Kangaroostaurant

Hey all,

Kelly is responsible for the terrific posts you read here, but I wanted to crowd in on her territory, so I’m doing this one. A couple Saturdays ago, the K’roo was closed due to the cold weather. With an unexpected day off, I had time to revisit 2 movies from 1975 that I really like, but probably haven’t seen in 25 years. If you don’t know, I was raised on television and movies; so much of my perspective (and everyday conversation) is highly influenced by popular culture.

What do these two guys have in common?

On top is Jonathan E, the world’s greatest rollerballer in the futuristic film Rollerball. The character on the bottom is probably more recognizable; he is RP McMurphy from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. While at I didn’t at first make the connection to the happy coincidence of seeing both of these films in one day, it turns the two characters are very similar and made me think about myself, what we’re trying to do here at the Kangaroostaurant, and with our lives.

Jonathan E is a winner who isn’t sure he is one. He is a stand out athlete in a rather bleak future. He excels at a game created by the corporations that rule the planet; a game that is meant to show the futility of individual excellence. A game he loves, but chose over all else, including his family. With its violence and ever changing rules, rollerball’s participants are usually hobbled by the game in a short time; but not Jonathan. He refuses a retirement option thrust upon him by the governing executives, so the corporations for which he plays unabashedly change the rules to ensure his demise. He continues to stand out while others around him fall, but the pressure of the game and his own confused existence take a heavy toll.

RP McMurphy is a loser who believes he isn’t. He is a social outsider, a convict who is transferred from prison to a mental facility to have his status evaluated. RP’s problem is that he is violent and tends to resolve issues with his fists. What Jonathan is rewarded for, RP experiences only punishment. While doing time in the mental ward, RP changes those around him and finds himself changed, as well. The patients he meets at the beginning of the film are better at the end for having met RP He involves them in their surroundings. He treats them with equality and humor. He even steals a school bus and takes them all fishing. This is a far cry from the way the patients are treated by their attendants and physicians, receiving medication, disrespect, and far worse treatment when they attempt to assert any individuality.

What do these guys have to do with a food truck?

Well, very little, but their stories remind me of the way we lived before Kelly came up with this concept, how we struck out on our own story, and the way we live now. I’m a fairly malleable guy. If I find something I can do well and get paid for it, I will to remain there, regardless of my level of happiness or satisfaction. RP is like this in the beginning of Cuckoo’s Nest. Basically doing his time until another controlling entity tells him it’s time to move on. Like Jonathan, both Kelly and I were part of corporations before we struck out on our own. Jonathan remains in a game that he sees as his only form of expression, even though his accumulated wealth and notoriety would easily allow him to skate away. Both Kelly and I did well in our previous jobs, but were very unhappy. Every Sunday night was an exercise in dread and Monday mornings were full of tears and silence. Neither one of us wanted to be on the path we were on, but were very hesitant to make any change. Corporations provide a lot of desirable things that a small business may not: short work days, health care, a paycheck. When Kelly stumbled on the idea of doing something she loved (literally googling “restaurant low startup costs”), I was hesitant. The more she talked with me and voiced her ideas, the more I saw how this could work. Between our two personalities, we planned carefully and took enough risks that got us to where we are now. Still running a food truck. In Winter. In Wisconsin. Pretty amazing.

In Rollerball, Jonathan continues to excel at a game where the rules constantly change and seem to be implemented to ensure his demise. RP’s rules are sternly put in place by the establishment, but whose consequences are greater the more disobedient he becomes. Running our business can be like that, as well. The gamut of knowledge I’ve accrued is massive: from changing the oil in a deep fryer to changing the oil in a generator; and a thousand other details, tricks, and hard lessons. Every day brings more and more challenges and sometimes it seems like the rules are changing just to get us. I can get stuck in this selfish thinking, until I realize that we have exactly what Jonathan and RP have: fans and friends that look to them for leadership and inspiration. I’m lucky enough on a daily basis to have someone tell me, email me, or shout from a car, just how much they love what we’re trying to do. Those words of encouragement are why we keep playing the game every day, and to be honest, why we can’t wait until the next match. While the outside pressures may be immense, once we get on the truck, like Jonathan on the track or RP taking the patients fishing, it is thrilling and awesome to be doing what we love.

What do these guys say about life?

The bottom line is that these characters, due to desire or necessity, are fighting their battles from the ground up. We like to think we’re doing the same thing. Our goal is to cook great tasting, locally sourced food that everyone can enjoy and that we can have fun making. It can be difficult to take a chance and push against the standards of society. Whether it be quitting a normal job, refusing to quit when offered retirement, buying a food truck, or stealing a bus to take your buddies fishing. They’re all crap shoots. Things end ambiguously for Jonathan and badly for RP. However, due to RP’s example, one of his fellow patients literally removes the obstacles in front of him and escapes to a better day. What our ending will be remains to be seen, but so far it has been a terrific ride and we hope, like the fans and patients in these films, you will stick with us.

