For anyone who hasn’t heard of Mukja yet, May will be a good time to get acquainted.
The Korean-inspired food truck, known for its culture-bending cheese dogs, has steadily amassed a cult following since it debuted in 2019. But the opening this month of its new digs inside the Assembly Student Living building, 3900 Elati St., marks the first time the trio that runs it, Julia Rivera and her two kids, Kayla and James Makowski, have put down permanent roots.
Seven-year-old Mukja will join Maiz, a gordita joint owned by Denver native Maria Rangel, in the cafeteria area of one of the Auraria Campus’ most notable off-site dormitories.
Although you can find classic Korean dishes like bibimbap and mandu dumplings on the menu, Mukja is known for its singular take on international street food classics, like Korean-style “birria” ramen, Kimchi fries and wonton nachos.
Those dishes are joined by souped-up iterations of viral sensations that the trio deconstructs and rebuilds from the ground up, like the crunchwrap made with spicy carbonara Buldak noodles, fried chicken and cheese sauce. When making a new dish, a process that happens often and with great relish, Kayla often lights the spark with something she’s found scouring TikTok’s plethora of global food trends. Then James and Rivera add their two cents, creating something thatap greater than the sum of its parts.
Having the use of a dedicated kitchen, instead of relying on a commissary, will only accelerate the trio’s already creative process.
“We all share one brain cell,” laughed James. The salt bread Philly, with bulgogi and kimcheese wiz (exactly what it sounds like), just debuted as part of Mile High Asian Food Week, and will hopefully become a permanent fixture.
The choice to open a standalone stall in a dorm cafeteria might seem strange at first. But Rangel, who also opened Maiz as a food truck five years ago, has been operating out of Assembly since February 2025.
“When I came here, I thought I could make this a food hall all by myself,” she said. With three available stalls, one of which houses a coffee shop also run by Rangel, she soon realized that she had bitten off more than she could chew. “I let the opportunity get the best of me.” In February of this year, she called Rivera.
The two had formed a natural and almost serendipitous connection while running into each other at a series of events. But when Rangel called, Rivera knew it was the right fit. “Partnering with a woman-owned, minority-owned business, it just made sense. We didn’t even hesitate,” she said. The feeling was clearly mutual.
Maiz specializes in gorditas, the thick, fried masa pockets that eat more like crispy, oil-drenched pitas than tacos. Go for the chicken tinga or the calabacita, the menu’s lowkey heavy-hitter with zucchini, corn, cilantro, lime crema and Cotija cheese. While the truck primarily serves gorditas, tacos and tostadas, the Assembly menu also has some American fare, think chicken tenders and mozzarella sticks, geared mostly towards students.
Rangel says that Mukja’s arrival marks the first step in creating what she describes as a “micro woman-owned food hall.” While details are sparse, Rangel is planning to replace the lackluster convenience store section with an additional tenant.
Since arriving at Assembly, Maiz’s truck activities have taken something of a backseat, with Rangel mostly bringing the mobile kitchen out for private events and catering. “Assembly is where I live. But truthfully, I love food trucking. Thatap where my heart is,” she said.
For Mukja, the family hopes to divide and conquer. Plans are to have James manage the stall, while Kayla and Rivera continue to work the brewery circuit (including Long Table Brewhouse and Cerebral Brewing). The trio is still set to attend the larger events like The Northglenn Food Truck Carnival, May 15-17, and the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival, Aug. 29-30.
The stall will serve all of Mukja’s longtime favorites like the wonton nachos, the crab rangoon cheese dog — with its stretchy, melty cheese that is perfect for Instagram-worthy cheese pulls — and the crunchwrap, along with some student-friendly snacks like sausage and rice cake skewers and kimbap. “We’ll have something to hold them over between classes,” said James. Blended drinks, boba, tea and lemonade will also join the stationary roster.
While the student center is certainly off the beaten path, both Rangel and Rivera are optimistic that they can turn the space into a destination. “We’re not in a busy part of town. Yet,” said Rangel.
