Colgate University welcomed CNY’s Brewed Awakening breakfast truck to campus this fall. With the truck parked just outside of the O’Connor Campus Center (the Coop), students can purchase coffee and fresh bagel sandwiches every Wednesday and Friday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Drawing from the name, Brewed Awakening sources its ingredients mostly from Central New York. Brewed Awakening also serves at the Village of Hamilton Farmers Market every Saturday on the Village Green.
The breakfast stop offers a new food option for students on campus and for the community. Students can quickly grab a hot-and-ready breakfast sandwich between classes or enjoy a freshly brewed Utica Coffee drink while settling in to study. With bagels delivered daily from New York City, gluten-free bagels and brioche rolls from Chatham, N.Y., eggs locally farmed from Vernon, N.Y. and pastries made in-house, their products bring a taste from around the state to the table.
In the upcoming weeks, Brewed Awakening will expand their drink options through an espresso maker for hot coffee and hot chocolate.
Owner Bill Pond and his wife started Brewed Awakening due to a frustration with the lack of breakfast food trucks.
“Going out early with my wife and daughter, I’ve always felt there was a need for breakfast food trucks and a need for quality coffee,” Pond said. “We would end up eating meatballs at 9 a.m.”
However, Pond is not new to the food industry. He ran Oliveri’s Pizzeria for 13 years, from 2000 to 2014, and then Rodger’s Market before it became the Hamilton Eatery.
“I have food service experience, and I’ve always enjoyed the cooking [aspect],” Pond said.
Pond’s love of coffee has evolved throughout his life.
“I’ve definitely been a coffee snob for a while; it’s my go-to beverage,” Pond said. “When I was 15 through 17, it was Folgers coffee, but man, there are better things out there. I discovered Utica Coffee, and it’s been my go-to ever since.”
According to Pond, his wife being gluten-free inspired them to make their homemade standard and gluten-free pastries. They are currently selling a specialty gluten-free pumpkin donut.
First-year Ava Goldberg said her love of coffee brought her to try Brewed Awakening for the first time. She ordered the caramel apple butter latte.
“I love coffee. I saw it on my friend’s [Instagram] story and thought it looked amazing,” Goldberg said.
First-year Olivia Salenger ordered a pumpkin spice latte and a cream cheese bagel.
“I feel very aesthetic and in-season,” Salenger said. When she saw the food truck for the first time, she responded, “Oh my gosh, a breakfast food truck! That’s exactly what I wanted.”
Pond described his experience running Brewed Awakening.
“I enjoy being up here [outside Coop] with all the foot traffic,” Pond said. “I’m more of a morning person, so I get up at 4 a.m. and start getting things going.”
Pond described his adjustment to the new business model.
“[The main challenge has been] just learning the routines of the day,” Pond said. “If I’m on the Village Green, there’s a different time rush than on campus. I’m always learning to be faster and better for you guys.”
Brewed Awakening breakfast truck is adding food options for Colgate students to enjoy on campus, as well as community members in town. It also adds to the existing food truck options that Colgate has brought to campus this fall, along with the $5 Late Night Food Truck series.
