Who doesn’t love a road test?
For years, there’s been a bit of a complaint about some food blogs that their photos are better than the actual recipes. Instagram has raised a generation that eats with their eyes first, and sometimes only with their eyes. For food bloggers who want to level up their business, the natural progression is usually to write a cookbook to prove their credibility, not to launch a food truck.
nevertheless.
Locally-based recipe blog Fit Foodie Finds has decided to jump beyond publishing and bring a taste of their puddings (or, more accurately, their smashes) into your hands with their recently launched food truck, Hodgepodge, in partnership with Forgotten Star Brewing.
“We love collaboration,” FFF founder Lee Funke told me, “and while all our online buddies are making cookbooks, we wanted to do something different – feeding real people, real friends and family from a food truck, which is a cool thing that a lot of bloggers aren’t doing. Matt and Andy are crazy enough to work on this with us!” Funke may have started the blog as an undergrad at the University of Minnesota, but it has grown into a big business with Lynley Hanson as chief recipe developer and Emily Richter as editor-in-chief.
Matt Athey and Andy Risvold, founders of the sprawling Fridley brewery, bought the food truck from Boomin BBQ and basically told the women, “Stop talking about this and just do it!” The partnership is 50/50, and Hodgepodge will remain parked in the brewery’s outdoor space and will remain open for lunch and dinner six days a week (except Wednesdays).
“Our biggest hurdle has been elevating our recipes, which are typically targeted at servings of four to eight people. We know serving 100 is different to serving four, and we’ve had to learn about commercial food ordering, kitchen specs and storage,” Hanson says with a laugh. “But we also rely on our kitchen manager for help. We have our own dishes, our favourites that we’ve featured on the blog, but we’re also learning what’s possible and what works when we scale up to a larger scale.”
“It gives everyone a chance to work on the truck,” Richter said. “Everyone knows how to use a deep fryer. We’re not very good at it, but we can do it!”
Brewery manager Lily Artemos added: “Fithoodie fans come in and ask to meet them, and when we tell them they work on the truck, they’re amazed! They think they’re just influencers there for a photo shoot, but they’ve been on the truck!”
The menu is fun and decidedly Midwestern. It’s made up of dishes found on their website and dishes made specifically for the truck. Though they’ve been quietly open for a few weeks, they’ve already got some fan favorites. “It’s been really exciting to see people actually try our food for the first time,” Funke said. There are a lot of indulgent dishes, but also some lighter options to give beer drinkers variety. They’ve learned that they need to have a few more plant-based dishes that are more filling, and they plan to evolve the menu seasonally.
We asked Asay to take a look at some of the more popular menu items and pair them with Forgotten Star’s beers.
Food: Sweet Corn Smash // Yes, there’s a smashburger hiding under that nasty corn relish. Two beef patties smothered in special sauce and American cheese, topped with corn relish. It might seem like a lot, but it’s not. This is the most popular item so far. Beer: Northstar Cream Ale // The most popular burger goes with the most popular beer. “Cream ale is actually brewed with corn, so it pairs perfectly,” Asay tells me. It’s light and carbonated, and helps cut down on the fat in the burger. “It’s like a fake lager, a no-nonsense beer.” Food: Northstar Brat // The wild rice brat is from local farm Hidden Streams Farm and is topped with onions braised in Northstar Cream Ale. Beer: Fool’s Spring Maibock // Maibock is known for its caramelization process, so it pairs perfectly with onions. And as Asay points out, “German beer and sausage just make sense.”Food: Dilly Dally // Pickles are all the rage right now. This dill pickle chicken salad uses a dill Greek yogurt and mayo sauce for a lighter, more balanced flavor. Of course, you can add bacon for an extra dollar. Beer: Belgian Whip/Hazy IPA // “We’ll be serving up a Belgian Whip for our grand opening, but for now it’s a hazy IPA that’s bright and fresh, just like our sandwiches are bright and fresh. The herbal, fruity and hoppy flavors pair well with the dill, and this IPA is pretty easy to drink so you won’t get bored of it too much.” Food: See Ya Taters // I missed taking a solo shot of the basket of sweet potato fries drizzled in Minnesota Hot Honey. You’ll see it above right. The beer: Tripel is the best Belgian Tripel // Currently one of Athey’s favorite beers on draft, it balances the sweetness of the basket well and is “great because the strong carbonation cuts through the hot honey,” Athey said.
Other items on the truck’s menu include seasonal veggies with hummus, giant pretzels, kale salad, and the Hodge Podge Bowl, a medley of veggies with the option to add protein or not. And let’s not forget the soft serve ice cream. Make yourself a beer float before you head home!
Don’t see this as a blip: FFF claims to have a monthly audience of over 3 million, and the team already knows a thing or two about branding, sponsorship and reach. If they can successfully apply their digital know-how to the real world, we’re sure to be seeing the Hodgepodge name a lot more often in the future.
It’s currently open every day except Wednesday from 11am to 8pm, and a family-friendly grand opening celebration is planned for June 15th and 16th, just in time for Father’s Day.
