chow now!
CHIPPEWA VALLEY
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The valley’s food truck scene has exploded over the last five years. What used to be a rarity – seeing some savory sumthin’ slung out the window of a big ol’ hot box kitchen on wheels – is now a part of our commonplace culture. Was the valley behind in this tasty trend? Um… yeah. But no worries! We’ve finally caught up, and now have dozens of options for mobile meals popping up in random spots all over the place. Want tacos? You got it. BBQ? In bounty. Gyros, dogs, or donuts? Heck yeah. The offerings grow each season, and this one’s no different. Read on to find your next favorite.
We’ll see you on the street!
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TEN TASTIEST TRUCKS & TRAILERS Check out the valley ’s top ten food trucks, according to thousands of voters in the Best of the Chippewa Valley Reader Poll words by v1 staff
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PHOTO BY ANDREA PAULSETH
Everybody has their favorites of everything. Favorite restaurant, favorite bar, or favorite place to throw caution to the wind and suck down a massive, dripping ice cream cone. But when it comes to food trucks, people get downright fanatical about recommending their faves. Probably because by their very nature, food trucks (and trailers!) are nomadic nosh machines – ethereal and mysterious in their ways. They can be there one minute, and gone the next. You gotta catch them while you can! So if you know a good one, you’re excited to share the news – and the current location. To help people try the best, Volume One recently added a “Best Food Truck” category to our Best of the Chippewa Valley Reader Poll, and below you’ll find the top ten vote getters in alphabetical order. The top three outfits – Live Great Food, Holy Donuts, and Smokestream – are featured at right to remind you who readers had previously bestowed “best” status to. But don’t be confused, this whole list is made up of some of the tastiest and most beloved mobile food in the market. Don’t see your favorite? Be sure to vote next year!
BUBBLES BBQ
CALIFORNIA TACOS
West-coast inspired authentic Mexican cuisine. Featuring all of your favorite Mexican classicas like burritos, nachos, and quesadillas. Don’t miss the sandwiches like the tortas and pambazo.
DHIMITERS
You can’t beat Dhimiters for Greek on the go. Their gyro meat is 70% lamb, 30% beef; the highest lamb ratio in town. They’ve got vegetarian friendly spinach pies, falafel, and fried zucchini patties, and more greek specialities.
FIRE TRUCK PIZZA FROM FOSTER CHEESE HAUS
Artisan pizza hand-stretched and topped fresh, and cooked to order in a wood fired pizza oven attached to a vintage fire truck. Six classic varities with gourmet options.
HOLY DONUTS
At age 16 Myron Marko used his passion for donuts to build a mobile donut shop with inventive crowd-pleasing
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LIVE GREAT FOOD
Formerly the Locavore Food Truck, LGF offers a farm to truck organic menu that is seasonally inspired and inventive. Their food is always evolving and changing. Some favorites have included smash farmburgers, veggie burgers, “Braht Mi” sandwiches, salads, fried fiddleheads, fry bread tacos, naan tacos, and more.
ROSY’S TEXAS OUTPOST
Get your tex-mex fix at Rosy’s. Tacos (soft or hard), burritos, chips, and salsa. They’ve got a wide range of sauces catering from Midwestern mild to painfully strong. Generous portions ensure you won’t leave hungry.
SMOKESTREAM
One of the Valley’s most iconic food trucks, Smokestream featured an eccentric menu served out of a vintage airstream trailer. Street food classics with a music-themed twist like the Tupaco Tacos, the Snoop Dog, and the Macklemore Mac’n Cheese. Their mac’n cheese sells out fast and is served on a lot of crowd favorite items.
HOLY DONUTS
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PHOTO BY BRANDEN NALL
EGG ROLL XPRESS
A mainstay of the Eau Claire Downtown Farmer’s Market, Egg Roll Xpress sells authentic home-made egg rolls and boba tea. You can also find them at semi-regularly at Eau Juicy.
LIVE GREAT FOOD TRUCK PHOTO BY ANDREA PAULSETH
Bubbles serves a bounty of meats smoked to perfection. A rotating corrall includes turkey, burgers, chicken, pulled pork, and more. Keep an eye out for their specials like the Beast Burger (elk, bison, Wagyu, and wild boar), the Cuban Sandwich, and the Pastrami Stacker.
favorites like key lime pie, raspberry lemonade, orange dream, apple crisp, maple, candy toppings, and more. The donuts are small and you can buy a couple or 12, but you’ll buy 12.
