Living the food trucker dream, introducing Zea May's Kitchen

So I’m going to veer slightly off course of the usual Farm Office Sunday series to fill you in on an exciting happening.

A board member of Weaver’s Way Co-op, of which I’m a member, Sue Wasserkrug, opened a food truck recently in Philadelphia. The truck is called Zea May’s Kitchen, a play on the scientific name for corn (maize). I worked alongside Wasserkrug this weekend for Zea May’s maiden journey. We rolled to Love Park on Saturday and then hosted a friends and family lunch on Sunday in Mount Airy.

Zea May’s Kitchen serves up Native American minded foods, as the slogan reads “Native foods, native flavors”. Wasserkrug’s interest in the Native American culture was further enriched when she received a M.S. in anthropology from the University of Arizona, specializing in Native American civilizations. She lists the Navajo and Hopi as two of her favorite tribes.

This weekend on Zea May’s, we served up buffalo hot dogs (sourced from a Lancaster, Pa buffalo farm) served on a challah bun from Philadelphia bakery Wild Flour, with a homemade cranberry relish, sweet potato and mushroom empanadas (separately), a vegan-friendly wild rice salad with Jerusalem artichokes, pumpkin seeds and mushrooms dressed with a maple vinaigrette. There was even a yogurt parfait with ‘ancient’ granola (think pumpkin seeds, dried berries, oats) for the early crowd. Sue is the de facto chef of the operation, and I helped her out in the front of the house…er…truck. To drink, we served a flavorful hibiscus cooler. If you’re thinking this doesn’t sound like your run of the mill greasy food truck, you’re right. Wasserkrug is not only sourcing locally whenever possible, she’s making people feel good about eating from her stand.

Down the pipeline, the former lawyer is trying to narrow down all kinds of tasty ideas. In the near future you may see a buffalo chili, buffalo empanada, quinoa salad, chocolate tamales and Navajo iced tea. There was an attempt to convince her to deep fry the buffalo hot dogs, but she wasn’t going for it (I tried to tell her our ancestors ate them like that).

Wasserkrug’s background is fascinating, with three graduate degrees (including a J.D.). She’s moved all around the country with her husband, who’s a doctor for the University of Pennsylvania healthcare system. She practiced law for several years in Philadelphia before deciding to enter the food truck game. A full-on interview and pictures with her is planned for the upcoming weeks, but today’s story is just a sneak peek!

Zea May’s Kitchen’s summer schedule is nearly complete, with weekly appearances at Love Park (Monday), two South Philadelphia farmer’s markets (Sunday/Tuesday) and the Weaver’s Way farmer’s market (Thursday). To stay updated, check the Twitter and Facebook pages @zeamayskitchen. Once we get going, Twitter is your best bet for finding the truck at any given moment.