It was at a Memorial Day weekend event a few years ago that Paul Porter was trying to find healthy food for his daughter.
He couldn't. And so it's at a Memorial Day weekend event this year that Porter will park the food truck he started last year with his wife, Kendra, as a result of that experience.
But the Porters didn't start the truck, which they named Potatoes and Molasses, solely to serve healthier items than the fried and greasy ones typically found on food truck menus. The truck also allows them to make more efficient use of what they grow at Black Brook Farm, the organic farm Kendra started with her parents 22 years ago. On 10 acres in Skaneateles and another 200 in Seneca Falls, the Porters grow potatoes, beans, tomatoes and much more that winds up on the rotating menu of Potatoes and Molasses at events like Majorpalooza Sunday in Auburn.
Three weeks ago, the Phat Kat food truck first fired up its stove in the parking lot of Fami…
"We gear the menu toward what we're growing," Kendra said. "It's very empowering when you can take 80 giant bushes of kale and make dishes out of them, and have everyone eat them."
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With people preparing their own food less and less often, Kendra said, the truck has helped her and Paul respond to that trend. Instead of struggling to sell their produce at their roadside stand in Seneca Falls or the Skaneateles Farmers Market, they turn it into value-added products through Potatoes and Molasses. Its business model also means they don't have to grow as much, Kendra said.
And it's because of that model that the food truck's menu changes often. Many Potatoes and Molasses items are inspired by cuisine in Paul's native England, such as fish and chips, cornish pasties, scotch eggs, curries and sausage rolls. However, with organic ingredients sourced from Black Brook or another local farm, those items are about as healthy as can be, Kendra said. For instance, the truck's fish and chips pairs wild-caught North Atlantic haddock with hand-cut organic fries and homemade tartar sauce with fresh tarragon. It'll be available at Majorpalooza Sunday, she added.
True to the truck's name — which was inspired by a song from the animated series "Over the Garden Wall" that made the Porters chuckle — they also serve many kinds of potatoes. One features inverted shepherd's pie filling with Black Brook's organic beef, another is filled with free-range eggs, cheese and bacon, and yet another is stuffed with portobello mushrooms pan-seared with rosemary, smothered in Kendra's compound wild ramp butter and topped with shaved Parmesan. And her molasses compound butter "happens to be excellent on baked potatoes," she added.
From rubber ducks to food trucks, Memorial Day weekend in downtown Auburn will be as busy as ever.
As a result of the way they're prepared, many items on the Potatoes and Molasses menu are also vegetarian and/or gluten-free, Kendra said.
"We try to accommodate as many dietary challenges as we can," she said. "Which I know is unusual for a food truck, but it's given us a nice following."
Those who can't catch Potatoes and Molasses Sunday at Majorpalooza can find the truck from noon to 6 p.m. Fridays at 1410 E. Genesee St., Skaneateles, as well as The Sinclair of Skaneateles when there's live music at the event hall most Thursdays this summer. The truck also caters plenty of private events in the greater Syracuse area, Kendra said.
Next to the truck, the Porters set up a tent where they sell produce and other items, like their raw juices. And they even provide the recipes for those who'd like to continue their healthy kick.
"I don't think there's any competition to people eating healthy food," Kendra said. "We think that's our main mission in life, so it's important that we help people do that."
Gallery: Potatoes and Molasses food truck, of Skaneateles
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Kendra and Paul Porter operate the Potatoes and Molasses food truck out of Black Brook Farm in Skaneateles.
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A Magical Mystery Spud (baked sweet or russet potato topped with roasted beets, sour cream and fresh dill) from the Potatoes and Molasses food truck, of Skaneateles.
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Fish and chips by the Potato and Molasses food truck, of Skaneateles.
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A Shepherd's Pie Spud (baked organic potato topped with shepherd's pie, New York state extra sharp cheddar and fresh chives) from the Potatoes and Molasses food truck, of Skaneateles.
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A lemon tart topped with farm-harvested cherries and chocolate mint from the Potatoes and Molasses food truck, of Skaneateles.
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Raw juice by the Potatoes and Molasses food truck, of Skaneateles.
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A Pavlova (homemade meringue topped with hand-whipped cream, red raspberries, black raspberries, blueberries and raspberry drizzle) from the Potatoes and Molasses food truck, of Skaneateles.
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The Potatoes and Molasses food truck, of Skaneateles, serves customers at the Women March in Seneca Falls in January.
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Attendees of the Women March in Seneca Falls in January get food from the Potatoes and Molasses food truck, of Skaneateles.
Lake Life Editor David Wilcox can be reached at (315) 282-2245 or david.wilcox@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter .