Curiocity: Food Truck Feature -- Taste Of Target Field
With so many new — and delicious — food trucks hitting the streets of the Twin Cities each summer, it's almost too tough to keep up. Well, fear not, we're here to help. Here's this week's food truck feature!
Admit it -- sometimes you're tempted to hit up a Twins game just for a ticket to the concession stands. It's OK. We've all been there.
Luckily, the Twins have been working on an idea to bring their incredible food offerings to you. The new Taste of Target Field food truck just hit the streets of Minneapolis on Monday, serving a variety of the delicious ballpark fare we all know and love.
And they're not stopping with the food. The truck features an audio and video system that will broadcast Twins games whenever possible for a full interactive experience.
Let's learn more about this Tasty Twins truck.
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Taste Of Target Field
Find them at @tastytwinstruck and Taste Of Target Field.
Owners: The Minnesota Twins
Date the food truck opened: Aug. 26
What kind of food do you serve? The truck serves a variety of food from Target Field -- Kramarczuk's brats, helmet nachos, malt cups, hot dogs from Schweigert, chili from The Loon Cafe, a BBQ brisket sandwich, cheese curds, fries and soon, daily specials.
Price range of menu: From about $4-$13.
Hours of operation: Check their twitter page for updates.
What made the Twins want to have a food truck? "Well, they're hugely popular in the community so we're just kind of following that trend," said Chris Iles, senior manager of corporate communications for the Minnesota Twins. "Also we wanted to take some of the signature items that we have at Target Field and instead of people coming to us at Target Field to get those items, we're coming out into the community so everyone can try them."
Tell us a little more about the truck. What kind of features does it have? "It's a pretty high-tech truck," Iles said. "It does have the TV ... and at some point we'll be able to broadcast live Twins games from it, when it's allowed. It's also equipped to share the radio broadcast."
How long has this been in the works? "It's been in the works for about a couple years now," Iles said. "It was a fairly long process to get the actual truck itself ready. I think the part that took the longest was getting it wrapped. It has tons of crazy graphics, even on top of it, there's graphics so if a helicopter happens to fly over."
How did you come up with the name? "Really, that's the idea of everything," Iles said.
What was your job before opening the food truck? Food Truck Manager Rob Delmont said before operating the Twins food truck, he was manning his own food truck (Messy Giuseppe) with his brother. He said when this opportunity came, he couldn't pass it up. "I thought it would be a great opportunity and a lot of fun," he said.
How did you decide on the menu? "We did some of the staples -- the Kramarczuk's bratwurst is a huge seller and it's really good. We thought for on-the-go street eats, that would be perfect," Delmont said. "We have the brisket sandwich, which is smoked at the field. They just decided on some of the things we can easily execute that's still really, really good stuff on the street. Down the road, we'll probably test some things here that could possibly be sold at Target Field. So there's a few things they want us to try, that we'll try here. We've been bouncing around a Walleye Reuben, there's a couple different burgers, once we're comfortable with our food then we'll try some new stuff."
The kitchen is pretty impressive, as well. Do you have everything on the truck? "Yeah, it's a full kitchen. It's better than some kitchens that I've worked in at restaurants," Delmont said, with a laugh.
Where can people find you? "Our thing is Twins Territory and that spans pretty big. We'd like to get out into the community and do some events here and there. Possibly run it during the Twins caravan, depending on the weather and the condition of the roads," Delmont said.
Can fans find the truck at Target Field during home games? "We're still working on that," Delmont said. "Food trucks are supposed to stay within 500 feet of the stadium entrance so for now, we're abiding by that. We might pull it up for fun and give things out, things like that. But as far as a venue, we're going to abide by the rules and park at the spots we're supposed to be parking at."
What's your best dish that you serve? "I like the Kramarczuk's, both the bratwurst and the Hungarian. We have their seasoned sauerkraut, the actual recipe, and it's really good. It's really, really good," Delmont said.
Working in a food truck is quite a different environment. Have you had any crazy stories yet? "Not yet," Delmont said. "Though we did have ... we were setting up to go to an event and we had the back door open and Kent Hrbek was standing there. We were like, 'Hey!' And he was like, 'This is really cool. I could work here.' And we were like, 'Anytime, man.' So that was cool."
What's one thing you want people to know about this food truck? "It's part of the Taste of Target Field, the food is really good," he said. "If there are games, we'll have the games going. It'll be an interactive experience for everyone."
Catch the Food Truck Feature every week, in the Curiocity column. Know of a food truck you think should be featured? Let us know by leaving a comment below or tweeting your suggestion to @SaraPelissero!