Start Somewhere
A year ago, Jay and I had a dream. We wanted to create an oppurtunity for us to do what we love and to provide oppurtunities to share what we learned with our kids and our community. At first it seemed like a far fetched idea. When we told people we were thinking about starting a food truck, people responded with a wide range of questions and reactions. Luckily, a few mainstream TV shows like The Great Food Truck Race and Eat St. brought visibilty and familiarity to this new way of dining.
The Journey
So, with a lot of help from the Venture Center and Amy Pietsch, we began the task of writing a business plan. After 8 weeks of hard work and research, we had put together a great plan PROVING that a Food Truck, particularly one that featured locally grown and produced foods, was not only needed but would be welcomed into the area. We held two Open House and Tasting Events in March and April where we served food to some of our friends and met a lot of new foks in our community. Our first tasting featured items containing meat.
The overwhelming crowd favorite that night was the Pork Schnitzel Sandwich.

We had help from our kids and recruited a few extras but we were able to host approximately 30 people and give them an oppurtunity to provide feedback on the food. Throughout this process, we used Facebook and Twitter to spread the word. We were funding all of this ourselves and had no money to spend on marketing ~ so we turned to what we knew and starting building a following. At first it was slow, but after this first tasting, it gained momentum.
The Vegetarian Style Tasting was a huge success. Apparently, the vegetarians in our area LOVE good food and were hungry for something new. That night approximately 100 folks turned out to sample our Sloppy Roo and a few other vegetarian offerings.

We learned a TON in those days. First and foremost, we learned that the food we were serving was what people were looking for. We also found that Social Media was the way folks found out about what was going on in our community. The majority of the attendees at our second tasting were people we had not met before but who had heard about us through Facebook or Twitter. This was encouraging to know that people were talking about us and spreading the word.
So, we continued in our journey by offering a limited menu lunch delivery service. Again, our only marketing was done through social media. For a few months in May and June while waiting for our truck, we would post a weekly menu and Emma and I would cook food and deliver to a few people in our community. The word was spreading and we were becoming more familiar with cooking on a large scale, timing and most of all, what people were looking for.

Throughout this entire process, we were waiting patiently for our truck and building a strong following of loyal and hungry customers. In July, Jay and I headed to Texas to pick up the Kangaroostaurant with the support of friends, family and a social media community ready for our return! Through Facebook we were able to share the experience with 0ver 300 people in our community. This was the first look for all of us at this Cookery on Wheels we had been waiting for.

And so it continued, we shared pictures of things we saw along the way. We were featured in the Post Crescent in a couple of articles and our following continued to grow. The thing we like about Facebook and Twitter is the ability to share not only what we are cooking but also, what we are seeing. There are so many wonderful people and places in our Community. We love that we can tell you about them. I am often compelled to ask “can I take your picture” and people are always happy to oblige. A friend once told me that everyone has a story to tell and IT”S TRUE! The stories we hear are often deeply personal, some very funny but most importantly all of them are what connects us together. So I like to share about them and let people know what other folks, maybe their neighbors,  are doing.

Mile Marker 2000
And things continued to grow. You told your friends, we were on Good Day Wisconsin, met Millaine Wells from Channel 5 and had a lot of good fortune and publicity along the way.
We now have over 2000 fans on Facebook and nearly 500 fans on Twitter.  So we thought it would be a good time to celebrate.

Let’s Party
This week, February 13-20th, we will be having a TON of fun! Each day, we will be giving away a $20.00 gift certificate to a customer from that day. Once we have cooked your order, we will ask you to write your name and phone number on the back of your ticket and drop it in the “hat of the day selected by Jay”.  At the end of each business day, we will draw a name and post the winner on Facebook and Twitter. For those who don’t do Facebook or Twitter, we will also post on our Website ~ or if you would like we can call you. We will start over the next day.  This week’s menu will be fun and feature “tons” of food. With the help of Chef Mark, Chef Lindsey, and our newest Chef – Mason, we will be offering a special treat for you each day as well as our way of saying thank you! Thank you for spreading the word to your friends, thank you for coming out to eat and most importantly, thank you for welcoming us and this new way of eating and thinking about food and community into YOUR COMMUNITY. You have all shared a little of yourselves and your family with us and we will continue to do the same for you!

Thank you and see you on the streets!

