Entrepreneurial couple Juliet Tran and Jared Doyle opened Tastea, the first and only Korean corn dog and bubble tea business in Louisiana, on March 2 with the goal of bringing a new slate of diverse flavors to the state.
Before opening Tastea, the Sorrento natives were working 9-to-5 jobs, but always knew they wanted to start a business together, working for two years to develop the right concept.
“It was definitely a work in progress,” says Tran. “We were still having everyday lives while still trying to make this business, so it just made it all more easier just to do it together.”
|
|
|
The couple played around with a few ideas for their business: turkey legs, ice cream and mochi donuts, to name a few. But it was after traveling to states like Texas, California and New York, and noticing the popularity of Korean corn dog businesses in these areas (and on social media) that Tran and Doyle felt inspired to bring something new to Baton Rouge.
“You go from corner-to-corner and you kind of see some of the same things,” says Doyle. “We want to stand out and try to bring more of different cultures here for people to try new things.”
The Tastea menu includes four Korean corn dog flavors to choose from. The food truck offers classic Korean corn dogs with their Tastea Dog flavor. The Spicy Dog is topped with hot Cheeto powder and their homemade spicy sauce, while the Potato Dog is rolled in diced potatoes with the same spicy toppings. The Ramen Dog is covered in uncooked ramen noodles, creating a savory flavor. Fillings include beef sausage, mozzarella or both.
“I think that the cheese pull is what gets people,” says Tran. “People wait in line just so they can take a picture of this cheese pull and the cheese pull never fails anybody.”
The Tastea food truck also specializes in flavorful drinks, including fruit teas, milk teas, slushies and smoothies—with classic tea flavors like taro, coffee and honeydew, with toppings like tapioca pearls, lychee jelly and custard. Their Thai-Ger Thai tea and Tropical Passion slushie are just two out of the eleven flavors offered on their Chef’s Favorites menu.
|
|
|
Tran and Doyle’s originally planned to open Tastea as a storefront, but changed course due to the impact of COVID-19. Find them today operating out of their signature black and white food truck, stamped with the business’ boba-drinking puppy logo.
Their future goal is to open a permanent storefront location in Baton Rouge. From there, Tran and Doyle want to branch out and bring the food truck to new locations outside of the Capital Area.
Tastea is located on 5531 Jones Creek Road. Follow their Instagram for updates at @tastea_.