Oct. 22—TRAVERSE CITY — Traverse City native Justin Chouinard purchased a bus with plans to turn it into a camper.

Instead, it became the vehicle for the Chubby Unicorn. He is the chef while Ashley Moore runs the business side of things. They started serving their paninis, or grilled sandwiches, at the end of July.

"It's a very simple operation in there," Chouinard said of working inside a bus. "It's easy to me to put an array of meats and cheeses between bread."

Chouinard said he cannot seem to stop thinking of new sandwiches for their menu. He said some of his inspiration comes from the traveling he did in his 20s and 30s and other notes he takes from the movie "Chef."

"I go to bed thinking about food," he said. "I try to put the most flavor I can between the bread."

Each slice of bread is coated in herbs, butter or other seasoning that matches with the ingredients in the sandwich, Chouinard said. After assembly, the sandwiches are panini pressed and then served warm with a side of chips.

Though he likes to rotate their offerings often, the Chubby Unicorn sandwich "will stay on the menu for sure," Chouinard said. This item is made with roast beef, Havarti, white cheddar, pickle, onion, jalapeno and a homemade roasted garlic aioli.

"It's served in a crusted tortilla," Moore said of their "namesake" sandwich.

Another current offering is the Truffle Philly — steak, truffle aioli, cheddar, peppers and onion on ciabatta.

All the proteins come from local company Louie's Meats. Chouinard said he knows one of their employees, so using their meats was a no brainer.

Chubby Unicorn mostly serves sandwiches, but also offers kids' meals, usually grilled cheese or a hot dog with goldfish and a juice box. There may also be a soup on the menu this fall.

The eatery pop-ups around town, often at Bardon's Wonder Freeze and Traverse City Whiskey Co. Moore said they hope to make the ice cream shop a regular spot for their bus.

"We want to focus on lunch," Moore said. "We've done some lunch catering."

Chouinard said he worked as a chef at Bubba's, Firefly and Grandview Catering before he decided to start his own business. Moore worked in restaurants as well.

"It's been something I wanted to do for a while," he said. "You don't see many buses. I enjoy it."

Moore said they were "tired of working for other people." Plus, they can make their own schedule, which is helpful because she has kids.

As for the name, Moore said their friend wore a sweatshirt with the phrase "Save the chubby unicorn," so they ran with it.

"It's a little different and grabs people's attention," she said. "The bus looks like a rhinoceros. It's gray. We're going to get a horn for the front."

Chubby Unicorn plans to serve paninis Oct. 28 during Greenspire School's Haunted Forest. Families can enjoy a silent auction and other activities. Admission is $5 each or $2 for Greenspire students.

Moore added that they aim to stay open beyond the traditional food truck season. They are available for holiday and New Year's parties. Visit Chubby Unicorn on Facebook or Instagram for their locations each week.