A flower is blooming in this food desert.
The Sustainable Kitchen, a food cart serving locally grown, sustainably harvested edibles out of a former UPS truck, is expanding onto the State College lunch scene.
The food truck is the first step in a master plan crafted by Andrew Monk, a chef at the Nittany Lion Inn, to address the phenomenon known as “food deserts” — areas where it’s difficult to find healthy, affordable food.
“The question he asked was, can you do food service or is it possible to sustain a local restaurant business with only local food? The answer he’s found is, yes, you can,” said Krystyn Madrine, The Sustainable Kitchen’s director of marketing. Monk’s long-term vision calls for a rethinking of how America eats. Dubbed “Operation Invictus,” the plan calls for gardens in depressed neighborhoods, especially in cities, and hands-on education for growing, cooking and eating healthy foods.
“He wants to bring the model of entrepreneurship to the food sustainability issue,” Madrine said.
The food cart, Madrine said, is just the first step. Even so, it’s been a successful one. His food has sold so well that The Sustainable Kitchen recently purchased and began operating a second truck.
The Sustainable Kitchen food carts serve specially selected areas of the Centre Region: on Tuesdays, one can be found at the Boalsburg Farmers Market; on Wednesdays, one is at Science Park; on Thursdays, one feeds Innovation Park and on Saturdays, one attends the North Atherton Farmers Market.
Mondays and Fridays, the trucks go to special events — Madrine said businesses and organizations in the county can request a truck, as Minitab has done a number of times.
And while those who haven’t experienced Monk’s cuisine may think of “sustainable food” and “tasteless” as synonyms, they’d be wrong, Madrine said.
“Customers absolutely love our burgers, but we’re most famous for our burritos,” she said.
“People just eat them up.” Other best-selling items on the menu are the proprietary-recipe veggie patties, the cheesesteak salad, and the many cooked-from-scratch take-home soups.
Partnering with local Amish farmers, Monk buys chemical-free produce and grass-fed, antibiotic- and hormone-free meat. And he prides himself on offering vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free food options.
“With the way the food tastes, we’re hoping to make it easier for people to make sustainable choices,” Madrine said.
A schedule of the trucks’ stops and an online ordering option can be found at www.the-sustainable-kitchen.com.
Aiming high
Choosing a college is an expensive and important decision. Heather Ricker-Gilbert wants you to get it right.
A longtime independent educational consultant in Connecticut, Ricker-Gilbert recently decided to move her business, College Gateways, to State College. Changing the popular opinion among local students that Penn State is their only or best option for college ranks highest among Ricker-Gilbert’s priorities.
“A large state university is not always the best choice for all students,” she said. “I offer comprehensive counseling to help high school students and parents choose the most appropriate institution to match a student’s talents, interests and academic goals.”
Ricker-Gilbert offers advice to high school sophomores and juniors on how to improve their resumes, and works with juniors and seniors on college applications, essays and interviews.
College Gateways’ website is www.collegegateways.com.
Getting down to work
A new landscaping company has set down roots in Julian. JRS Landscaping is owned by Brian Stauffer, who hopes to “do everything but mow lawns.”
“I love the creative stuff, especially design,” Stauffer said. “I’m fully capable of doing complete design, including hand-drawn and 3-D computer renderings.”
Stauffer said his firm can handle installation of landscaping with plants, hardscaping, walls, ponds and waterfalls.
The company’s website is JRSLandscaping11.com. Stauffer can be reached directly at 353-8300.
Dispelling rumors
Dairyland is alive and well, according to owner Gayle Rodgers.
Most of its old vendors have returned to the former canning factory on state Route 655 in Brown Township, Mifflin County, which was damaged by a fire in June, Rodgers said.
Dairyland now has 61 vendors actively selling their wares, and hosts a regular Wednesday flea market. The former barbershop and newspaper offices have reopened, Rodgers said.
Last week, I reported six vendors relocated from Dairyland to another nearby building after the fire displaced them. Rodgers wanted to make it clear Dairyland has gotten back on its feet after the fire.
Also, whispers that Carrabba’s Italian Grill, a chain of restaurants offering “handmade Italian dishes prepared to order in a lively display kitchen” (according to its website), was looking at putting a restaurant in Centre County have proven false.
Rumor had it Carrabba’s was looking at moving into the restaurant site near Otto’s Pub and Grill at 2235 N. Atherton St.
“Carrabba’s has no immediate plans under way regarding opening (a) restaurant on North Atherton Street,” company spokeswoman Shannon Black said.
Cliff White can be reached at 235-3928.
