Food Carts by Heart

Every year, more and more people are finding out that some of the best chefs in Madison don’t own a brick-andmortar restaurant; they drive a food truck. It’s impossible to say who’s the best, but we’re happy to highlight two favorites that have proven themselves over recent years.

Braisin’ Hussies

Michael Sollinger (Solli) of Braisin’ Hussies has worked for some of the country’s most renowned restaurants, even owning a few, but after over 30 years on the inside, he was ready for a lifestyle change.

Solli’s vision was making light and lean food for part of the year then taking off for the rest of the season. He didn’t start out thinking Madison would be the right place for his food truck, but after looking at Austin, Boulder, and Seattle, Solli was sold on being able to live rent free with his sister and brother-in-law by the isthmus. That and “Madison’s proclivity for small food carts was a real plus,” he says.

There’s an intimacy for Solli in what he’s doing that he couldn’t achieve working in the kitchen at a restaurant. Behind the scenes, maybe he’d recognize people by their food, but now he can operate more like a bartender and get to know his regulars by name. He’s come to realize that nobody is as excited about the food he’s serving—slow-cooked veggies and meat served over rice, grain, and noodle bowls—than him, and he gets to share that excitement with anyone who comes to his window.

“The one cornerstone recipe to this menu is the braised pork shoulder,” Solli says. “I’ve used some version of that recipe for a couple of decades now. Braised pork, tomatoes, onions, garlic, chipotle, chicken broth—puree all that. Use the reduction after the pork comes out after eight hours for a gravy. I either mix it in with the meat or ladle over the pork after I serve it.”

Solli’s food focuses on accuracy and replication over what he calls a machoism sometimes exhibited by world-class chefs. He cooks his pork belly sous vide, meaning he vacuum seals it, places the package in water, then uses an immersion circulator to bring everything to temperature. You can’t overcook the food, so every bite of Dashi Pork Belly is just as he intended. In short, he says, “Precision is better than pride.”

Maybe people are more familiar with Dashi Pork Belly now, but Solli points out this wasn’t the case in the beginning. “When I started the cart in 2016, people were asking what it was. But much to the credit of the open-mindedness of this community, whatever Dashi Pork Belly is, they’ll try it.” For the yet-to-beinitiated, it’s his signature slow-cooked pork belly with dashi, miso glaze, miso pickled carrots, sesame cucumbers, radish, and toasted seaweed served over soba noodles.

Solli knows for a fact that his menu today is better than when he first opened thanks to his focus on evolving his flavor. He might not be looking to grow the scale of his business, but he’s never been satisfied with good enough. With each tweak and change, confidence is key. “Ultimately, you have to stick to your own convictions that what you like is going to sell. But you have to cook for yourself first. You have to really like what you’re cooking. You can’t try to outguess the public.”

Whether it’s the people, the lakes, or the food scene, this world-traveled chef has come to call Madison home for most of the year. “It’s one of the most lovely places I’ve ever lived.” He sees himself metaphorically as an obscure local band playing to regulars and appealing to anyone willing to listen, hoping you’ll swing by soon to check out his style.

Jason’s Jerk

I just learned that there’s a stigma in the chef world surrounding the use of the word fusion. Some go so far as to call it cringey. Turns out there was a trend in the early 2000s to bring together flavors from European and Asian cultures that just didn’t work, and the bad taste lingered. Luckily, I’m not a chef, so when I was told about the Caribbean fusion food at Jason’s Jerk, I didn’t shy away.