Young entrepreneur brings crepe business to Wimberley

At 17, two weeks before he began his senior year in high school, Trevor Airola opened his food truck, serving crepes, in 2022. Last November, he opened the second location of his Rocky Mountain Crepes in Wimberley.

The young entrepreneur from Gruene became a crepe aficionado after sampling them during a family vacation in Colorado. After a day in the snow, “my family and I saw a crepe shop in Breckenridge that was so popular that the line stretched for 90 minutes.” The next day he went back and returned every day thereafter, developing a foodie’s enthusiasm for the paper-thin pancakes with their sweet and savory fillings.

Back home after vacation, the high school junior worked as a line cook at Muck & Fuss Craft Beer and Burgers in New Braunfels. His dream, though, was to own his own business. The idea proved to be more than a whim, taking shape in the form of a three-dimensional prototype of a food truck he modeled after the restaurant where he worked. Before showing the model to the owners of Muck & Fuss, he floated the idea to his parents who said, “If you’re going to do this, do it on your own.”

With that, Airola began working and saving money. A summer gig at a New Mexico fireworks business allowed him to put together $13,000. It wasn’t all that he needed, but it was a start. He returned to his restaurant job in New Braunfels, putting in six-day weeks and dreaming of making crepes.

That Fall, his father shared a Facebook post of a food truck that had gone out of business. Because the owners were anxious to sell it, he managed to purchase it at half the price the owners had paid six months earlier. He and his father co-signed a bank loan and in two days the food truck had passed its health department inspection. The following day, on Black Friday, Rocky Mountain Crepes made its debut at the outlet mall in San Marcos.

From there, he experimented selling crepes in several neighborhoods near New Braunfels before meeting the owners of Gruene Olive Tasting Room. He asked if he could try selling from their location on Hunter Rd.

They agreed. He could open up Saturdays and Sundays, they said, for the month of December. During the week, he attended high school and worked at his restaurant job.

“And we crushed it,” Airola said. “We were super busy every weekend.” Gruene Olive agreed to let him stay several more months until he approached them with the idea of entering into year’s lease agreement. They consented. After getting permission from the City of Gruene, he settled in.

“Jill and David of Gruene Olive were the start of me being able to grow the business. We’ve been there almost three and a half years now and have been able to establish our name. They’ve been truly amazing,” he said.

With the help of his fiancé, McKenzie Combs, the Rocky Mountain Crepes food truck became a weekend fixture. When school was out for the summer, they extended their hours to seven days a week.

After his success in Gruene, Airola looked at opening a branch in Wimberley, leasing a small building between Square Inn and My Happy Place. After making extensive improvements inside, he opened branch number two late last year on November 6.

“The community welcomed me with open arms,” he said. “It was really amazing.” Nearby business owners introduced themselves and showed their support. After putting out picnic tables with table top heaters, he bought a projector and screen and let people know that he would screen movies every Thursday night in December. An anonymous donor from Cypress Creek Church came forward and offered to cover the cost of crepes to anyone who attended movie night.

“The first week was fantastic as families showed up to watch movies and eat crepes. The next week we had double the people. Week three was even more fantastic,” Airola said.

“Afterwards, people thanked us for doing this. One woman told me, ‘this is the only time during the week that I’m able to take my family out. For us to eat free crepes and watch a movie has been really, really great.’”

With a breakfast, lunch and dinner menu of fresh, scratch-made sweet and savory crepes, some with the option to add protein, Airola has attracted both locals and tourists. When asked who his customers are, he said tourists stop by around 2:30 or 3 in the afternoon. “Shoppers want something fresh and portable so they can keep on shopping. Our custom crepe holders make that possible. And locals, who don’t want to make dinner or sit down somewhere after work, order a crepe and take it home.” Likewise, for those people who didn’t make time for breakfast, Airola says, their Hungry Texan with egg, spinach, bell pepper and onion, is their most popular breakfast crepe.

When asked what he would say to young, would-be entrepreneurs, Airola had plenty to say. “Commit 100 percent to everything but always reserve the right to change your mind. Before setting out, learn all you can by working someone else’s business. Notice the flaws in their operation that they’ve had to manage around and eliminate those from your own plans. Over time, those flaws can become unfixable. If you fail, get another job, gain experience and refine your plans.”

It’s a good time to take a risk in your twenties because you can recover. My Dad, who is also an entrepreneur, was a role model for me. He always gave me straight advice without sugarcoating anything. If you don’t have a role model or mentor, make genuine connections with everyone you meet because they can help you. Figure out what you really want to do and find a niche.”