Tuy Anongdeth, the woman behind the “Fresh Cool Drinks” spring roll cart has been sharing her infectious smile and family recipes with Madison for the last 18 years. Originally from Laos, Anongdeth has lived in Madison since 1999 with her husband and two kids.
With the 18th anniversary of her food truck this year, you can say Anongdeth is well-known and adored on the University of Wisconsin campus, as well as the surrounding Madison community.
Anongdeth said growing up, her family sold food, which inspired her to do the same thing here, in Madison.
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She has sold the same items from her limited menu since the establishment of her cart — fresh smoothies and burrito-sized spring rolls with an assortment of vegetables, noodles a choice of protein topped with her special sauce, all at a college student friendly price. Though Anongdeth said her spring rolls weren’t always as jumbo as they are now.
“At the beginning we sold small spring rolls,” Anongdeth said.
Her customers insisted on larger spring rolls, and Anongdeth always wanted to make her customers happy. The burrito-sized spring rolls are $5 for vegetables and an extra $1 for a choice of added protein.
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And when asked about her well-known peanut sauce, Anongdeth said the inspiration comes from her mother.
“My mom is the best cook, like really good, and this is from my family recipe,” Anongdeth said.
Anongdeth spoke highly of her mother’s cooking, which had a large impact on her recipes and love of providing to others.
“You make it from the heart,” Anongdeth said when asked about the most important ingredient in her recipes.
Anongdeth loves all of her customers and the personal relationships she has created, but she especially loves homecoming weekend, when she can see her old customers and say hi.
“I love everything” Anongdeth stated when asked about her favorite part of running her food truck.
What is not to love? Being greeted with a contagious smile and treated with a satisfying, healthy meal at a low cost is the perfect refreshment year-round.
With the recent approval to bring late night food truck vending to State Street, Anongdeth sadly will not be participating. However, you can find her cart located outside of Memorial Library during the week. You can also find her on Saturday mornings when the Dane County Farmers Market on the capitol square returns.
