• Courtesy
• Folino's setup for Weekend in the Islands at Keeler Bay in early October

Folino's is heading to the Champlain Islands next summer — and it won't just be serving pizza.

The popular Chittenden County wood-fired pizza biz will operate a yet-to-be-named seasonal food truck and bar at South Hero's Keeler Bay Marina in 2023, Folino's chief operating officer Seth Desrochers told Seven Days. The truck will host pizza nights once or twice a week using Folino's mobile oven, but it will otherwise offer a different menu from the Shelburne, Burlington and Williston locations.

"We're thinking tacos, a good burger, maybe a lobster roll," Desrochers said. "We want to do a variety, where you can go multiple times a week and always have something different."

The Folino's team plans to add a roof to the large marina-view deck, which housed Blue Paddle Bistro's seasonal outpost, Blue Paddle on the Bay, in 2020 and 2021. The bar will pour craft beer from local breweries, including longtime Folino's partner Fiddlehead Brewing and South Hero's Two Heroes Brewery, as well as wine and canned cocktails.

Folino's will have four dedicated boat slips for customers in the marina, which is owned by Michele and Mike Gammal. Desrochers expects to open when boaters hit the water in May, though the seasonal spot has permission to operate from April 1 through October 31. In peak summer, it will be open daily, with live music on the weekends.

The varied menu will give Folino's team members a chance to be creative, Desrochers said, and augment the islands' busy seasonal dining scene with an array of new options.

"We want to have fun with it," Desrochers said. "There's a lot of good food up there, and we want to add to it."