Mocha Pots De Creme
Recipe By: Mark Biesack
Yield: Serves 8

Ingredients:
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
5 large egg yolks
5 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon instant coffee or espresso powder mixed with 1 tablespoon water

Whipped Cream
1/2 cup heavy cream , cold
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Raspberry Coulis
12 ounces fresh raspberries (or thawed if frozen)5 tablespoons tablespoons granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Directions:

1. Place chocolate in medium heatproof bowl; set fine-mesh strainer over bowl and set aside.

2. Whisk yolks, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl until combined; whisk in heavy cream and half-and-half. Transfer mixture to medium saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly and scraping bottom of pot, until thickened custard registers 175 to 180 degrees. Do not let custard overcook or simmer.

3. Immediately pour custard through strainer over chocolate. Let mixture stand to melt chocolate, about 5 minutes. Whisk gently until smooth, then whisk in vanilla and espresso or coffee. Fill eight 5-ounce ramekins half full. Gently tap ramekins against counter to remove air bubbles. Spread thin layer of Coulis over chocolate. Fill ramekins with remaining chocolate mixture.

4. Cool pots de crème to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours or up to 3 days. Before serving, let pots de crème stand at room temperature 20 to 30 minutes.

5. Dollop each pot de crème with whipped cream. Finish with a fresh raspberry and fresh mint leaf.

FOR THE RASPBERRY COULIS (recipe from Cook’s Illustrated):  In medium saucepan, bring berries, 1/4 cup water, 5 tablespoons sugar, and salt to bare simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally; cook until sugar is dissolved and berries are heated through, about 1 minute longer. Transfer mixture to blender or food processor; puree until smooth, about 20 seconds. Strain through fine-mesh strainer into small bowl, pressing and stirring puree with rubber spatula to extract as much seedless puree as possible. Stir in lemon juice and additional sugar, if desired. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour. Stir to recombine before serving. (If too thick after chilling, add 1 to 2 teaspoons water.) Can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 4 days.

FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM: Using hand mixer or standing mixer fitted with whisk, beat cream, sugar, and vanilla on low speed for 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium for 30 seconds, then increase to high until cream forms soft peaks, about another 30-45 seconds.

Notes:
We prefer pots de creme made with 60 percent cocoa bittersweet chocolate. A tablespoon of strong brewed coffee may be substituted for the instant espresso and water. Covered tightly with plastic wrap, the pots de creme will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator, but the whipped cream must be made just before serving.

Family owned and operated business owners rarely take time away. They are too busy making the business happen and don’t have a huge staff to fall back on. I want to thank our friend Pip, my Sister Kim, Mark and Lindsey for filling in this past week.

My sister Kim and Emma on the truck during the Chili Cook Off.

Most of all though, I want to thank my very tired Husband and business partner for all of his extra work while Emma and I went to meet with folks around the state working tirelessly to futher the Local Food Movement in this great State. I will be posting more soon about some of the things I learned and folks I met at the WLFN Summit, but in the meantime, I just really wanted to start by saying thanks to the folks who made it possible for me to step away from the Kangaroostaurant and enjoy the time with fellow local food lovers!

The votes are in and we are proud to say that in a field of 15 Rookie Food Trucks from across the nation, the Kangaroostaurant came in third place behind the Staff Meal Truck from Boston and Famous Naters from Chattanouga, Tennessee.  There are Food Trucks all over the place creating new and interesting foods. When foodies look for a great meal, they often start looking for a food truck. The menus are diverse, the people behind the wheel and in front of the grill are interesting, and above all, the food is DELISH. And here WE are the NUMBER Three Rookie Foodtruck in the Nation.

http://mobile-cuisine.com/features/staff-meal-truck-is-the-2011-food-truck-rookie-of-the-year/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MobileCuisineMagazine+%28Mobile+Cuisine+Magazine%29

Thanks for the AMAZING response in voting. In a city of approximately 70,000 we managed to garner almost 1,400 votes from the folks in and around the Fox Valley. Mobile Cuisine Magazine mentions this response in the article announcing the winner and as a result of this response, they may be changing the structure of the contest for next year. That is IMPRESSIVE. All this from folks in and around the Fox Valley rallying around us. What a great feeling to see people sharing and asking their networks to vote and spread the word.

All of the kind words from our customers, neighbors and friends are great encouragement to keep doing what we are doing. On the long days we are often feuled to keep going by the excitement of those we see each day at the window. We really do love what we are doing and look forward to continuing this journey we have started.

We are planning to have a celebration of this accomplishment. Please stay posted for details. It seems like it would be good to wait til’ it warms up a little bit.  Until then, Thanks and Thanks!
See you on the streets ~~

Jay and Kelly

We are at 219 West College Ave- two of this week’s items Chicken Satay and the Taco Burger— both ate $7.

We were given this adorable snow person from a sweet customer – Maureen. Now help us decide on a name. Post on Facebook or here – And on Sunday Jay will decide the winner.