Professional poker player, turned food truck entrepreneur, proved that if you want to succeed in life, you have to give it your all.
“But one thing about myself is, if I’m going to go for it, I go for it 100%,” Jared Cohen said.
Cohen owns Spuds Your Way, a food truck business in Hamden, CT. Cohen and his partner, Casey Totten, make loaded baked potatoes out of a food truck that he purchased in the fall of 2012.
Yet, Cohen credits the business idea to his father. Cohen and his father would always wait in the baked potato line at “The Big E,” a multi-state New England fair. Other than steakhouses or Wendy’s, there is nowhere to get a baked potato.
“I mean, he’s always thinking outside the box. You know, he’s always tried, like, inventing stuff throughout his life. Nothing ever really panned out, but he’s always spitting new ideas out there,” Cohen said regarding his father.
The business started simply, opening at a local gas station: Citgo in Hamden.
“I was opening up over (at Citgo) six days a week while I was still working at Mohegan, like three to five nights a week. So yeah, it was pretty crazy. What I did then, I don’t think I could probably do now, just because I do like sleep,” Cohen said.
This idea certainly worked out for the Cohen family, and what started small in 2013 eventually became a full-time career for Jared.
In the first few months he worked the food truck, Cohen also worked as a poker dealer at Mohegan Sun Casino & Resort. Using his marketing degree from Central Connecticut State University, skills during the day, and his poker skills at night, Jared had his hands full but was making it work.
It took just one year, and Jared had found his new business, as well as his permanent career.
“(I)did both (the food truck) and dealing poker, and then decided to buy a second vehicle after the first year and hit the ground running. Quit dealing poker, and went full time with food trucking. And, yeah, like I said, been doing it 13 years so far,” Cohen said.
Throughout these 13 years, Cohen and Spuds have had loads of success, but also some hardships. In May 2025, Cohen closed his storefront, which was located right next to Quinnipiac’s Mount Carmel Campus. While a setback of sorts, Cohen stayed optimistic and pursued the food truck full-time, like the original days.
“I was working pretty much all the time when I wasn’t on the trailer,” Cohen said, “So at this point in time, I’m pretty content. I’m just trying to see, like, what I can really do with the trailer now that we’re in the position that we’re in.”
He said the experience was “bittersweet,” some sadness, but also some excitement. Cohen learned from this experience and understands the value of having a personal life outside of running a business, as obviously, that took up a lot of his time. The food truck allows him to have more freedom with his work life and his social life.
Cohen is leaving the door open for another storefront in the future, but is content with how things are today.
“I plan on doing what I’m doing. I don’t plan on going anywhere,” Cohen said.
Outside of valuing himself and his brand, he values his customers a great deal. As a food truck, you get customers from all over. Cohen understands the importance of connecting with as many customers as possible and making their experience not only quick and efficient, but memorable.
“The relationships and the interactions that I have with my customers, that’s first and foremost. Like, beside the food, I enjoy, you know, I have certain people that call up. I know exactly what they’re ordering,” Cohen said.
Making an effort to get to know your customers goes a long way, and it shows with Spuds Your Way. Cohen specializes in just that. If you stop by the Citgo gas station, you’ll likely see him running orders over to customers waiting in their cars, and communicating with them to make their experience top tier.
“I just try to get to know my customers as best as I can. I see them calling. I know exactly what they want. I see them coming up. I have it ready for them…that goes a long way,” Cohen added.
Spuds Your Way is set up at Citgo on 2370 Dixwell Ave in Hamden, CT, multiple days a week, usually from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Cohen updates their Instagram if they are at Citgo that morning to keep customers aware.
“Anyone looking for someone to cater any party, wedding event that they have, don’t hesitate to reach out. Our catering packages are on our website: spudsyourway.com,” Cohen said.
