Starfruit Cafe Debuts Chicago's First "Flat Belly" Food Truck

CHICAGO, June 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Starfruit Cafe, a subsidiary of Chicago-based Lifeway Foods, Inc., is on a roll this summer. Literally. In addition to their four freestanding locations, plus new concession areas at Wrigley and Ravinia, they will be unveiling a mobile food truck specially designed to deliver Chicagoans a delicious frozen fix. The traveling treats, which will include their newest mango flavor, are packed with probiotic kefir (a "flat belly power food") and contain 22 calories and zero grams of fat per ounce.  Hot on the heels of the food truck trend, the locations will be announced daily via Facebook and Twitter.

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Chicago boasts over 6,200 restaurants, and while only 22 of them have caught on to the food truck trend, Starfruit is right on track according to major influencers in the food and trade media. Food & Wine Magazine recently awarding the coveted 'Best New Chef' award to a mobile food mogul, Fast Casual Magazine included multiple food truck vendors in its annual 'Top 100 Mover's and Shakers', and the National Restaurant Association named food trucks a 'top trend' in their 2011 report. Lifeway Foods, Inc. President and CEO, Julie Smolyansky says, "We wanted to take advantage of the mobile food truck trend since it allows us to deliver our unique Starfruit product on the go.  It's a great way to satiate our customers and also gives us the flexibility to get our tart and tangy frozen kefir into the hands of future Starfruit lovers throughout the city. It's the perfect way to help social network-savvy Chicagoans beat the heat this summer!"

In the spirit of summer, Starfruit Cafe will be adding a new, fresh mango flavor on July 1st to round out the roster of creamy cult favorites like pomegranate, peach, cherry, chocolate truffle and birthday cake. All of the frozen kefir concoctions are packed with more than twice the probiotic content of yogurt, with almost half the calories, and offer other health benefits like stimulating digestion and supporting the immune system.

The show-stopping pink truck, which is adorned with bright images of fresh fruit and the famous frozen kefir swirl, will be making pit stops to cool down several of Chicago's hottest summer events including all three Cubs Way Festivals at Wrigley Field: Cubs vs. Yankees Series, Cubs vs. White Sox series and Cubs vs. Cardinals series. The Starfruit Truck will also land at the Dave Matthews Band Caravan Event at Lakeside.  

In addition to the launch of the "Flat Belly" food truck, Starfruit will be supporting "active culture" at the city's most popular events like: the Taste of Randolph, Taste of Chicago, Gold Coast Art Fair, Wicker Park Fest, Taste of Lincoln, Lollapalooza, Renegade Art Festival, and the Bucktown 5k. Sports fans and music aficionados can also cool their cravings since Starfruit frozen kefir is available in the concessions at Wrigley and Ravinia all summer. Starfruit is also available to cater parties and events.  

ABOUT STARFRUIT CAFE: Launched in 2008, Starfruit Cafe is an arm of Lifeway Foods, Inc. (LWAY) - America's leading supplier of the cultured dairy products known as kefir and organic kefir.  Made with delicious probiotic-filled Lifeway Kefir, Starfruit Cafe's frozen treats, custom parfaits and low-fat smoothies aid digestion, support immunity, promote weight loss, and help fight lactose intolerance. Frozen treat enthusiasts are free to create their own delicious frozen kefir masterpiece with plenty of healthy toppings from which to choose.  For more information, visit www.starfruitcafe.com, call 312-527-3675, or join the Starfruit conversation at twitter.com/starfruitcafe or facebook.com/starfruitcafe.

Starfruit Cafe retail stores are located at 1745 W. Division in Wicker Park; 2142 N. Halsted in Lincoln Park; Block 37, Pedway Level, 108 N. State in Chicago's Loop; and in the Merchandise Mart at 222 Merchandise Mart Plaza. Starfruit frozen kefir is also served in the main concourse concession at Wrigley Field and in the Carousel ice cream shop at Ravinia.

Press contact:
Joe Cutaia
312.265.8373
[email protected]

SOURCE Lifeway Foods, Inc.