There's a new food truck dishing out chocolate on Union Street.
With Valentine’s Day comes flowers, hearts and chocolate ... trucks.
Last Saturday, Petru, a food truck making and selling handmade chocolates, shifted into park and opened its side window for business.
The truck will be located outside of College Green on Union Street Tuesday through Friday and in the parking lot of Premiere Video, 284 E State St., on Saturdays, Stacy Peters, the owner and operator of Petru, said.
Peters said she has lived in Athens for 10 years and started chocolatiering more than five years ago with a wholesaling business called O’Chocolate.
“I’ve always had a fascination with food trucks and loved the idea of doing this,” Peters said. “We ended up buying this big truck that just delivered oxygen around New York City and it was a big empty metal truck so a crew of people in Athens put a whole certified kitchen in here.”
Petru sells truffles and chocolate bars made from whole trade, organic chocolate, Peters said. In about two weeks the truck will also start selling pudding, homemade s’mores and hot chocolate.
Mike Antonelli, a senior studying political science, came by the truck on Union Street twice on Valentine's Day.
“My girlfriend asked me for it,” Antonelli said. “I bought her a box after brunch this morning and she finished them and now I’m back for more.”
Antonelli said he is excited to try the new features on the menu in two weeks and his girlfriend loved the chocolates.
“I think they are doing a great job,” he said. “I love the color of their truck. I love their chocolates. I haven’t tried their bars yet, but I will definitely be back.”
Brandon Blaha, a junior studying history, said he will probably get some chocolates from Petru at some point.
“It’s nice to have a chocolate truck,” Blaha said. “It should have pretty good business. It’s chocolate. People love chocolate.”
Cheyenne Sears, a senior studying french and linguistics, said she learned about the truck from a post on Facebook and wants to try it, but hasn’t gotten around to it yet
“I think it’s a really good idea,” Sears said. “I think Athens is a great place for it. I think they will sell a lot especially around this time of year ‘cause Valentine’s Day, Easter, all that.”
Peter said on the first day they gave away free truffles.
“We got completely wiped out, like there was a line down the block the whole five and a half hours,” she added.
Peters said she is excited about the new truck.
“It’s gonna be nice to know students and stuff ‘cause we have been doing so much wholesaling, I haven’t gotten to work directly with customers in a long while,” she said.
@M_PECKable
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