THE BATTLE BORN FOOD TRUCK STORY
Battle Born Food Truck and Catering Co. LLC, was started in 2012 after a year and a half of research and testing. We hope our hard work and diligence will show in what we do and serve.
Ronnie Simpson and Michael Damonte met when they worked together at Reno Carson Messenger Service. Michael and Ronnie started experimenting in their back yards with a perfect combination of flavor for Tri-Tip Roast Beef. They combined family recipes, (spices and basting with red wine) with some roasted garlic and mild pickled Jalapeño stuffed inside of the roast, to come up with this signature item. It was so well liked by friends and family that the idea of opening a restaurant business was discussed and with the current interest in food trucks Battle Born Food Truck and Catering Co. was born.
Ronnie grew up just south of the state line in Coleville CA. He is currently a Court Clerk at Washoe County District Court in Reno. Ronnie has had past experience working in the food business; you may recognize him from his many years working at the Cattleman’s Restaurant in Washoe Valley. He is married to Tawny and together they have two children Lucas, age 3 and Chloe age 1.
Michael a 3rd generation Native Nevadan was born and raised in Reno and is a graduate of Galena High School. Michael has always enjoyed cooking and even attended culinary classes when he was in high school in the Washoe County Culinary Program. He attended the University of South Dakota on a swimming scholarship and looks forward to this new business venture.
Ben and Pinkie Damonte, Michael’s Parents were also brought in to assist in this new endeavor. Ben and Pinkie also native Nevadans and University of Nevada Alumni have had many years experience in the food service industry. Ben has worked on and off in catering since his high school years and the couple owned their own catering company in the 1980s and are currently partners in another family business, Sage Hills Clay Sports where they have assisted in food service management for the past 25+ years. Ben & Pinkie’s two other sons B.J. & Nick have also assisted with Battle Born in helping develop our web site and social media presence.
Battle Born is not afraid of the hard work it takes to be successful. We will work to serve our community as best as possible. We are grateful to our forefathers for teaching us the meaning of hard work. Our family started ranching in the Reno area in the early 1900s and continues to raise cattle and hay on ranches in Sierra Valley, CA and Lovelock NV. As pioneer Italian ranchers the Damonte Family has its roots planted deep in Reno and we now hope to make our mark on the streets of our city with great food!
Battle Born will strive to provide the highest quality food possible. We started out by building our prep. kitchen/food truck depot and truck to the highest standards. We have a state of the art facility and our brand new truck was researched and custom built to Washoe County Standards. We have gone beyond what is required to provide our customers with the safest and highest quality product possible.
We purchase fresh ingredients and will strive to purchase local products whenever it is possible. We are in the process of raising our own “grass fed” beef to be used for some of our dishes.
All of our soups, chilies, salads, and desserts are house made. Many items are family recipes or old Nevada favorites. We are trying to use our “NEVADA HERITAGE” as a guide to our products. You will notice our Italian heritage reflected in our dishes, as well as touches from our Basque friends here and there. We hope our items will be unique to our Battle Born State.