[media-credit name="Michael Gu" align="alignright" width="300"][/media-credit]Schmear It
Mobile, check Twitter for daily locations@SchmearIt

(215)792–3892

Price: $

Don’t miss: The Loxsmith, Nutty Naner

Skip: Anything that resembles an ordinary bagel (there are too many exciting flavors you’ll miss out on)

Just when you thought there was already a food truck for every craving you could desire, out comes Schmear It: a bagel– oriented truck founded by Penn alumnus Dave Fine. Sporting a flashy red design, Fine’s food truck rotates around the Uni- versity City area over the week- end, catering to schools like Drexel and Penn.

At first glance, Schmear It seems to have transformed the common bagel–with–spread into a highly specialized gour- met food item. Tons of spread choices—including various flavors of cream cheeses, as well as toppings ranging from cucumbers to chopped nuts— fill the menu board. I sampled two of their specialty bagels, the Loxsmith ($7) and the Stuffed French Toast ($5.50). Eager to try the lox—I had yet to discover a delicious bagel with lox on campus—I took a bite. Bagel heaven. The crispy, chewy bagel, combined with the rich spread and small pieces of salmon sprinkled throughout was the perfect blend of creamy and savory goodness. Hints of green on- ions and other spices ensure an exciting blend of tastes.

[media-credit name="Michael Gu" align="alignleft" width="300"][/media-credit]The Stuffed French toast bagel was drizzled with maple syrup, spread with sweet cream cheese and topped with chopped nuts, strawberries and cinnamon. This bagel is truly for the French toast, breakfast–food–loving aficionado. The delicious bagel goes perfectly with a cup of coffee to balance out the sweetness of the spread.

Despite having no tradi- tional culinary background, Fine opened the truck af- ter noticing the disappoint- ing lack of “build your own schmear” bagel shops in Philly. Realizing that food trucks were portable, trendy and fun, Fine came up with the plan for Schmear It in August of 2013. His ideas for his specialty bagels, such as the Sriracha–inspired Flam- ing Islander and the Nutty Naner (peanut butter, Nutella and banana on a bagel), come from brainstorming with family and friends. “It’s sort of logical...if you sit down and really think about bagels, you’ll eventually come up with tons of ideas,” said Fine. Inspired by comapnies like Tom's Shoes and Warby Parker, the truck also has a social mission: the team donates a portion of its proceeds to community causes on a bi-weekly basis.

Penn students are all about multitasking,soifyouwant to spice up your brunch while also supporting the local community with each bite, look no further than Schmear It.

 

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