Growing up in Hawaii, Lahaina DeMelloโs grandmother took her to breakfast every morning.
โI love, love, love breakfast,โ she says.
Breakfast just might be DeMelloโs favorite meal of the day, so it makes sense that sheโd open a food truck all about waffles.
Theย Lahainaโs WaffleDogsย truck officially opened its doors early this month, serving all kinds of waffles on a stick. Get a classic Belgian waffle or a Nathanโs hot dog sandwiched inside the breakfast favorite. Thereโs a pepperoni-and-mozzarella waffle with a side of marinara for dipping. DeMelloโs favorite is the breakfast version with sausage. Dessert waffles are also in the works, like a turtle version with caramel and nuts.
The Honu at Lahainaโs WaffleDogs features a Belgian waffle on a stick with powdered sugar, chocolate, caramel and crushed macadamia nuts.
โI love the idea that itโs waffles and that I can do it in the morning and also in the evening,โ DeMello says. โIf it were me, I would totally get a waffle and sausage in the evening. Iโd drizzle it with a little bit of syrup and itโs just comforting.โ
DeMello also owns the food truck Lahainaโs Shave Ice, which you may have seen at local events serving up the colorful shave ice of your dreams. (In Hawaii, DeMello says itโs called shave ice โ not shaved.)
โMe and my husband have always juggled around the idea of starting our own business,โ she says. โMy husband does a lot of remodeling on his own, but we wanted to do something together. Then the pandemic hit and it was a really weird time โ I donโt know how else to say it. Somehow, shave ice came up โ and thatโs something I can identify with and it was something I could stand behind.โ
Lahaina's Shave Ice offers more than 20 flavors, including the pictured rainbow shave ice.
DeMello knew instantly that Lahainaโs Shave Ice would be a hit.
โMy husband built out the trailer and we just took off from there,โ she says. โI feel like Iโve gotten a lot of support from the community.โ
When sheโs getting shave ice for herself, DeMello leans on the tropical flavors โ lychee, coconut, lilicoi.
โI find peopleโs (favorites) depend on where theyโre from and what they grew up with. โI always get Tigerโs Blood with cream on itโ because somebody used to take them to wherever and thatโs what they always had,โ DeMello says. โSome people really like cotton candy and bubble gum, which are flavors I didnโt originally have.โ
Lahainaโs Waffledogs has two savory options: a pizza waffle or the namesake Waffledog with a hot dog inside, pictured here.
Although Tucson winters can be warm, an icy treat in the middle of December isnโt always everyoneโs cup of tea. DeMello was searching for an idea for a winter food truck โ and WaffleDogs was born.
โShave ice is grand and so good,โ she says. โBut itโs still a little difficult (in winter) โ we can do it, but itโs not like the majority of the year. We were juggling around ideas of how and what, so we came up with WaffleDogs.โ
Although DeMello misses Hawaii, she loves Tucson.
โThe ocean is the only thing thatโs missing,โ she says.
The food trucks wonโt always be out at the same time, but you can follow their schedules on Instagram toย see where they'll be next. Find Lahaina's WaffleDogs here and Lahaina's Shave Ice here.
