Meet Bri Yatsko | Kitchen Manager & Food Truck Marketing Guru

We had the good fortune of connecting with Bri Yatsko and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bri, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
My husband Nick and I own two small businesses in Colorado Springs, Colorado. One is a small gourmet sausage food truck, Solsage Food Truck and the other is a commercial kitchen, The Link Commissary Kitchen. Our food truck proudly serves a variety of simple, but fresh and delicious Americana items – including our own scratch made gourmet sausage! We serve our local community neighborhoods, city events, school functions, non-profit events, the local military community and so much more. We connect with our community by serving fresh food, from locally sourced ingredients, that’s made with intention!

Each year Solsage hosts a public event called Sausage Fest, where sausage makers from all over the state of Colorado compete in a sample style competition cook-off, vying for “Best Sausage in Colorado”. We invite other local artisanal food makers to participate in a vendor capacity to sell their goods. A portion of our ticket proceeds go to a different non-profit of our choice each year and the cook-off participants are compensated for their samples. We also co-host the 719 Battle of The Food Trucks, where 40+ of the city’s best food trucks compete to win the reigning title. This event also benefits a local non-profit each year and food trucks are compensated for their samples as well. Our intention with these events is to expand the food-centric event space in Colorado Springs and introduce new and exciting culinary experiences to our city. We want our community to be invested and engaged with the new and unique food offerings in COS and what better way than creating a family friend, competitive environment to sample foods and create fun memories?

We also do our best to give back to those in need by donating food and contributing to fundraisers and non-profits as often as possible.

Our kitchen however, has a much larger impact among small business owners. A commissary kitchen, by definition, is a rentable commercial kitchen where foodservice operators can prepare and store their food. We provide a variety of prep space, cold storage, dry storage, cleaning supplies and cooking equipment to support any number of food service operations. Our kitchen houses 25+ diverse entrepreneurs and small food businesses operating in El Paso County. We house food trucks, caterers, private chefs, bakers and artisanal food producers – almost anything you can think of!

The Link provides small business support by serving as an incubator for these small food concepts and providing a cost-effective and well-equipped space for these entrepreneurs. Our commissary helps foster the growth of local businesses, which in turn encourages entrepreneurship and innovation in the Springs. We’re very proud of the businesses we work with every day and personally support them as well. Opening a new business can be challenging, scary and expensive and we pride ourselves in offering a lower cost rent and do not place hourly limitations on our clients to help foster the creative process.

Our kitchen also serves as hub for collaboration and networking among small business owners. We aren’t called “The Link” for nothing! I have witnessed this lead to partnerships, shared resources, and the creation of new food-related initiatives that ultimately contributes to the local “foodie” culture that’s blossoming beautifully in our city and putting the COS food scene on the map.

The Link serves as a dynamic economic catalyst for our local community, leading to job creation, business growth, increased economic activity and various positive ripple effects that benefit both small business owners and our local residents. I truly believe our commissary has become an integral part of this community’s diverse economic landscape. We love where we live and we’re proud to be just a small part of providing support to local food businesses.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
The start of my career did not in anyway indicate that I would be where I am today. Aside from working as a waitress in college, I had essentially zero other food service experience. I graduated from Penn State University with a Bachelors in Marketing and Communications and an Associates in Graphic Design and Advertising in 2017. I was starry eyed and excited to jump into Corporate America and climb the proverbial ladder on the East Coast. I hopped around to various industries, trying to find something that excited and challenged me, but never felt settled or content in my work. I tried Pharma, tech, entertainment, small marketing agencies and still nothing stuck. In the midst of covid in 2020, after my husband lost his job in auto financing and I was repeatedly furloughed from my marketing manager position in the entertainment industry, we decided to strike out on our own and open our first venture, a food truck! My husband has a culinary background and worked for many years under a renowned chef in Greensburg, PA and was the driving force behind our food truck endeavors. With my marketing acumen and design experience, we came up with our name, product and quickly built our brand – Solsage Sausage – “Sausage of the Sun”!

