About Sweet prairie Food truck

A need for food…..

That is where it all started.

Growing up in a very large family (6 siblings and both parents), we never had much money. I learned from an early age we grew food, hunted, and preserved what we could, so there was food on our table. We needed food to survive.

As I got older I quickly learned I had a passion for creating food. I could always be found in the kitchen, helping or cooking the meals for the family. The food our family prepared was a melting pot of different cuisines. Mom came from German ancestry, Grandma Brenda came from the south, and Grandma Liv was very Scandinavian. I learned to appreciate different flavors & loved trying new foods whenever I had the chance.

When faced with a career choice at 18, my family encouraged me to follow my passion for creating food. I enrolled in Le Cordon Bleu College in M.N. A short 2 years later I was working in the food industry and faced with the reality that working as a prep cook did not pay the bills. My dreams of working as a chef in a fancy restaurant quickly faded away as reality took hold.

During this time I was dating a local farm boy from back home. We decided to start a life together and I moved back home. Back to the rural farm community that I loved and missed. During this time I worked at numerous small town cafes and eventually found a job at the local Casino working in their fine dining restaurant.

I loved working as a line cook, the fast paced environment was my happy place & I was good at it. When my first child was born, the long work hours and weekends were no longer an option. During this time I was approached by a local business and asked to do some catering. Shortly after I started my first business, Modern Cuisine Catering. After operating the catering business for 10 years I was once again faced with a decision, I had to either sell out or rebrand.

I decided to rebrand as Sweet Prairie Chocolates & Concessions. You can check out my chocolate website here. Clyde (food truck) was just a thought and I planned for 2 years before launching.

A food truck for me offered freedom. Freedom to create what I wanted, when I wanted too. If offered me a way to schedule around my family and still make a profit. I made the decision to never work for another food establishment again, I would be the chef, I’d make the menus, do the work and reap the benefits.

You can read more about Clyde in the blog section.

Along with running the food truck I teach full time as a Culinary Arts (CTE) Teacher at Warwick Public School. I have always enjoyed teaching others about food and never pictured myself as a teacher but the opportunity presented itself and I thought why not! It’s been a wonderful journey so far. Working as a teacher offers me the freedom during the summer months to work on Clyde.

I enjoy owning my own business, living in the country, raising a family & teaching others. I am always surprised when people follow my journey. I am thankful for that everyday.