Canteen Cuties

Canteen Cuties

“Success Story -Seeds of Change – Thriving with their own business”

Today I had the pleasure of meeting with Heather Bouffard, and Kimberly Ciarciello.  Heather and Kimberly met when they were living in the same group home.  They are also known as the Canteen Cuties. Canteen Cuties is the name of a food truck that they started together. Their business began in October of 2021 and is going strong. It is based out of Meriden, CT.

When asked what inspired them to want to start their own business, Kim replied, “the money”. Other factors included Kim being on a waiting list for Arc Eatery and wanting to work with food. Heather was already working for Arc Eatery and had approximately ten years of experience. It was both Kim and Heather’s mom Pauline’s idea to go into business together. Fortunately, they were eligible for a DDS employment grant, and Heather's mom Pauline was willing and able to be their financial advisor. When I asked how they came up with the name, Heather’s mom stated, “it is a canteen truck and the girls are kind of cute, so why don’t we call it, Canteen Cuties”

Some of the challenges the ladies faced in setting up their business were to obtain an LLC. To make this possible, Heather and Kim had to consult an attorney. They also attended meetings to obtain a food service license. Now that the truck is up and open for business, they meet every week to decide the menu based upon what is selling most. The most challenging part of having a food truck are the picky customers. I asked them what are the benefits for you?   Heather said, “I get to work with my mom”.  Kim said, “I get to cook, bake, eat and work with my staff member Marty”. Both Heather and Kim want the business to grow to make more money. 

Canteen Cuties has become so popular in a such a short period of time.

I have tried their food many times and I can see why everyone can’t wait until their food truck arrives!  For orders the email address is canteencuties@gmail.com

Written by: Carol Grabbe