THE MARIGOLD CAFE
Featuring light and fresh paninis, wraps, salads, sweets, and iced coffee. Don’t miss the seasonal Edelweiss (bratwurst, caramelized apple, mustard, and sauerkraut) or deli classics like salami, ham, provole, pesto, spinach, and more.
SMOKESTREAM | APRIL 21, 2022
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FOOD TRUCK FRIDAY STARTS MAY 6
Grab your appetite, because Volume One’s mobile food part y is back for 2022 words by V1 staff • photo by mark oliver
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ot a hankering for street foods? Get ready for Food Truck Friday at Phoenix Park, slated for this summer. If you’ve been craving freshmade gyros, tacos, barbecue, hot dogs, donuts, pierogies, pizza, ice cream, and more of your favorite local street foods, we have good news for you: Volume One’s Food Truck Friday is back for its fourth season, bringing more than a dozen mouthwateringly good food trucks to the south side of Phoenix Park on the first Fridays of the month, beginning May 6. From 11am-7pm, enjoy foods from as many as 10 different food trucks at a time, offering the perfect chance to take a break from the
daily grind, grab some grub, and take in some summer sun. Food trucks slated for this summer include Live Great Food, Dhimiters, iPierogi, Far Breton Bakery, Davis Dogs, California Tacos, Olson’s Ice Cream, Smokestream, Tasty Trolley, Guac & Roll, Batters Box, Ramone’s Ice Cream, and more! This year’s Food Truck Friday will be on May 6, June 3, July 8, Aug. 5, and Sept. 9. So mark your calendars, and remember that it’s totally OK to come down for lunch and dinner on those days. In fact, it’s encouraged!
Great Lawn in Phoenix Park 11am to 7pm MAY 6
JUNE 3 JULY 8
AUGUST 5
SEPTEMBER 9
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www.VolumeOne.org
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Check out more online and find a full schedule at VolumeOne.org/ FoodTruckFriday.
TRUCK CHOW AHEAD!
Upcoming & Recurring Food Truck Events words by james johonnot t • photo by andrea paulseth
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racking your favorite food truck can be a challenge, but some venues take the guess-work out by hosting regular, or semi-regular, food truck events. This is a small sample of what you can expect for food truck fare this summer. As the months roll on and the sun comes out, you can expect more events will pop up, so be sure to follow your favorite venues and food trucks for more information. Here’s a brief look at events in the Volume One Events calendar that will feature Food Trucks. You can find more at volumeone.org/events.
LEINIE’S LODGE Fri & Sat, Noon-7pm • The Leinenkugel’s Lodge hosts a wide array of food trucks throughout the summer, Fridays & Saturdays.
DIXON’S AUTUMN HARVEST WINERY Select Sat & Sun, 11am-8pm • Dixon’s will host food trucks during outdoor music concerts throughout the summer.
RIVER PRAIRIE FEST May 7, 10am-4pm, River Prairie Park • The Rivier Prairie Fest returns with a day full of family activities like art, music, crafts, and of course, food trucks.
MABEL’S COMMUNITY CELEBRATION May 21, 2-10:30pm, Mabel Tainter Center • The Mabel Tainter Center hosts this annual arts and music event with outdoor and indoor concerts, 6 food trucks, and bars open all day.
FOOD TRUCK FRIDAY May 6, Jun 3, Jul 8, Aug 5, Sep 9, 10am-7pm, Phoenix Park • Don’t miss Volume One’s summer Food Truck extravaganza, held at Phoenix Park. Seven to 10 food trucks will be at ev-
ery event, providing a diverse palette of mobile cuisine.
RIVER BEND WINERY Sat & Sun Until August, 11am-4:30pm • You can catch different food trucks every weekend at River Bend Winery
EAU CLAIRE FARMER’S MARKET Saturdays through Summer • The Eau Claire Downtown Farmers Market is held on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, but you can generally be assured your food truck fix on Saturdays (7:30am-1pm)
MUSIC SERIES The people have spoken, and nothing goes better with outdoor live music than mobile food. The Sounds Like Summer Concert Series, Tuesday Night Blues, Rock’n on the River, and more all are expected to have food trucks on-site.
OTHER PLACES TO WATCH There are a number of other food truck events that pop up during the summer at local venues. Keep an eye on local breweries, like the Brewing Projekt, Zymurgy, Brewery Nonic, and more. Keep an eye on the Volume One Events Calendar at volumeone.org/events
RIVER PRAIRIE FEST.
