Country Boys Mobile Food Services was started by John Rusin Sr. and his wife, Teresa, in 1983.
It began with a large mobile oven. John and Teresa travelled to events, dinners and auctions — including work for Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers — serving what became our Famous Roast Beef on a Bun.
The following year, John Sr. began dividing up the original oven and developing the equipment that would eventually lead to the Country Boys food trailers. By 1986, he decided to try his hand at selling Fresh-Cut French Fries.
It worked.
The success of those fries helped establish what Country Boys would become. John Sr. continued building trailers, improving equipment and expanding the operation. One trailer became several, and the business gradually grew into the fleet and family operation that followed.
Carrying On
Sadly, John Sr. passed away in 1999.
The business did not stop.
Teresa, her son John Jr. and other members of the Rusin family carried Country Boys forward, continuing the standards and ideas John Sr. had built the company around.
In 2000, Country Boys launched its first website with the help of “Big Uncle Mike.” Mike passed away in 2003 and is still greatly missed by the family.
Over the years, the business changed with the times. Our original red-and-yellow colours eventually became the burgundy and black associated with Country Boys today. The logo evolved, and so did the slogan that has become part of the business:
“Good Fries. Good Meat. Good Gosh, Let’s Eat!”
But through all those changes, the basic idea behind Country Boys has remained remarkably similar to the one John Sr. started with in 1983:
Build it ourselves. Make good food. Serve people well. And take pride in what leaves the window.
Food Made by Us
Country Boys has always been much more than simply buying food, heating it up and selling it.
Whenever practical, we make and prepare our own products ourselves. That gives us
control over the quality of the food we serve and allows us to continue producing the country-style foods our customers have come to know us for.
Fresh-cut Ontario potatoes remain at the heart of Country Boys. Over the years, the menu has grown to include burgers, sausage, poutine, roast beef, smoked meats, Polish favourites and many other Country Boys staples.
Our Polish food also reflects an important part of our family’s heritage, with foods such as perogies, cabbage rolls, kielbasa, soups and other traditional favourites becoming an increasingly important part of what we make and sell.
We have always tried to support businesses close to home. Whenever possible, we purchase our products locally and use Ontario beef, pork, lamb and potatoes.
Built for Big Crowds
Mobile food service has always been one of the foundations of Country Boys.
More than four decades of experience have taught us how to plan, prepare and serve food efficiently for everything from a local event to a crowd numbering in the thousands.
Over the years, Country Boys has served events ranging from approximately 1,000 people to crowds of more than 300,000.
Our trailers have worked at venues and events including:
Molson Park music concerts
Burlington Sound of Music
Canal Days in Port Colborne
The Canadian National Exhibition
The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair
Cayuga Speedway
fairs, festivals and community events throughout Ontario
Along the way, we have also had the privilege of serving and meeting people including Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Sarah Ferguson, Marty McSorley, David Wilcox, John Schneider and many others.
Country Boys has also provided backstage meals and dinners during concerts and festivals — work that requires an entirely different kind of food service than simply operating a concession window.
More Than a Food Trailer
Over the years, Country Boys expanded into full mobile kitchen service.
Our mobile kitchen can be set up at locations where a permanent commercial kitchen simply isn’t available. We have prepared dinners for groups beginning around 50 people and have handled events numbering well into the thousands.
One of our largest dinners was for approximately 2,500 people at Cayuga Speedway during the Big Rig 150.
We have also prepared benefit dinners, outdoor weddings, backyard events and dinners at locations such as Ball’s Falls and Marshville Heritage Village.
That versatility became one of Country Boys’ strengths: we weren’t limited to one trailer, one menu or one type of event.
From the Road to the Farm
As Country Boys continued to grow, the home base in Fenwick became an increasingly important part of the business.
What had traditionally been the place where trailers were built, repaired, cleaned, stored and prepared for events also developed into a place where customers could come directly to Country Boys.
The farm operation allowed us to bring together several different sides of the business in one place — prepared food, weekly features, frozen foods, meals to take home and the behind-the-scenes work required to keep a mobile food operation running.
Today, customers may know Country Boys for Fish Friday, Sunday breakfast, fresh-cut fries and poutine at the farm, while others know us from festivals and events they have attended for decades.
Others know us because their freezer is full of Country Boys food.
Country Boys at Home
Frozen food has become another important part of the business.
Many of the foods that were originally produced for our own events or family meals are now available for customers to take home.
That includes Polish favourites, soups, meats, prepared meals, smoked products and other Country Boys foods.
Meals to Go have also allowed us to do something Country Boys has always been good at: make honest, substantial food in quantity and get it into people’s hands.
It means Country Boys isn’t only something you find at a fair once a year anymore.
You can bring part of it home.
Built, Fixed and Run by the Family
There is another side of Country Boys that customers don’t always see.
A mobile food operation only works when the equipment works.
From the beginning, fabrication, maintenance and problem-solving have been part of the business. Trailers have been built, modified and repaired by the family. Equipment is maintained in our own shop. When something needs to be redesigned to work better, we have traditionally found a way to build it.
That hands-on approach goes well beyond cooking.
Country Boys has always been a family operation made up of people willing to cook, fabricate, repair, clean, tow, set up, tear down and do whatever else is required to get through an event successfully.
That may not be the glamorous part of the story, but it is probably the most accurate description of how the business has lasted this long.
More Than 40 Years Later
Country Boys looks different today than it did when John and Teresa started with that mobile oven in 1983.
