KALISPELL — The Flathead Food Truck Festival is back in Kalispell for its 7th year, drawing crowds with 30 food trucks serving cuisines from around the world — and raising money for culinary scholarships at Flathead Valley Community College.
The festival started small. Founder Barbara Veverka launched the event during the start of the pandemic, when she recognized that her food truck business, and others like it, needed a community boost.
"I figured a little something would be good for the community and for the food trucks, and it started small and was a fun little project, and it's turned into this," Veverka said.
The event has since become a community staple. Glacier Shave Ice has attended all 7 years of the festival.
"It's pretty cool seeing how much it's grown over the years and just that we have this much support from the community," Glacier Shave Ice owner Levi Nickel said.
The Sugarhouse is attending for the 5th year. Owner Wendy Barney said the collaboration among food truck vendors is what keeps her coming back.
"I love the people. They are supportive, you learn new things from them, they're always helping me fix something when it breaks, and they have amazing food," Barney said.
As the festival has grown, organizers have found a new way to give back. In 2025, the festival became a non-profit, with all proceeds going toward a scholarship at Flathead Valley Community College.
"In 2025, we became a non-profit. Everything we do, we're trying to give back to the community. We donate 100% of our funds to the scholarship at the college to get some new chefs out there, trying to get the kids cooking," Veverka said.
