Mia Nichols is an Iowa State student who is pursuing a master’s in entrepreneurship and using her education in a creative way.
Nichols’ mother grew up in France and enjoyed teaching her kids about her heritage from a young age.
“She wanted to make sure my younger brother and I were raised with the French culture as well, so one thing we would do are crêpe nights,” Nichols said. “We’d bring out all the toppings from ham and cheese, straight sugar, to Nutella and strawberries.”
In March 2023, Nichols traveled to France and tried multiple different kinds of crêpes herself. This is when she decided to combine her love for traveling and her love for French foods into a food truck.
“The name is based on the French phrase c’est la vie, which means this is life,” Nichols said. “C’est la crêpe literally translates to, ‘it’s the crêpe.’”
The company has multiple different types of authentic French crêpes, including sweet flavors with fruits, Nutella or candy and savory flavors with meats, cheeses or vegetables. Their menu also includes galettes, a French pastry, made with buckwheat flour traditionally used in France.
Nichols also wrote about how her company makes a point to encourage sustainability.
“It’s important to me that we serve our customers and the Earth the best we can,” Nichols wrote. “We try to recycle everything we can, getting compostable serving supplies, teaching employees about food waste, etc.”
Her company has been to multiple different events around the midwest, including the Taste of Omaha, Hinterland Music Festival and farmers’ markets in Ames, Council Bluffs and Omaha.
Nichols has also been to catering events like graduation parties, and is hoping to get more into catering events in the upcoming year. Specifically, graduation parties, weddings, social corporate events and anything else.
Nichols is very passionate about her business and said her favorite part of running her food truck is being able to meet new people and connecting with other people. If you have an event coming up, “C’est la Crêpe” would love to provide your event with authentic French crêpes.
If you want to see more about “C’est la Crêpe,” their Facebook page will be linked here.
