Roll Model Serving Locally Inspired Food at Two Frankfort Locations Starting May 23
The rolls (and beloved peanut sauce) that started it all! - Jess and Abigail in the kitchen - Edamame tops healthy grain bowl!
Beginning May 23rd, Roll Model’s mother and daughter team will bring their spiffy new green food truck with locally grown, made-to-order food to two Frankfort locations.
Every Thursday through Sunday their food truck will be at “Menus on Main” at 1048 Main Street (behind Coastline Cycles) from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Beginning in mid-June they’ll be serving from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and then from 4:00 to 9:00 p.m. down at the Stormcloud Parkview Taproom, located at 366 Parkview Lane.
They’ll have a variety of fresh spring rolls and assorted grain bowls made with local vegetables, seasonal fruit smoothies and a healthful, great tasting Aqua Fresca beverage built around a fresh fruit base. They also have a not-so-secret sauce that customers covet: Roll Model Peanut Sauce, a savory, bursting-with-flavor sauce that is great for dipping, marinating or drizzling over your favorite dish.
Mom Jess Ryan and daughter Abigail Hodge run Roll Model, a business deeply imbedded in family values and a love for Benzie County, in effect making it a role model for the community – from their support for local growers to their care in crafting vegan and gluten-free food for the good health and welcoming taste buds of clients. Jess’s mom, Debbie Ryan, deserves a lion’s share of credit for the business, having shared her love of cooking with granddaughter Abigail at a young age. Debbie also provides crucial back-up help in the kitchen and oversees bookkeeping.
“This is all about how we live, how we eat and how we support one another in our community,” said Ryan. “Just as we strive to be a delicious, healthful source of great nutrition, so do we welcome and care about folks from all walks of life. The fact that we count on family to make Roll Model flourish enriches everything we do and enables us to handle all ends of the business from sourcing and customizing our food offerings to making sure that our business affairs, like bookkeeping, are current and accurate. We often figure things out on the fly, but the discovery process is part of the fun! My joy and expectation is that Abigail can eventually take the business, grow it and support their family as well as our community.”
Their fresh fruit-based Agua Fresca! - Local farms supply most of what goes into the Roll Model recipes/offerings - Abigail back in the kitchen, working hard on their mission, “…to make local food something to be savored and indisputably healthy for the people around us.”
“We source from three local farms: Lost Lake, Fifth Wind and Cold Creek,” said Abigail. “We spread the love of local, fresh ingredients, including herbs, edible flowers, cabbage, kale, heirloom tomatoes, red onion, strawberries, blueberries, peaches, apples, raspberries, blackberries and lots more. Coordinating with farming partners and converting their “fresh” into our food truck offerings is a big job but one that goes to the very heart of our business and mission – to make local food something to be savored and indisputably healthy for the people around us.”
Abigail worked for one year at Roll Model under previous owners when their food was prepared and sold at Farmer’s Markets. Jess joined the team and learned the ropes of local sourcing and food preparation so, when opportunity knocked, they were ready to acquire the business. Jess, Debbie, Abigail and their families are lifelong residents of Benzie County.
“I’ve been dreaming of having a food truck business for over a decade,” says Abigail. “As a teen, I loved to cook and experiment in the kitchen. Fast forward and, beginning May 23, we’ll serve food four days a week, have one day for food preparation and sourcing and two days for downtime with our families.”
The family is intentional about making sure the business doesn’t rob them of a work-life balance. Apart from her many responsibilities – including social media and managing the website – Abigail tends to her daughter Milou, age two, while Jess is busy with her daughter Ridley, age seven.
“There’s been a lot to learn,” says Jess. “There’s licenses, processes and procedures for a commercial kitchen and the intense job of managing fresh inventory that is perpetually changing with the seasons.”
“I have no concerns about their success,” says Betsy Evans a Business Development and Coach Specialist with Venture North Funding and Development that supported the expansion of the business with capital. “They’ve built quite a following at farmer’s markets that I’m sure will grow at their two locations. The food truck fills an unmet niche. Once you sample their fare, you love it!”
Evans, also a Benzie County native, says Jess and Abigail are part of a family known for caring about and giving back to their community.
“It’s a great mother-daughter team – including Jess’ mother, a whiz at bookkeeping – all intentioned on helping their community prosper and building a sustainable business for the future,” Evans said. “I hope that we can help with future growth plans.”
“First and foremost, we’re going to make this business model work,” says Abigail. “We can then look at what makes sense to grow – things like catering, on-line marketing out-of-season and even some form of food coop could make sense. We’ll figure that out as we go. We are so fortunate to have a family that can work together and have reward and fun in doing that.”
For media inquiries:
Contact: Tim Ervin - Ph: 231-794-0089 - Email: timervinassoc@gmail.com
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