatoes.
To go with the pork ribs, beef sandwiches and other meat dishes, VanHouten prepares a variety of side dishes — coleslaw, baked beans, pasta salads, corn-on-the-cob when in season, and brownies.
“We serve lots of fresh, local stuff,” VanHouten said.
Business slowed some during the recession but as employers start hiring back workers, business has picked up, VanHouten said.
He'll be cooking Thursday, April 7, for Western Colorado Truck Center, 711 Raptor Road in Fruita, for an open house when they will be delivering four compressed natural gas trucks to the city of Grand Junction to use for trash collection.
The center's operation manager Ed Gibeck was looking for someone to cater the event when he discovered Have Cooker Will Travel.
“He provided a mini lunch as a sample and that's when we decided to hire him,” Gibeck said. “It was excellent barbecue.”
VanHouten started working with the Grand Junction Business Incubator six years ago when he brought the cooker from Las Vegas to Grand Junction. He leases storage space monthly, and kitchen space hourly.
At the Incubator he's enrolled in several business classes, and learned social media marketing techniques from Incubator staff.
“I probably do 50 percent of my business through my website,” VanHouten said. “It surprised me.”
Lee VanHouten took over the catering company from his dad who retired after 15 years cooking in Las Vegas. VanHouten brought the mobile cooker to his native Grand Junction six years ago, and enlisted the help of his grown kids to help him run the catering business.
“I'm an onsite, full-service caterer,” VanHouten said. All the meat, whether pork, chicken, ribs or beef, is cooked and cut at the event.
VanHouten uses fruit woods from local orchards to stoke his cooker — also good for baking potatoes.
To go with the pork ribs, beef sandwiches and other meat dishes, VanHouten prepares a variety of side dishes — coleslaw, baked beans, pasta salads, corn-on-the-cob when in season, and brownies.
“We serve lots of fresh, local stuff,” VanHouten said.
Business slowed some during the recession but as employers start hiring back workers, business has picked up, VanHouten said.
He'll be cooking Thursday, April 7, for Western Colorado Truck Center, 711 Raptor Road in Fruita, for an open house when they will be delivering four compressed natural gas trucks to the city of Grand Junction to use for trash collection.
The center's operation manager Ed Gibeck was looking for someone to cater the event when he discovered Have Cooker Will Travel.
“He provided a mini lunch as a sample and that's when we decided to hire him,” Gibeck said. “It was excellent barbecue.”
VanHouten started working with the Grand Junction Business Incubator six years ago when he brought the cooker from Las Vegas to Grand Junction. He leases storage space monthly, and kitchen space hourly.
At the Incubator he's enrolled in several business classes, and learned social media marketing techniques from Incubator staff.
“I probably do 50 percent of my business through my website,” VanHouten said. “It surprised me.”
