Hannah Robinson
hwood3@uwyo.edu
When Norman Frost is not studying for one of his business classes at the University of Wyoming, he can be found in his yellow food trailer in front of the Ranger bar or catering a local or campus event.
After working in about every restaurant in Laramie, Frost decided to put his culinary education to use by opening his own business. His business is ran out of a 6-by-12-foot yellow trailer most often found in the front of the Ranger Lounge and Bar.
Bear Bait sells traditional American Pub fair with the occasional Mediterranean dishes, said Frost.
He has tailored his menu around what people want in Laramie and he serves dishes not found at other local food spots. Frost sells this food out of his trailer or he caters events around town or on campus.
Frost said he wanted to be his own boss while earning his business degree—he graduates in the spring. He decided to open Bear Bait to take advantage of his culinary training and to start creating his own menus, however everyday challenges can be discouraging.
“Sometimes I forget why I started it,” Frost said. “But in the end the rewards have been a little better than I ever thought they would be.”
These rewards are as simple as seeing little kids like the French fries from Bear Bait, Frost added.
Josh Kaffer, a Laramie local and Co-founder of Friends of the Laramie Skate Park, worked with Frost in the past for a community event, and said he can attest to the quality of food and the level of passion Bear Bait possesses.
“They have the best fries, and the brisket sandwich will blow your mind,” said Kaffer. “Norman is creative and talented in his cooking, it’s always fun to see what he comes up with.”
Frost grew up in Laramie and when weighing the costs of school, he knew his hometown would be a good place to pursue his business degree.
“Here I can do this and go to college and afford it,” Frost said. “Where in other places I would have to choose one endeavor over the other.”
When he came back to Laramie to go to school, he examined the options of working in a restaurant using his culinary skills or opening Bear Bait.
“I really didn’t want to go back to the same old thing,” Frost said. “I know that working in a restaurant you go to work and you count the hours until you’re done with work and that’s not how I wanted to work anymore.”
Frost added he get’s to be more goal oriented with his business, now the benefits are notable.
“When I accomplish those goals, something happens and my life gets easier, or if it’s a monetary goal I can pay the bills,” Frost said. “I can just feel better about accomplishing goals than just knocking off hours.”
As winter approaches, Frost’s hours will be cut down to 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays with an occasional Saturday here and there. These hour cuts come after a summer of hard work at several local events and farmer’s markets.
The success of Bear Bait has come with a long list of supporters. Frost said just about every local establishment has helped out in come capacity or another.
“Sweet Melissa’s lets me do dishes, the Ranger is kind enough to let me have my spot, GM Auto Center let’s me vend there sometimes,” Frost explained.
He said he has a long list of supporters and he added that he would not have as much success without the help of the local businesses.
Frost also looks for ways to give back, and he said what he is most proud of doing recently is helping with the Friends of Laramie Skate Park expansion fundraising.
During the last farmer’s market, Frost gave a portion of his fry sales to the group and then donated food and his skills during a skate competition fundraiser, said Kaffer.
“He’s donated his time, money and skills,” Kaffer said. “He fed about 100 people burgers, then gave us a $20 gift certificate to raffle off.”
Frost said that he likes being part of the Laramie community and will be keeping Bear Bait open during the winter and hopefully cater more on campus until summer.
“I’m on the approved list of caterers for the UW campus,” Frost said. “So I hope to do more of that over the winter. Then I plan on doing a lot of the same things I did this last summer for next summer.”
