My Waffle Crush

Ariana Zeiner was born to be a chef and entrepreneur and is blessed to have been raised in an incredibly supportive family who share her entrepreneurial spirit.  Her love of baking started early and led her to attending the Culinary program at EVIT (East Valley Institute of Technology) during High School.  As she developed her skillset, her passion grew and has taken her on quite an exciting journey!

Just after turning 18 and graduating EVIT, Ariana not only enrolled in the Scottsdale Community College Baking & Pastry program but also started her first business, Sweet Thangs Bakery, in the Fall of 2015.  Her mother, Mary Zeiner, was right by her side to guide her but insisted Ariana take the lead on all business and baking related matters.  Ariana set up her tent at the Gilbert Food Court when it was in downtown Gilbert as well as various farmers markets and introduced the Valley to some of the best sweet treats around!

By the Fall of 2016, she upgraded her tent setup and bought her first Food Truck!  The mobile kitchen on wheels allowed her to add a coffee shop to her offerings and she set out on the streets with rave reviews.

Fall tends to mean growth in the Zeiner family and 2017 was no exception.  Ariana wanted to expand her menu and move into a larger Food Truck with the equipment required to take it up a notch from pastries and coffee.  While looking for Food Trucks to purchase, she became interested in purchasing My Waffle Crush, an already well established local business with two Food Trucks and a commercial kitchen.  Since this was a pretty big venture for a 20 year old, her mom, Mary, stepped in as a partner with her in the business and in October of 2017 became the proud new owners of My Waffle Crush!  Mary’s talent in business management and accounting coupled with Ariana’s talent in the kitchen makes for a powerful mother/daughter team!

By fall of 2018, Ariana graduated from the Baking & Pastry program at SCC to receive her certificate, has taken My Waffle Crush to the next level in the short time since becoming the chef. (This girl is impressive!)  The previous owners did a fantastic job bringing the Valley one of the best dessert trucks around and served a deliciously addictive product for years.  Nobody thought it could get any better until Ariana’s talent took everything from the waffle dough to the menu options up a few levels.  Taste a waffle and you will taste the difference!

Savory menu options are the most obvious change to My Waffle Crush since it got new owners.  If you love sausage, egg and cheese biscuits, try the Barn Yard for a sausage, egg and cheese waffle!  (Comes with bacon or ham instead of sausage too!)  The lunch sandwiches are where Ariana’s talent shines with the flavor combinations of the turkey pesto and the club waffle that includes carefully selected, high quality meats that pair with the waffle perfectly.

Not only did Ariana graduate from SCC in the fall of 2018, she also opened up her full service bakery in Mesa, Sweet Thangs Bakery & Cafe to have a place to go beyond waffles with her talent!  Her bakery case is full of a variety of sweet treats and her menu includes a lunch section for a meal before your treat!

Stop by My Waffle Crush and try one of Ariana’s creations soon to find out why so many people stalk this truck!  Look for her monthly special if you don’t know where to start or get a savory waffle with a sweet treat to go!  On days you can’t find My Waffle Crush, stop by Sweet Thangs Bakery & Cafe at 5735 E McKellips Rd in Mesa (McKellips and Recker) for lunch and a treat or even a custom cake for your next party!  We can’t wait to see what another year brings for the Zeiner family!