Fast forward two years and The Link Commissary was born in 2022. In El Paso County, food trucks are required to use a commissary kitchen as a “home base” to prep, store ingredients, wash dishes and perform other duties for their businesses. Solsage had been operating successfully with a large following and fast growing customer base and needed a new commissary. After researching the very few options in Colorado Springs, we realized there wasn’t an existing space that fit our needs for sausage production and food prep. A small restaurant space was available in our local shopping plaza and before we knew it, we were signing papers and holding keys to an entirely new business. We couldn’t find what we needed, so we created it ourselves! Much easier said than done though, as we quickly had to learn how to be contractors, carpenters, electricians, plumbers and the demolition crew all wrapped into one. Have you ever had that “omg, what have I done” moment? That was me…for quite some time! We poured literal blood, sweat and tears into our 1400sqft slice of culinary heaven and created a space that not only provided what OUR business needed to thrive, but could proudly house dozens of other small businesses in all phases of development and ideation. The name “The Link” has a few different meanings. I mean…the link…sausage…get it? But also – and more importantly – linking together like-minded entrepreneurs and creating a space that fosters connection, partnership and a sense of cohesion in what is otherwise a very solo industry.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Oh man! I love exploring Colorado Springs! There are so many beautiful natural places here to visit in addition to the burgeoning food scene and the shopping…I love the shopping!

First things first: The Food.

Our first stop would be The 719 Food Truck Fest! A rotating selection of 10-20 local food trucks on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 5410 E Woodmen Rd! Our truck is there on a regular basis, but our personal favorites are as well. There’s always a great selection of cuisines and a variety of exciting new concepts. The 719 Fest is perfect to bring friends to because everyone can choose whatever kind of food they want or try a smorgasbord of things.

Our next food pit stop would be Formasa Bites at The Well. The Well is a unique food hall concept that houses five independent businesses. Formosa Bites serves incredible Taiwanese street food and their Red Chile Oil Wontons are handmade and to die for. I am also a huge sucker for their plum powder sweet potato fries – YUM.

Now, as a born and bread southerner, originally from North Carolina, I have a strong penchant for fried chicken – and I’m pretty particular about it. Cluckin’ Chicken would definitely be on the food tour agenda with their enormous portions and delicious fried chicken. I’m a big fan and my husband and I make the trek to Falcon as often as possible and bring along any visitors we have!

I’m not a big drinker myself, but I do enjoy a delicious cocktail and a funky/unique ambiance every now and then so, I would bring my visitors to a few great spots in town. Shame and Regret is one of my favorite scotch and whiskey bars in COS and has an awesome selection of top shelf whiskeys and a great, moody vibe. On the opposite side of the spectrum, we would head to La Burla Bee, a burlesque cabaret with great entertainment, fantastic energy and delicious drinks.

As a big nature lover, I would entice my visitors into the wilderness and set out on amazing walks through Garden of The Gods and take hikes in a few of my favorite spots like Ute Valley Park, Pulpit Rock Open Space and Cheyenne Canyon. We would also definitely take a stroll through the historic shopping district in Old Colorado City for funky tchotchkes and awesome local art.

There’s truly something for everyone in the Springs and I love getting the opportunity to see it through the eyes of first time visitors and our guests. It’s such a beautiful place and living beneath Pikes Peak and seeing a breathtaking 14,000ft mountain every day truly never gets old.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
When you call your families in the middle of a global pandemic and tell them you’re opening a food truck, there’s a mixed bag of responses and emotions…that I can assure you! However, the overwhelming outpouring of support from our friends and family was nothing short of incredible, once the shock wore off, of course. My dad flew in from North Carolina to help install flooring, use a jigsaw to cut a larger service window, sand down layers of interior latex paint on the truck exterior…the list goes on! Our relatives from all over the country optimistically shared our business pages and content on social media and excitedly told their Coloradan friends to seek us out. Our friends showed up in droves to support us at our first gigs, bring us pierogis when we forgot them and referred us endlessly. We are eternally grateful for the people that believed in us and showed us love and support no matter how crazy they thought we were!

Website: www.solsagefoodtruck.com | www.thelinkcommissary.com

Instagram: @SolsageFoodTruck

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bria-naylor/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/solsagefoodtruck