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 Trailer Park'd "Slow" Fast Food
Lansing, MI
What did you have for lunch today? It probably wasn’t smoked pork belly-kale-caramelized balsamic onion-pickled black cherry-chevre-pepper on sourdough, was it? Was it chicken egg drop soup with soy-local honey-sesame-arugula? Well if you live anywhere near Lansing, it should have been.
"We were inspired to start Trailer Park’d "Slow" Fast Food by microwaves, drive-thru windows and mystery meat," said Chef Jesse Allen Hahn. "We’re trying to give people food with some integrity for lunch."
Opening a food trailer in Michigan comes with a few problems (think many feet of snow)- but also lots of opportunity.
"During the winter we’ll focus more on catering and special events. A big part of food is preservation, (pickling, curing, potting, canning, smoking) and this is how people have made it through the winter for centuries. Plus root vegetable are amazing in the winter," says Hahn.
Trailer Park’d focuses on using food that is in season – so tomatoes taste like tomatoes – and aren’t served on sandwiches in February.
So who are the customers on an average day? "We serve a wide range of people from young to old, basically just people that like good food," said Hahn. "Our food is pretty recognizable to just about anyone, we are trying to do food that appeals to the masses." (Rumor has it that their smoked meatloaf sandwich is so great that it has ruined all other meatloaf for customers.)
Hahn and Ben Ackerman found a great new tool for launching their business. They used Kickstarter.com, a fundraising website for small businesses. Prospective businesses shoot a video and allocate rewards based upon pledge amounts. This helped generate a buzz around the business and encouraged future customers to feel like they’re a part of something.
Catch this treat while you can – they set up at different locations throughout the week and the schedule can get modified quickly. Also, when the food is gone, it’s gone, so don’t wait too long or someone will grab your order of slow cooked ribs.
So what’s the best and worst part of working on the move? According to Hahn, their 12 foot 6 inch by 7 foot kitchen is great to keep clean and organized, but storage is really an issue! Find more at http://MichiganFamilyFarms.com/TrailerParkd.
What makes the food at Trailer Park’d so memorable is a combination of the chef's talent and quality ingredients.
Chef Hahn works with local farms to offer the freshest food every day, for example, his milk and dairy products come from this Farm Partner…
 Calder Dairy, Carleton, MI
Where does milk come from? If you answered plastic jugs in the grocery store, you’re missing out. Calder Dairy in Carlton, Michigan makes it their mission “To combine modern dairying with a strong commitment to producing premium dairy products.”
In other words, this family-owned farm is taking 65 years of experience, and delivering it to you in old fashioned glass bottles.
"With Calder products you know where your milk comes from and can even visit the cows (girls) who produce your milk," said Nicola Noble, Manager. "Being family owned and run allows us to maintain the excellent quality of our product from the cow to your doorstep."
A herd of 138 Holstein, Brown Swiss and Jersey cows provide the basis for a variety of fresh products. From just plain milk to buttermilk, yogurt, cottage cheese and even ice cream, the products are made as naturally as possible, and never contain rBST.
"At Calder Farm, the girls are not just numbers, they each have a name that is as individual and distinct as each one of them," said Noble.
The farm is open seven days a week and offers tours, a petting area, snacks and that fabulous Calder ice cream.
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