High school senior raises money for college by selling gourmet waffles from food truck in Clarksville

Waffles aren't just for breakfast.

At least that's the position taken by Thomas Reboullet, Long Reach High School senior, varsity ice hockey player and co-founder of Thomas Waffles, a food truck business he started with his father, pastry chef Thierry; and sister, Julie, an eighth-grader at Mayfield Woods Middle School.

The family sells waffles out of a truck parked in front of Kendall Hardware in Clarksville every Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Reboullet, 17, came up with the idea earlier this year, when he decided he wanted to start a project that could raise some money for college. He pitched the food truck plan to his dad, who was immediately on board.

Thomas Reboullet chose a food truck business model because it was something he hadn't seen much of in Howard County. While food trucks are exploding in popularity in cities like Baltimore; Washington, D.C.; and New York, they are just starting to take hold in the suburbs. (See accompanying article.)

"There's really nothing like that in Howard County, so I wanted to do something unique," Reboullet said.

He cited lower costs and the flexibility to change locations as other benefits.

Once the family had their goal in mind, the next steps were to find a truck and a suitable location.

Thierry Reboullet found a new truck on the Internet, and he and a neighbor drove 16 hours one way to buy it, then drove it back home to Maryland. Reboullet and his son then outfitted the truck to fit their needs.

As for the location, while driving by Kendall Hardware one day, the family noticed a produce stand in the parking lot. They approached owner Steve Kendall to see if they might be able to sell their waffles out front, too.

Kendall agreed to let them use a spot in his parking lot, free of charge.

"He's just a local guy in business for the right reasons," he said of Thierry Reboullet. "It's a neat story, and his product is great."

Reboullet, a pastry chef with 30 years of experience, trained in France before moving to the United States to work for French bakery and restaurant La Madeleine. He is originally from Saint-Félicien, a town in the south of France, but has lived in this country for the past two decades.

Thomas Reboullet said his father's influence inspired him to be a chef himself.

"Ever since I was little, I've always watched him in the kitchen. That's what gave me the idea to do this," he said. "With all his skill sets, I knew we could be successful with food."

That's not to say there haven't been some hurdles along the way.

In the beginning, the waffle batter would sometimes overflow, oozing out the sides of the waffle iron.

"We had to tweak the recipe a bit" to get it right, Reboullet said.

But since opening May 27, the Reboullets seem to have gotten the hang of things. They're now used to handling the long lines that appear during the breakfast rush Saturday mornings.

Sweet and savory