Each year, when my last trip to Philadelphia was just a little too long ago, I start craving things from the city. Rita's Water Ice, easy access to a good Italian hoagie and soft pretzels. Always soft pretzels. 

I can only image how much stronger that craving is for someone who is used to constant access to good soft pretzels, like Jody and Dawn Rush who started Old Pueblo Pretzels.

"You gotta find your food. If you cant find it, you gotta make it," Jody Rush said. He tested out recipes for a year and a half until, on Aug. 9 of this year—yes, he remembers the exact date—his wife came home and announced that he had done it. By Labor Day weekend, they were setting up shop at the farmer's market at St. Phillips Plaza every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

"You don’t want to go to the mall, that’s not a pretzel," Rush said. These pretzels are made out of water, flour, barley, yeast and salt—that's it—making them vegan and totally natural. 

Now, they're trying to break into the food truck game. Rush wants to bake the pretzels on site, instead of at home before they're sold. This would allow him bake more than the 200 pretzels per day he can currently produce, which sell out every Sunday.
 
The duo have decided to go the crowdfunding route to pay for the truck, complete with delicious perks.

From their Indiegogo:

We know our pretzels!

Old Pueblo Pretzels can't express enough our passion for soft pretzels along with a healthy lifestyle. Bread is and always will be a staple in most everyones diet. We just happen to have a different recipe to offer those who have grown tired of the norm here in the desert. On the East Coast we eat pretzels like others eat bagels and donuts for breakfast, so much so that we love to eat them anytime of the day or night. We love our pretzels and we know you will come to love them as much as we do! There's nothing like a fresh baked hot soft pretzel.

Our loyal growing customer base can attest to the authenticity of our Philly pretzels. And now you can help spread the word here in Tucson as we offer people a delicious choice when it comes time to healthy snacks.

They've set their Indiegogo goal high, at $32k with only $103 raised as of this posting. Rush realizes that's going to be a tough target to reach, and says whatever they end up with will be useful in getting started.

Their "Hot Knots," knots baked with Hatch chili peppers and chopped garlic, sound like something I'm going to need in my life immediately. As for Rush, he prefers to eat his pretzels bare, as soon as they're ready. Some people put mustard on straight away, but Rush thinks they should take a bite first. "You've got to taste it," he says.