Since moving their mobile food business to Milwaukee in 2017, Lumpia City food truck owners Alexa Reyes and Samantha Klimaszewski have made a name for themselves with their unique, non-traditional takes on Fillipino lumpia.
Their unique fillings have run the gamut from savory options like macaroni and cheese, Sriracha pork and chicken poblano to sweet versions like PB&J, caramel apple and cranberry cobbler. They’ve also made a point to mark special occasions with limited edition offerings like grilled shrimp taco lumpia for Cinco de Mayo and Reuben and corned beef hash lumpia for St. Patrick’s Day.
This year, in celebration of Pride Month, they’ve got a brand new flavor up their sleeves: fruity flakes cheesecake lumpia, a tasty combination of cheesecake base, graham cracker crust, Fruity Pebbles cereal and a few other magically delicious ingredients thrown in for good measure.
And it’s a sweet treat that Reyes says she hopes customers will enjoy, share and use to celebrate the freedom to be exactly who they want to be.
"For me, Pride is about living a life of authenticity," she says. "And it’s been a blessing to be open about who we are. For Sam and I both, we grew up in families where there wasn’t the support to freely be who we were, so there were a lot of secrets and a struggle to really be true to ourselves.
"These days, we’ve made it our mission to be vocal, stand up and lead by example. If we can inspire people by showing them that a gay couple can run a successful business and be open and inspire people to be themselves, then that’s what this is all about."
The first batch of fruity flakes cheesecake lumpia sold out quickly. But another round is due to be available for pre-order in packs of 10 for $16 in the coming days. To be notified when ordering opens, sign up for the Lumpia City newsletter on their web site.
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Like most small businesses, Lumpia City has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Food Truck events, catering gigs and special events have been cancelled throughout the city, leaving them to come up with creative solutions to delivery their lumpia to hungry customers.
To better meet customer needs, they have worked hard to identify retail outlets to carry their 10-packs of ready-to-bake lumpia. Currently, the lumpia are available for purchase in the frozen section at Ray’s Wine & Spirits, 8930 W North Ave. Flavors include five cheese mac, Korean beef, Sriracha pork and chicken enchilada.
Reyes and Klimaszewski are also currently working on a partnership which will allow them to ship ready-to-bake lumpia to locations across the Midwest, including Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota and both North and South Dakota.
Follow their progress by signing up for their newsletter and following them on Facebook and Instagram.
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