The trailers have changed.
The menus have grown.
The equipment has improved.
Customers can now find us online, order frozen food, visit us at the farm or find one of our trailers working an event.
New generations of the family have become involved, bringing their own ideas while learning the same operation that came before them.
But more than four decades later, much of Country Boys would still be recognizable to John Sr.
It is still a family business.
We still make much of our own food.
We still work out of the same kind of hands-on operation where cooking, building and fixing things are all part of the job.
And we still believe that when people hand over their money at the window, they should get good food and a fair portion from people who actually care about what they are serving.
Some things have changed since 1983. The important stuff hasn’t.
Country Boys
Family Owned & Operated Since 1983
Good Fries. Good Meat. Good Gosh, Let’s Eat!
Catering & Dinners
Country Boys has been preparing large-scale dinners and catered events for decades.
Our mobile kitchen allows us to bring a working commercial kitchen directly to the event, giving us the ability to prepare and serve fresh food in locations where a permanent kitchen may not be available.
We can accommodate everything from smaller private dinners to large community and corporate events.
Built for Real Events
Over the years, Country Boys has prepared meals for:
Weddings and backyard celebrations
Community dinners
Benefit dinners
Corporate and employee events
Festivals and fairs
Large outdoor gatherings
Sporting events
Backstage and event staff meals
We have served dinners beginning around 50 guests, while some of our largest events have involved well over 1,000 people.
One of our largest single dinners was prepared for approximately 2,500 people at Cayuga Speedway during the Big Rig 150.
A Mobile Kitchen That Comes to You
Our mobile kitchen can be set up at many different types of locations, allowing us to cook and serve on site rather than simply dropping off prepared food.
That gives us greater control over:
Food quality
Serving temperature
Timing
Portioning
Large-volume production
Efficient service
Our experience with high-volume events means we understand that feeding a large crowd is not simply a matter of making more food.
It requires planning, equipment, staffing, timing and knowing how much food is actually needed.
That experience is something Country Boys has developed over more than four decades.
Country-Style Food Made for a Crowd
Our menus can be built around the style and size of the event.
Depending on the event, Country Boys can provide meals featuring favourites such as:
Roast beef
Turkey
Pork
Chicken
Sausage
Potatoes
Vegetables
Salads
Polish favourites
Homemade desserts
We can also work with customers to develop a menu that suits the event, number of guests and style of service.
From Backyard Weddings to Major Events
Country Boys has catered outdoor weddings and private functions throughout the region, including events at locations such as Ball’s Falls and Marshville Heritage Village.
We have also prepared benefit dinners, large community meals and food service for major events throughout Ontario.
Whether we are serving 75 people in a backyard or thousands at a large event, the goal is the same:
Serve good food, serve it hot, and make sure nobody leaves hungry.
Planning an Event?
If you are organizing a wedding, company event, community dinner, festival or large gathering, contact Country Boys to discuss:
Number of guests
Location
Menu
Style of service
Equipment requirements
Timing
Event logistics
Every event is different, and large events require proper planning.
Contact Country Boys and tell us what you’re planning.
Mobile Food & Events
For more than 40 years, Country Boys has served fairs, festivals, community events and private functions throughout Ontario.
That experience has taught us how to plan for a crowd — making sure the right equipment, staff and food are in place to keep service moving from the first customer to the last.
Our mobile food units can offer anything from a focused event menu to a larger selection of Country Boys favourites, depending on the size and style of the event.
Breakfast
Start the day with a simple, hearty Country Boys breakfast.
Smoked Back Bacon & Egg on a Bun
Breakfast Sausage Patty & Egg on a Bun
Egg & Cheese on a Bun
Country Boys Favourites
Our regular mobile menu can include:
Jumbo Hot Dog
100% Canadian Beef Burger
Deluxe Beef Burger
Oktoberfest Sausage
Old-Fashioned Applewood Smoked Sausage
Chicken Fingers & Fries
Smoked Back Bacon on a Bun
Slow-Cooked Pulled Pork on a Bun
Pulled Pork Hot Dog
Pulled Pork Burger
Our meat items can also be served as combos with fresh-cut fries and a drink.
Our Famous Fresh-Cut Fries & Poutine
Fresh-cut fries have been part of Country Boys for decades.
We use Ontario potatoes and cut our fries fresh for the classic Country Boys fries our customers know us for.
And, of course, there is poutine.
Try the Pulled Pork Poutine
Fresh-cut fries topped with cheese curds, gravy and our slow-cooked pulled pork.
It has become a Country Boys favourite for good reason.
More From the Country Boys Kitchen
Depending on the event, additional menu items can include:
Our Famous Perogies
Homemade Cabbage Rolls
Roast Beef on a Bun
Fish & Chips
Homemade Soup or Chili with a Ciabatta Bun
Homemade Butter Tarts
Our menu can be adjusted to suit the event, expected crowd and style of service.
Made by Country Boys
We produce many of our own products ourselves, allowing us to maintain the quality and consistency our customers expect.
We are proud to support producers and businesses close to home, using Ontario beef, pork, lamb and potatoes whenever possible.
Our meat products are oven-baked rather than deep-fried.
Built for Events
Good event food service is about more than having enough food in the trailer.
It takes planning, staffing, equipment and experience to keep a line moving and continue serving throughout a busy event.
Country Boys has been doing exactly that since 1983.
Whether you are planning a fair, festival, community event, company function or private gathering, contact us to discuss the size of your event and the type of food service you need.