The Utah Valley Food Truck Faceoff, with a number of tasteful participants, is nearing its end and as it reaches the final round, two local food trucks stand head-to-head to grab the number one spot. As the finale draws to a close on Wednesday afternoon, Waffle Love and Cupbop hold their breaths to see who takes the stage as the winner. Let’s take a closer look at both the immensely successful food trucks and their owners:

Waffle Love

It is owned by Adam Terry, who was previously a banker, who grew up with a love for food, thanks in part, to his family, who largely valued good food. Adam worked in a few restaurants however, with a family to support , venturing into the food business didn’t seem like a good idea to him at the time. After losing his banking job, pursuing his passion remained the only wise choice and boy, is he glad that he took the risk.

It was a terribly crazy move for Terry at the time or so he remembers, but if you desire something enough it eventually paves its way into your life. Cashing in some of the investments they had, the couple bought a truck, perfected their waffle recipes, and started Waffle Love.

Success soon followed, as they became one of the most successful food trucks in the Utah Valley. Soon after, they opened a restaurant on State Street and with their participation in “The Great Food Truck Race” leading them to the finale, national exposure helped to and a nudge in the right direction.

Being among the first few successful food trucks, Terry feels it serves as an inspiration to others to start a food truck business as well, and serve food lovers in different ways.

Cupbop Korean BBQ

Korean food was never very popular in Utah Valley but with the launch of Cupbop two years back, that has all changed. The founder, Jihyung Park, previously worked as an advertising associate in the food industry, allowing him to collaborate with dozens of eateries. At a restaurant convention held a few years back, he realized there were no Korean offerings and with the rising popularity of food trucks in Salt Lake City, he quickly partnered with fellow founders Jong Kim and Jung Song to start Cupbop – a unique Korean food truck.

What’s unique and interesting about their service style is the fact that they are not only able to serve food under 30 seconds; yes, that is how long it takes to prepare a bowl and serve it, but prepare it in a fun way that creates a lively ambience. The Cupbop brand is famous for its Korean barbecue bowl combined with a sauce, which the owners observed and remains popular with Americans.

At the time of its launch, Cupbop may have been struggling due to lack of awareness of Korean food but the trio successfully worked to change that. Much of their success has been due to their unique style of serving and customer interaction. It now also has sit-down locations near Utah Valley University, and Brigham Young University with a booth in the EnergySolutions arena.

Now let’s wait and watch who wins this epic food battle and until then, don’t forget to pick up some delicious food from your favorite Utah Valley food truck.