Taste of Minnesota Food Truck Festival Recap

The Taste of Minnesota Food Truck Festival was held on July 3rd and hosted close to 30 different food trucks and several vendors. The Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Chruch In St. Paul provided the space for the food trucks whilst offering no-appointment vaccinations inside the Churches’ doors.
From 11 AM-5 PM, the wide array of food truck vendors assembled their set-ups and waited for hungry and curious festival-goers to swing by.
Within there was a lot to unpack as corridors were made by the vendors competing and co-existing together. These hallways of mobile food snaked through the Church’s parking lot creating a melting pot of different aromas that was sure to spark satiation to anyone that was near the festival.

I didn’t have enough time to talk to every vendor and taste all the food, but I did get a chance to visit with some. Here’s who I caught up with.

Taste The Real Nawlins

Taste The Real Nawlins is a southern-inspired food truck with the taste of Louisiana riding on its 4 wheels. This family-owned food truck specializes in southern favorites such as catfish, shrimp & grits, and seasoned cajun fries. They are most notably known for their “Kats Gumbo” special.
2016 set the Taste of Nawlins into some tribulation as their previous food truck trailer burnt down. Now they ride in vibrant food trucks serving even more colorful food out its doors.

I went for a small piece of their creations and tried out the hushpuppies which were crispy on the outside but harbored a soft, moist center with just enough comforting flavor without being too overpowering.

A list of this North-roaming southern-style gem’s future locations can be found here.

Come & Get It!

Run by Kenneth Jordan, the Come & Get It! food truck delivers simplicity with a kick. Inspired by the 19th-century mobile kitchen wagons known as Chuckwagons. With a smaller trailer-style food truck, Come & Get it packs a big punch with every sauce and seasoning made from scratch.
One of their most requested orders, the Po Boy, has a choice of either shrimp or smoked chicken with pickled carrots, onions, and cucumbers. If I had one of those that day, I would have definitely chosen the smoked chicken as the mesquite aroma permeated around their shop.

Shrimp Po Boy ready to be served to a hungry customer

I opted for the chicken wings for one reason—the sauce. If any food establishment states that their seasoning and sauces are handmade, then you have to try ‘em. Sauces and seasoning are a Chef’s pride and joy while being the staple of flavor for all their menu items.
The sauce was definitely the staple of Come & Get It as it gave the crispy breaded wings the oomph they needed. Kenny’s BBQ sauce serves as the perfect slather for anything. The texture is drizzle, but the flavor has a swift kick; meaning the spicy comes fast but won’t linger on your tongue.

Kenny’s Meatball Wagon

The logo for Kenny’s Meatball Wagon

Serving as a mobile satellite restaurant for The Sweet Taste of Italy, which has two locations in Crystal and Brooklyn Park respectively, Kenny’s Meatball Wagon serves Italian favorites.
The food truck’s animated logo of a man hauling a wagon full of spaghetti is derived from real-life inspiration. Kenny was the owner of La Gondola in Crystal, the restaurant that would evolve into The Sweet Taste of Italy. In 1989, Kenny hired brother and sister John and Tammy Stone. When their little brother Jim was old enough, he would soon follow suit.
Jim would go on to take ownership of the restaurant after Kenny decided to step away and retire and grow into what The Sweet Taste of Italy and Kenny’s Meatball Wagon is today.
Even years after his death, beloved Kenny still lives on through the work of Jim and his food. Jim commented that Kenny was a fun and positive character to be around while becoming one of his biggest influences.

I didn’t get a chance to try anything on the menu since my stomach space is unfortunately not infinite, but I will be back around to taste the love Kenny’s Meatball Wagon exudes.

Gray Duck Concessions

At the end of my rounds, I figured I had to dig into some sweets to finish out the day.

I went with Gray Duck Concessions, a food truck that serves gluten-free treats such as mini doughnuts, pigs in a blanket, and coffee. My decision was based on the novelty and convenience of sweet treats that even sensitive stomachs can handle. I also choose Gray Duck Concessions because of the popular stereotype—gluten-free food doesn’t taste good.
Gray Duck is quite the contrary as their gluten-free doughnuts match up pound-for-pound with regular doughnuts. To top it off (all the pun intended) They have a number of different drizzles and toppings that make each item unique.
I took home their peanut butter and chocolate mini doughnuts. The truck’s manager suggested an additional dollop of marshmallows, which was a great choice. These mini doughnuts curbed several sweet tooths over the next several days.

You can find Gray Duck Concessions’ future locations here.

Peanut butter & chocolate drizzle minidoughnuts

As I said, I, unfortunately, didn’t get a chance to try all the food or talk to all food truck owners, but I was able to get some snapshots of the festival below.