Oct. 19—You may already know Chuck and MaryAnn Thomas: They launched Munchies 719 food truck in 2019 and became known for their from-scratch offerings using locally sourced ingredients.

The couple plans to bring these offerings, and more, as they open a sit-down restaurant at 122 N. Tejon St. — the site of the former Michelle Chocolatiers & Ice Cream. The location is an outgrowth of their passion for downtown Colorado Springs.

"We both grew up in the Colorado Springs area," Chuck said. "MaryAnn lived in Fountain. That's where we met. We love downtown Colorado Springs and always wanted to have an eatery downtown."

Chuck's stepdad used to own Richards, a men's clothing store that is now the site of Jack Quinn's Irish Pub downtown. Chuck's mom worked as a waitress at the former Olive Branch downtown while she was studying to be a nurse.

"So as a child in the '80s, I played downtown," Chuck said. He ice-skated at the Plaza of the Rockies, saw movies at the (now Kimball's) Peak Theater, went to the YMCA and had lunch at Jose Muldoon's and Michelle's.

MaryAnn's memories of the iconic sweet shop are of the one located in The Citadel mall as it was closer to her home in Fountain. The Citadel store opened in 1975 and closed almost three decades later in 2004.

The initial store was founded in 1952 and was moved to the Tejon Street location in 1954. It was closed suddenly in 2007 to satisfy a federal tax lien, according to previous reporting in The Gazette.

Chuck picked up his love of cooking from his father and stepdad, who "cooked all sorts of things." He started cooking in restaurants at age 16, first at Taco Bell and then at Old Chicago's downtown.

Chuck got a taste for catering while working on construction jobs.

"I'd bring a pan of lasagna for lunch, and the other guys encouraged me to cook for them," he said. "They'd give me money, and I'd shop and prepare the food and bring it to work in coolers."

That fueled the idea of launching the Munchies food truck later in life.

MaryAnn — who is part Puerto Rican, Spanish Mexican and Indigenous American and whose mother "is a terrific cook" — had a serious accident at the one restaurant kitchen she worked in and swore off that line of work. But she loves baking and makes brownies and lemon bars for the mobile eatery.

Chuck credits his ability to cross-utilize ingredients as the reason the menu is diverse.

"I keep a standard 35 ingredients and use them in different ways," he said. "For instance, I use carnitas, pickled carrots and onions, lettuce and crème fraiche on a corn shell for street tacos. Or use the carnitas for a bahn mi sandwich with the pickled carrots and onions, jalapenos, salsa verde and Sriracha mayo on a Cuban roll. It's easy to have a lot of selections on the menu this way."

That creativity helped when pandemic-related shutdowns and cancellations struck. When that happened, the couple found themselves with 60 pounds of frozen corned beef.

"We were prepared for the St. Patrick's Day parade," Chuck said. "When the parade was canceled, we decided to make Reuben eggrolls. They sold like hotcakes and have become a very popular dish for us."

During those months, El Paso County Public Health had encouraged food trucks to continue operating.

"I got a letter from the department saying we could partner our truck up with breweries," Chuck said. "Food trucks can be easily social distanced, and breweries were allowed to sell canned beer as long as there was a food truck on site."

The couple plan to open Munchies, the downtown restaurant, at the end of the month, following a remodel. It will have a full bar, four-top tables in the dining room and a retail space in the front where MaryAnn will sell homemade pastries and other sweets like homemade ice cream. The menu will feature diner-like dishes, many of which have been popular on the food truck, plus other comfort foods.

They had hoped to retain and restore the well-known Michelle's sign, but a member of the Michopoulos family, who were the founders of the candy shop in 1952, opposed their use of the sign. So the Thomases are working with the building owner to donate it to the Pioneers Museum.

Their food truck will not be back in operation until they have the new eatery running smoothly.

Contact the writer: 636-0271.