Vegan food truck takes root on the Outer Banks

Vegan food truck

takes root on the Outer Banks

by Danielle Puleo

In July of 2021, Natalie and Luke Harris opened the windows of Roots & Leaves Food Truck on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. This was after having left their jobs in Martinsville, Virginia, moving their family down to the island in an RV and coincidentally acquiring vintage donut making equipment off of eBay from local restaurant owners.

The COVID-19 pandemic altered the lives of many when it hit the United States in March of 2020. Natalie and Luke are no exception; they were running a fabric and textile company in Virginia at the time. Australia-native Luke had set up shop in Martinsville printing fabric for swimwear brands in the early 2000s. After meeting Natalie – at a coffee shop of all places – the two married in 2007 and Natalie ran the HR and marketing side of the company.

The pandemic forced the company to stop selling fabric and switch to making isolation gowns and face masks instead. “It was morbid,” Natalie said. “We had a good run, but sometimes you just know when it’s time for a change.” The couple decided it was time to resign and took a vacation down to the Outer Banks.

Leading up to this point, Natalie had already been selling vegan baked goods at local farmers markets. The couple had planned to open up a food truck offering vegan coffee and donuts and found vintage donut equipment for sale online. The seller just so happened to be located in Frisco, North Carolina, near where they had planned on vacationing.

Sue and Gary Patchel, owners of the Gingerbread House Bakery, had listed their donut equipment on eBay and met with Natalie and Luke for the exchange. After talking, the Harrises asked if they could set up Roots & Leaves in front of the restaurant to sell coffee and donuts, to which the Patchels’ responded: “Come on down!”

“I used to make pizzas on Friday and Saturday nights when tourists were in town during the summertime,” Luke said, “and then when we went to the Gingerbread House and they said they only make pizzas at night time, no baked goods throughout the day, that just reminded me so much of my childhood.”

Roots & Leaves was parked in front of the Gingerbread House for two weeks in June of 2021. During that time, Natalie and Luke met the Thompson family, who invited the couple to park their truck at the Avon Pier. That is when the two decided it was time to move.

The Harrises sold their house in Virginia in July, bought an RV and made their way to Frisco Woods where they lived for the summer of 2021. The food truck starting making its way up and down the beach during the summer, offering fresh Aussie style coffee and handmade vegan donuts.

You can’t miss the charcoal colored truck with bright, vibrant vegetables painted around the sides, a hot pink donut looking out the driver’s side window and an adorable

Danielle Puleo photo

Luke and Natalie Harris, owners of Roots & Leaves Food Truck

Danielle Puleo photo

Roots & Leaves Food Truck is parked right in front of the Avon Fishing Pier from Tuesday through Saturday.

Danielle Puleo photo

Left: Natalie Harris spends each morning decorating donuts one by one with unique, colorful designs that di er by the day. Right: Luke Harris grew up in Australia, where co ee culture is big, and uses his knowledge to craft Aussie-style co ees on the truck.

koala making his appearance on the passenger side. A 25-year-old espresso machine sits inside the truck along with their donut making equipment, flavorful syrups and frosting colors galore.

“We’ve always loved coffee,” said Natalie, “and the city that we were living in only had two coffee shops… and not many vegan options.” The couple found it important to offer something different and obtainable for those who have dietary restrictions. The coffee and donuts at Roots & Leaves are dairy-free with no animal product ingredients; the coffee is made with oat milk in place of cow milk and the donuts are a secret recipe that look just as good as they taste.

“I think a lot of people don’t realize the donuts are vegan and it’s changing people’s minds,” said Natalie. “There’s people that come that are not vegan and probably never will be that tell us these are the best donuts they have ever had, and I think that’s the highest compliment you could ever get.”

While Natalie is the artist behind the donut designs, Luke makes fresh batches every morning, and is the barista behind their Aussie style coffee. “Coffee culture in Australia is really full on and bigger than anywhere in the world I think,” he said. “Everything with coffee has to happen around twenty-seven seconds. If it doesn’t happen around that timeframe, it either tastes really bitter or is washed out.”

Luke explained that the 25-year old coffee machine he has on deck has to be adjusted each morning so that the weight hits right at twenty-seven seconds. “We can’t just hit a button and walk away,” he said. “The same with the donuts, a lot has to do with batter temperature and the level that drops and the time the donut stays under the oil and the oil levels.”

Luke and Natalie enjoy hand baking and hand crafting their goods, and they are happy to “lower the impact” while showing their customers a new way to consume. “I guess the point of this is to show people look you can take your daily coffee, you can take a donut and make it vegan, that’s not hard to do and it’s still really good,” Natalie offered. “We’re not on a mission, but this is a great way to introduce people to it: donuts and coffee. It’s not scary.”

Natalie and Luke planted their roots in Buxton after purchasing a home in October of 2021. Roots & Leaves Food Truck can be found right in front of the Avon Pier, with daily updates shared through both Instagram and Facebook. More information can be found at their website: www.eatrootsandleaves.com. 