42 August 1 • 2019
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STEFANI CHUDNOW SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
W
hat happens when you cross
two brothers, a food truck
and a passion for bringing
family recipes to the Metro Detroit com-
munity? You get Brother Truckers, a din-
er-style comfort food truck run by Kevin
and Marc Kellman (former attendees
of Temple Israel). Originally from Oak
Park and West Bloomfield, the Kellman
brothers opened their food truck on St.
Patrick’
s Day 2018 after 20 years in the
optical business.
BEGINNINGS
From a young age, the Kellmans found
food a major significance. While Marc
certainly enjoyed his family’
s home-
cooked meals, it was Kevin who grew up
learning how to cook these family reci-
pes from his mother and grandmother.
After working in the family optical busi-
ness for so long, he decided he wanted to
pursue his lifelong passion of cooking.
“My friends always said, ‘
You should
open up a restaurant.
’
The fact is, if I
had the money to open up a restaurant,
I probably wouldn’
t need to open up a
restaurant,
” Kevin said. “The food truck
path was the least expensive way to do it
and the fastest way to get off the ground.
”
The next step for the Kellmans was
to figure out how to finance their food
truck. They started researching and
asking around, eventually coming across
Hebrew Free Loan, which provides inter-
est-free loans to Michigan Jews.
“It was an unbelievable process. Just
having something like that in the Jewish
community makes you feel more Jewish,
”
Kevin said. “It still blows my mind this
was available to us. Without them, it
definitely wouldn’
t have gone off as
smoothly as it did.
”
At the food truck, each family mem-
ber has his respective duties. Kevin does
most of the food prep work and driving
while Marc handles the business side of
everything. When they’
re at an event,
Marc works the fryer while Kevin runs
the grill; and their mother, Sandy, oper-
ates the cash register.
ALL ABOUT THAT NOSH
On the Brother Truckers’
main menu,
you’
ll find a variety of tantalizing treats
including, but not limited to burgers,
sloppy joes, fried mac-and-cheese bites,
fries and chicken wings. A few menu
items stand out, one of them being
WTT Burger. This ginormous delicacy
combines a hamburger patty, mac-and-
cheese bites, sloppy joes, onion rings,
bacon and caramelized onions. If you
want to try a bit of everything they serve,
the WTT Burger is the way to go.
To sample Brother Truckers’
food, I
went to the Summer on the Bank at West
Bloomfield’
s Marshbank Park. A ton of
food trucks were there, but it was easy to
tell that Brother Truckers was one of the
most popular choices that afternoon.
By far the best thing I got to sample
was their fried mac-and-cheese bites. I
bit into the crumbly exterior and got a
mouthful of melty, cheesy, noodly good-
ness. If you’
re going to get one thing at
their food truck, get these.
After talking to Kevin, I learned that
making these bites is a three-day process,
which makes them even more incredible.
“I do a big, giant, baked mac and
cheese that I make in a giant roasting
pan,
” Kevin said. “I make the mac and
cheese; then we have to chill it overnight;
then we cube it up, bread it, freeze it, let
it defrost overnight and then we deep
fry it.
”
Their hamburgers are something spe-
cial as well. Kevin has his own meatloaf
recipe that he makes into these burgers,
something that you don’
t really find at
just any food truck. In addition, you’
ll
find a delectable balsamic glaze instead
of a typical sauce. Though I got a veggie
burger in lieu of a hamburger, I can hon-
estly say that I’
ve rarely tasted anything
as memorable as that glaze. Weeks later,
I still remember what it tasted like (in a
good way).
If that wasn’
t enough, Brother
Truckers also has two dessert options: a
thick, creamy cheesecake and a choco-
late-chip bundt cake. The cheesecake is
Marc’
s recipe, while the bundt cake is a
treasured family recipe.
“I hope that people see the passion
that we have for our food and the quality
of the ingredients we use and the time
that we put into it,
” Kevin remarked. “
As
a family business, we’
ve been working
together for 22 years now, and there’
s a
lot of love that goes into our food. We
love the Jewish community, and we
know the Jewish community knows
what good food is.
” ■
Brother Truckers
Serving up food and memories throughout Metro Detroit.
eats | drinks | sweets
nosh
COURTESY OF BROTHER TRUCKERS
Brother Truckers
Brother Truckers is always on the
move; you can keep up with them
at BrotherTruckers.com or read daily
updates on their Facebook page.
Brother Truckers also caters all sorts
of events. To learn more, call Kevin at
(248) 320-9278.
BrotherTruckers.com
WHERE TO FIND THEM
Here are some upcoming events:
• Aug. 5: 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
in Cadillac Square (Downtown)
• Aug. 6: 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
in Beacon Park (Downtown)
• Aug. 7: 5-8 p.m.
at Ann Arbor Food Truck Rallies
• Aug. 14: 5-9 p.m.
at Royal Oak Farmers Market
• Aug. 20: 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
in Spirit of Detroit Plaza (Downtown)
Kevin and Marc Kellman started Brother Truckers last year.
Private room available for up to 85 people
OFF
TOTAL FOOD BILL
Expires 8/31/19
Dine In Carry Out Delivery Available Call for Details
10% off
Total order
Not to be combined with any other discounts
or specials. Expires 8.31.19
10% off
Total order
Not to be combined with any other discounts
or specials. Expires 8.31.19
CLOSED ON TUESDAYS
AUTHENTIC & DELICIOUS TASTING
CHINESE CUISINE