A new St. Paul food truck slinging Arizona-style burritos got its start as a pop-up event two years ago. But for Ben and Elijah Allen, El Norte Kitchen (elnortekitchen.com) can trace its origin to birth.
Food was at the center of the brothers' upbringing. Their single mom attempted to cook big meals for two growing — and growing and growing — boys. Their immigrant father introduced them to the food of Jamaica. "Food was definitely important in my family," said Ben Allen, the older of the two. "We all like to eat. Me and my brother are big guys, and when you meet us you can tell we like food."
The pair worked their way up in the Twin Cities dining scene, even working alongside one another. When Ben was executive chef at W.A. Frost, his brother was the sous chef. They also cooked together at D'Amico & Sons and long before that, Buffalo Wild Wings.
Ben's been working in St. Paul kitchens for a decade. But a stint in Tucson launched his love affair with Southwestern street food. "The scene is so vibrant down there, all these custom-made trailers with guys just grilling carne asada off the back of the trailer. You smell the smells of mesquite charcoal burning," Ben said. "How could you not fall in love with that food?"
Called a California burrito, the ones he tasted in Tucson "blew my mind." He describes it as a "meat-and-potatoes" take on the Mexican dish: The two main ingredients are steak and French fries, and they're rolled up in Sonoran flour tortillas. Softer and fattier than typical flour tortillas, they crisp up nicely on the griddle. When he moved back to Minnesota, he couldn't find anything like it.
"I was like, why don't I try making this?" Ben wondered. He started re-creating them for friends from his apartment, then got pop-up spots at Cook St. Paul, Octo Fishbar and the Naughty Greek.
Ben and his wife, Tricia Allen, took a class from the Neighborhood Development Center on how to write a business plan and secure funding. The organization helps entrepreneurs from communities that often get overlooked by banks — people of color, immigrants, non-English-speakers. The couple launched a GoFundMe effort and raised enough to put a down payment on a food truck, and got a loan for the remainder on the first try. They bought the truck late last year, and now it has finally hit the road.
Ben and Tricia co-own El Norte Kitchen, and Elijah cooks with Ben on his time off from a restaurant job. For now they are out two nights a week at St. Paul's new White Squirrel Bar (974 W. 7th St.). Ben hopes to find a place to park for breakfast soon.
On Fridays from 5 to 10 p.m., it's all about those French-fry-stuffed burritos with mesquite-smoked carne asada. On Saturdays (same hours), Ben adds jalapeño smash burgers to the menu. The burger is topped with cheese and bacon, and the bun gets a schmear of cream cheese. "It's almost a jalapeño popper," he said. Another food that Tucson got right.