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HERS-TO-GO PHOTO BY ANDREA PAULSETH
TRACK THOSE TRUCKS!
Local or Regional Trucks & Trailers Making Frequent Appearances
food truck listings by james johonnot t
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ood Truck meals just hit different. Ever since 2016, Eau Claire’s burgeoning food truck scene hit the gas. From hot dogs to farm to fork organic; from BBQ to donuts; and from tacos to cheesesteaks, the mobile food craze hit us like a storm. We here at Volume One love food trucks, so much so that we started an event to host them (Food Truck Friday, coming this summer.) Trying to track down when and where to find Food Trucks can be a challenge, so we’ve collected a look at 23 area and regional food trucks that are either based here or commonly make their way through the region. These food trucks all have social media accounts, where you can stay up to date on when and where to find these mobile eateries. With so many to try, get your own engines roaring and make it a quest to try them all. Did we miss your favorite? Then don’t hesitate to reach out and let us know at james@volumeone.org; we’d love to learn about even more trucks!
THE BATTERS BOX facebook.com/bat-
DAVIS DOGS (715) 505-0922 • facebook.
BF STREET KITCHENS facebook.com/
DHIMITERS GYROS facebook.com/
tersboxfoodtrailer Serving game-time inspired food favorites like hot dogs with a wide variety of toppings like chili, bacon cheese, nacho, maple bacon jalapeno, BBQ pulled pork, and nachos. BFStreetKitchens Serving cheeseburgers, rice bowls, “Schmatty Melts”, curds, tots, apple crisp, and the favorite “Schmork Rolls” with pork, cream cheese, and pickled jalapenos.
BIG GIRL STREET FOODS Chippewa
Falls/Eau Claire This mobile food operation will satisfy your big appetite with chili cheese dogs, steak bites, walking tacos, and more.
THE BIG WEENY (715) 833-2120 • face-
book.com/TheBigWeeny The Big Weeny will fill your appetite for classic summer fare, including hot dogs, brats, chili dogs, popcorn, and kettle corn. You’ll find them out and about in the Eau Claire area.
BUBBLES BBQ facebook.com/bubblesb-
bq/ Bubbles smokes their own meats – including brisket, ribs, pulled pork, and pulled chicken – and make their own sauces. New this year is the Beast Burger, a combination of elk, bison, Wagyu Beef, and wild boar in a patty topped with bacon bits and cheese.
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FAR BRETON BAKERY facebook.com/
farbretonbakery Making frequest appearances at our Food Truck Friday event, the this mobile bakery takes inspiration from the bakeries of Brittany. European-style baked goods like croissants, palet bretons, fruit & cream cheese galettes, and more. Don’t miss the pain au chocolat.
FIRE TRUCK PIZZA 715-642-0252 •
facebook.com/firetruckpizza Featuring artisan pizza, hand-stretched and topped fresh. Six staple varieties are always on the menu, with the occasional featured gourmet pizza making an appearance. Look for them at local events, or bring them to catering your event.
GUAC & ROLL facebook.com/GuacNR-
Facebook West-coast inspired Mexican cuisine. Featuring classic burritos, tortas, California nachos, pambazo, sobes, and quesadillas.
CHIPPEWA VALLEY CHEESESTEAK
HERS-TO-GO Find them on Face-
Find them on Facebook Serving an array of cheesesteaks and burgers piled high with melted cheese, shrimp po’boys, fish sandwiches, waffle fries, cheese curds, and chicken wraps.
www.VolumeOne.org
DhimitersGyros Dhimiters Gyros now runs a mobile food truck, serving their gyros around town. Dhimiters Gyros feature a 70% lamb to 30% beef ratio, the highest lamb ratio in town. They also serve spinach pie, and other Greek specialties.
ollArcadia Preparing tacos, sopes, tortas, quesadillas, nachos, burritos and more. Meat options include chicken, barbacoa, asada, and al pastor. Can be hired to cater events. Family-owned and operated out of Arcadia, WI.
CALIFORNIA TACOS Find them on
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com/davisdogsllc Davis Dogs is all about the hot dogs. Whether you like them plain, covered in cheese and peppers, Chicago style, or even wrapped in bacon, Davis has you covered.
book Serving Banh Mi sandwiches (chicken & veggie), egg rolls (pork & veggie), crab rangoon, and vermicelli salad (chicken & veggie).
