42 August 1 • 2019
jn

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

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Dine In Carry Out Delivery Available Call for Details

10% off 
Total order

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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 
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