From Weed to Wheels: New Food Truck Poutine Tang Hits Denver's Streets

After spending over a decade growing weed, Michael Ehrlich returned to his true calling in the culinary world, launching his first food truck, Poutine Tang, in June.

Originally from Los Angeles, Ehrlich moved to Colorado at the age of six and grew up along the Front Range. His love for cooking blossomed early in life, born out of necessity. "Man, I don't really like saying this, but my mom was a terrible cook," Ehrlich admits. "I grew up in a single-parent family, raised by my mom and honestly, by the time I was in the third grade, when she would get home, I'd already be home making these — I call them my creations — in the kitchen. I was basically just mixing up a shitload of her spices with water, trying to make something. ...She didn't really cook much and when she did, it was awful. I grew up on Hot Pockets and Tombstone pizza, basically the whole frozen food section."

It wasn't until Ehrlich landed his first cooking job at a nursing home during college that he realized the importance of quality, homemade meals. "I was basically doing the same kind of shit my mom taught me. Here's a box of this and a box of that, and we would heat it up," he recalls. "I was like, well, this isn't cooking. I felt bad for these people. These are their last days and they look forward to food more than anything."

He decided to leave that job for a local pizzeria which was "the total opposite," he says, and the move sparked his desire to attend culinary school at the Art Institute.

After graduating in 2010, Ehrlich's daughter was born and his career took an unexpected turn. "I kind of bounced around a lot of places," he says. "I did my externship at the Sheridan and worked at some Mexican restaurants and things like that, but wasn't really feeling it. It just wasn't a good way to make a living for a family."

Seeking a more lucrative opportunity, he turned to cannabis. While the money he made growing weed was good, Ehrlich found himself unfulfilled and unhappy. "I was really paranoid. I lost a lot of sleep, probably lost a lot of hair because of it," he says.

Then, around two years ago, he was dining at Denver Biscuit Company and "they had this dish, disco fries or something like that. It was shoestring fries with some aioli and there might have been chicken. I was like, this is pretty good — they don't really know what they have. ...Then I went to the Original downtown and tried the mushroom poutine there and it blew my mind," he recalls.
Inspired by the richness and comfort of poutine, he knew that he wanted to bring the popular Canadian dish to the masses. In June 2022, Ehrlich purchased a bright yellow food truck and had the truck painted with a vibrant, eye catching design. The name is a nod to the cult classic film Pootie Tang and Ehrlich's love of puns. "I think it was a dream I had because I hadn't seen that movie in maybe twenty years and I loved the movie it when it came out," he notes.

Over the past year, Ehrlich worked with his friend Jeremy Ramos, a fellow Art Institute graduate, to develop a menu and execute his ideas. The team's signature and most popular dish is the #1 Poutine Tang and was inspired by birria. "We sear brisket and beef cheeks and then let that slow simmer for about eight hours until the flavors meld and the meat falls apart. The beef cheek is for fat so that we can render all that down and use that for our roux for the gravy," explains Ehrlich. The end result is a rich and flavorful combination of birria, cheese curds and gravy served over hand-cut fries and topped with onions and cilantro — it's a must try for first time guests.

Poutine Tang's full menu offers a mix of birria-topped poutine served in various combinations that include fries, tots and baked potatoes. It also offers quesadillas and sides like fried brussel sprouts topped with cheese and balsamic glaze.

Nearly three months into operation, Ehrlich is loving his new career. "I've had Canadians light up and be like, 'Man this is amazing.' And I'm just like wow, that really makes me feel good," he concludes.

To find the Poutine Tang food truck, follow it on Instagram @poutinetang.