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HOLY DONUTS facebook.com/HolyDo-
nutsWI At the age of 16, Myron Marko transformed a passion for donuts into a trailer-turned-donut shop. Some featured donuts (such as Key Lime Pie, Raspberry Lemonade, Orange Dream, Grandma’s Apple Crisp, Midwest Maple, and The Fall Fest) vary by seasons while others (Glaze ‘n Sprinkles, Butterfinger Bomb, The Cloud, and Cinna-Yum) are Holy Donuts staples.
THE HUBB FOOD TRUCK facebook.com/ TheHubbEC The Hubb allows diners to travel around the world without leaving the Valley. Curb your appetite with specialties like gyros, reubens, Southern pork fritters, and smoked mac-andcheese bites.
IPIEROGI ipierogi.com iPierogi keeps
Polish food traditions alive with homemade style pierogis and other traditional Polish favorites. Serving pierogis, Polish sausage, stuffed cabbage (Golbaki), potato pancakes, and crepes (Nalesniki).
ISLAND VIBE FOOD TRUCK facebook.
com/islandvibecaribbeancuisine Authentic Caribbean food. Grilled jerk chicken, slow roasted jerk pork served with traditional Jamaican side dishes
like fried fiddleheads, veggie burgers, farmburgers, “Braht Mi” sandwiches, salads, and more.
THE MARIGOLD CAFE (715) 563-4069
• facebook.com/themarigoldcafe This mobile cafe specializes in Italian panini sandwiches as well as sweet treats such as gelato with semifreddo (grilled Italian cake) and affogato (gelato with a shot of espresso). You’ll find it popping up across the Chippewa Valley and beyond.
MI MÌ CAFÉ facebook.com/mimicafee-
auclaire Serving authentic Vietnamese street food: bánh mì (porky belly or chicken), noodle bowl, and more.
NE-NE’S TACOS facebook.com/NeNes-
AuthenticMexicanTacos Ne-Ne’s Tacos serves authentic Mexican food including homemade tortillas, chips & queso, tortas, guacamole, nachos, burritos, quesadillas, street tacos, and elotes (Mexican style street corn.)
OHANA PIZZA CO. ohanapizzacompany. com Serving pizza and Hawaiian style shaved ice.
ROSY’S TEXAS OUTPOST facebook.
KatesCoffeeKoop Espresso and coffee drinks hand-crafted with beans from 3 Arrows Coffee Co. Classic coffee drinks, cold brew, affogato, Italian sodas, a wide array of flavored syrups.
com/Rosys-Texas-Outpost Serves up soft or hard shell tacos, super tacos, burritos, super burritos, chips & cheese, taco salsa, and fiesta chips. Pick your sauce from their variety of homemade selections of mild, medium, hot, and “hurt ya.” Their portions are generous and tasty.
LIFE SUPPORT BBQ facebook.com/
SMOKESTREAM facebook.com/
KATE’S COFFEE COOP facebook.com/
LifeSupportBBQeauclaire Need tasty barbecue, stat? Life Support BBQ will provide the meaty jolt your tastebuds need. With the help of their specialized smoker-outfitted trailer – dubbed the “Hambulance” – Life Support specializes in mouth-watering roasted pork.
LITTLE RED GRILLED CHEESE
facebook.com/LittleRedGrilledCheese A family-owned grilled cheese food truck with a number of different cheese & meats including cheddar, monterey jack, mozzarella, bacon, ham, and pepperoni. Also serving mac & cheese, tomato soup, and ice creams.
LIVE GREAT FOOD TRUCK livegreat-
food.com/live-great-food-truck LGF offers a fresh, made from scratch menu, that’s seasonally inspired and inventive. Their food is always evolving and changing, and has featured innovative creations
THE TASTY TROLLEY tastytrolley.
net An eye-catching trolley, serving pulled pork sandwiches, super nachos, walking tacos, soft pretzel, ice cream novelties, and more.
TWO GALS & A FRYER facebook.com/
TwoGalsAndAFryer Known for their square, fried cheese curds with six flavors (white & yellow cheddar, bacon, garlic, jalapeno, and ghost pepper.) Serving hamburgers, brats, chicken tenders, walking tacos, baskets of fries and onion rings. PHOTO BY ANDREA PAULSETH
THE HUBB
SmokeStreamFoodTruck Combines the classic intrigue of a food truck with an eclectic and eccentric menu. Its menu features street food classics with a music-themed twist, including Tupaco Tacos, the Snoop Dog, and Macklemore mac’n’cheese. The truck’s smoker and charbroiler produce mouthwatering barbeque and good old comfort food.
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