University of Connecticut-based food truck, Lizzie’s Curbside, celebrated its 34th anniversary yesterday. Although the official anniversary of Lizzie’s was on Feb. 1, the celebration was held instead on the following Monday, Feb. 3.
The truck is run by Elizabeth “Lizzie” Searing and her husband Joie Searing. For their celebration of 34 years, the truck served free cake alongside their regular menu items. In addition to the cake, the event was attended by UConn members of the Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity (ΚΚΨ) and the Tau Beta Sigma Honorary Band Sorority (ΤΒΣ), who played music to accompany the celebration.
Lizzie first began servicing UConn in 1991, starting with a hot dog cart. “It’s always been here,” Lizzie said. “I start with a hot dog cart, and then I had an enclosed hot dog cart, and then I had a much smaller version of this,” she explained, gesturing towards her food truck. Inside the food truck is Joie Searing, working on orders for their customers.
“I’ve had thousands of regulars, and I’ve watched them graduate,” Lizzie explained when discussing the truck’s connection to UConn. “I, now — one of the things I said on Facebook is: 34 years ago, the customers that I had, I now serve their kids!”
Lizzie originally worked as a caterer in Hartford, Connecticut before moving to Coventry. Just before leaving, the chef she worked with recommended opening a hot dog cart at UConn. “He says, ‘You should open up a hot dog cart,’” Lizzie reminisced. “‘You’d make a killing!’ And that’s what I did.” She described the intense cold of her first day in February, making $100 for her first effort.
“It’s been great,” Lizzie said about her time working Lizzie’s Curbside at UConn. “It’s my life, you know? Literally, it’s my life, this place.”
Currently, Lizzie’s Curbside is staffed entirely by Lizzie and her husband, but it’s not the only help she gets. UConn students can volunteer at the food truck, one such volunteer being Kaytlyn Carnahan, a sixth-semester student at UConn majoring in psychology with a minor in child development.
Carnahan ran the cake table for the event. She began volunteering at Lizzie’s towards the beginning of her fall semester in 2024, and she noted that she and Lizzie quickly became close, and Carnahan has continued to volunteer since.
“I love it,” Carnahan said about her experience with Lizzie’s Curbside. “She’s the most positive person ever, and she’s always willing to give out food and always willing to help people. And she’s just such a positive person to be around.”
Carnahan noted that Lizzie’s dog, Melo, is often sitting outside the truck while the Searings work. “Everyone comes to say hi to Melo, and then I’m kind of just there, so you get into conversation with people. But yeah, it’s a great way to connect with people on campus.”
Lizzie’s anniversary celebration was also attended by the Director of Pre-Professional Advising at UConn, Dr. Sarah Scheidel. “I’ve been working at UConn for 11 years, and I think I’ve been coming to Lizzie’s … probably since I started in 2014,” Scheidel said. “I used to work in the Psych building when I first started, and I could smell bacon,” she joked, noting that she even recommends students visit Lizzie’s.
“There’s a lot of things that are a rite of passage here at UConn,” Scheidel explained. To Scheidel, going to Lizzie’s is one of these essential parts of UConn. “Not only for the food, but you’re greeted by a smile. It’s a little piece of home, hopefully, for folks that, if they’re missing it, it’s a good way to get it.”
Throughout the event, Lizzie made sure to express her excitement and her energy. She took photos of and with the pep band organized by ΚΚΨ and ΤΒΣ, and a selfie with Carnahan while the band played. She chatted with her customers as she and her husband worked, many of whom wished her a happy anniversary.
The Vice President of Music for the Gamma Kappa chapter of ΤΒΣ, Ashton Tyler, conducted the pep band. When alerting Lizzie that the band was about to start, Tyler wished her a happy anniversary. With enthusiasm, Lizzie simply responded with “Oh, geez, don’t make me cry now!” After the band finished, she offered free sandwiches to its members.
Vice President of Membership for the Gamma Kappa chapter of ΤΒΣ, Olivia Grant, expressed her excitement for the event with Lizzie. “It’s sharing music with the community,” Grant explained. “Doing something like this for the community helps the whole band connect with the UConn community.” Grant is a sixth-semester student majoring in journalism and communications.
President of the Delta Omicron chapter of ΚΚΨ, Shane Mola, expressed a similar sentiment. “At the end of the day, our main goal is to help serve the band, provide music for people and make music an awesome thing,” he said. “We like to play at community events like Lizzie’s [anniversary].” Mola is in his eighth semester at UConn, majoring in ecology and evolutionary biology.
Lizzie’s Curbside is now entering its 35th year at UConn, every year of which has been spent on Whitney Road, just outside the Henry Ruthven Monteith Building. The truck is open Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.