If you haven’t tried The Wandering Chef, more commonly referred to by students as “The Dumpling Cart”, there is a big chance that you’ve seen it perched outside Smith and Purnell Hall every weekday. For years, Chef Mike and his wife Lauren have been living out their culinary dreams and serving delicious Asian, Cuban and home-style meals out of their wandering truck. The flavors of their dishes surpass the expectations one might have for a typical food truck. This is because Chef Mike has an eclectic cooking style that fuses flavors of different cultures together to create mouthwatering meals.
Beyond their food, another reason The Wandering Chef is a great place to eat on campus is Mike and Lauren themselves. They are always friendly, considerate of their customers and whip out their food so fast, you could buy and eat a meal in between classes. As an added bonus, a free cup of tea comes with every purchase, and nothing on the menu is over eight dollars. Talk about catering to a broke college student’s needs.
If you don’t pass Smith or Purnell during the day but still want to know their daily specials, don’t fret. Follow their Twitter and Instagram accounts @wanderingcart. We caught up with Chef Mike himself to get a behind the scenes look at one of UD’s unofficial landmarks.