Local Food Truck Hopes to be Part of 'Throwdown'

A Danvers-based food truck is hoping to go head-to-head next month with food trucks from the Big Apple.

Melissa “Missy” Lindeman and her husband Scott plus her brother Craig Gale all started The Cookie Monstah food truck earlier this summer. It made its debut at the .

Since then, the truck has been set up regularly on India Row near the Rose Kennedy Greenway in Boston.

But next month, the truck is hoping to take on its biggest challenge yet – the Food Truck Throwdown.

The owner of Kick Ass Cupcakes, a Boston food truck, organized the competition. But six other food trucks will also take part and online voting is happening through Saturday to determine the other trucks that will take part in the competition. The Cookie Monstah is competing in the "Sweet Stuff" category and is in the closest race, head of Frozen Hoagies 51 percent to 49 percent.

The throwdown is scheduled for Dewey Square in downtown Boston on Oct. 13. The top seven trucks from Boston will go up against their counterparts from New York City.

Lindeman has a hotel and restaurant management degree from Boston University and worked in several Boston restaurants before opening Desert Oasis next to Filene’s in Downtown Crossing in Boston. She later sold it and also worked for Starbucks for eight years.

But now a mother of four – including two who attend – she was looking for a new career. The food truck took life earlier this year when she asked herself "What do we really want to do?"

She had a hard time finding an "awesome, fresh-basked cookie." So she stated making them herself. And it comes out of a truck - complete with an oven inside. If customers stand at the window and wait long enough they'll see the dough go in and come out as a tasty cookie.

When the truck took to the road for the first time at the fireworks on July 3, Lindeman said she set up near and and proudly told all of her customers that she was from Danvers.

“It was great to say we’re from here – we’re from Danvers,” she said.

The truck was also designed in Danvers, by Adam Prentiss. Lindeman described the image created by Prentiss on the side of the truck as “palatable” and creates a “wow.”

And the cookies ae also sold at and she is in discussions with too.