Marti Lieberman
MY GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT: My Mac Mart food truck debuted on the streets of University City in winter 2013. Without much experience running my own business, let alone a food truck, I knew there were some kinks to work out, but I was determined to succeed. Shortly after opening, I brought on two people to complete my team: my sister Pamela and my boyfriend Garrett Jablonski. By combining my strong work ethic with my background in public relations, plus Pamela’s love of all things culinary and Garrett’s brawn for day-to-day operations, the bright pink truck became an instant hit at private affairs, night markets and food festivals. Catering for the likes of Forbes , Starr Events, Philadelphia Eagles, Philadelphia 76ers and Wawa executives, to name a few, Mac Mart built up quite a following. With a large social media presence and constantly selling out the famous mac and cheese, I figured it was high time to open a flagship storefront. After months of planning, Mac Mart opened in Rittenhouse Square in spring 2016. In 2018, Mac Mart will be opening a second shop at the University of Delaware and a handful of other college campuses to follow. I also plan to enter into the gourmet foods e-commerce world selling trays of mac ’n cheese all around the country.
HOW DREXEL HELPED: Networking and professionalism. In a field where suits, handshakes and eye contact are not always recognized, Drexel taught me that no matter what situation or work environment I am in, those things matter and they make a difference. I have confidence when public speaking, I comfortably navigate a room to network and expand my work relationships, and I am always 10 minutes early! Professionalism is a huge part of what I took away from Drexel.
MY HOPE FOR THE FUTURE: I would like us to continue to grow while keeping the same values, quality and customer-service standards we started with on our food truck — after all, that’s what got us here! We are also working on ways to get our mac ’n cheese creations shipped nationwide for others to be able to get their mac on even if they can’t make it to Philadelphia and Delaware, so stay tuned for that!
