Vermont's Make it Maple to compete on Food Network's Great Food Truck Race

A team of three Vermonters are hoping their sweet maple dishes will push them to the finish line in a food truck competition. 

Montpelier-based best friends Paulette Fiorentino-Robinson and Sue Aldrich, along with her son Charles, comprise the "Make it Maple" team on this season of the Food Network's Great Food Truck Race which airs Sundays at 9 p.m. 

This season, nine teams were provided food trucks and face off along the Atlantic coast, all eyeing a $50,000 prize.

We caught up with Make it Maple to find out more about the truck, their dishes and what it was like competing. 

The best of friends

Burlington Free Press: What made you want to give the competition a shot? 

Aldrich: We've been friends for over 20 years. We like watching cooking shows and it just seemed like a really fun thing to do, and we're still happy, surprised and amazed with the fact we were on. 

Fiorentino-Robinson: We can have hour long conversations after cooking shows. We talk about what we would do in the particular challenge.

A drizzle of syrup goes a long way

BFP: What inspired the theme behind your food? 

Aldrich: So we were using maple syrup to create both sweet and savory dishes. We know the health benefits of maple syrup for you as opposed to white sugar. So we were helping spread the message of how great real maple syrup is.

Fiorentino-Robinson: You know how when you put bacon on anything, it tastes delicious no matter what? It's the same thing with maple. It's earthy, it's sweet, it's like a little secret weapon.

The 'killer dumplings' 

BFP: What were your favorite dishes to make and eat? 

Aldrich: For me it's our maple dumplings. It's sweet dumpling that cooks and steams in the maple syrup and at the same time the syrup gets really thick. And then you top it off with whipped cream and lime zest — it's killer.

Fiorentino-Robinson: I like the chicken banh mi.

Aldrich: It's a maple glazed, ginger-soy-sriracha chicken thigh, and then pickled veggies, cilantro and maple-sriracha mayo.

Cool experience, cooler people

BFP: What were the biggest takeaways from this experience? 

Aldrich: I think the main thing for everyone to remember when they see the show is there was some serious mayhem and madness. But, we still love each. And we had a great time even though we're two old ladies with a 23 year-old boy.

Fiorentino-Robinson: Yeah, it was a s**t-show at times. But we came out stronger, better and cooler. The big takeaway I think for ourselves is that we made really great friends.

Catch the Make it Maple team Sunday, June 9, at 9 p.m. on the Food Network. 

To learn more about the show visit their website here. 

Contact Sawyer Loftus at 802-660-1860 or sloftus@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @sawyerloftus18.