From farm to fork: Cedar couple aims to use whole hog in new food truck

Stephanie Shomin, The Record-Eagle, Traverse City, Mich.
·2 min read
1

Oct. 29—CEDAR — Kathleen Koch got tired of asking other businesses if they would make and serve traditional Polish food in Cedar.

Koch, who operates the Polish Art Center, said she saw a need for this type of eatery. Customers frequently asked where they could get a Polish meal for lunch or dinner while visiting the small northern Michigan town.

"I felt Cedar needs a Polish restaurant," she said. "It's a no-brainer. This is Cedar's identity. We should own it."

To fill that gap, she and her husband Tom Koch decided to start Polish Countryside Kitchen this past spring. Their food truck is parked behind the art center.

Tom acts as chef, something he said he enjoys. Kathleen added that her husband is inspired by his Polish grandmother's cooking.

Much of the menu incorporates items from their other family business, the Polish Heritage Farm, Tom said.

"It's an accompaniment to the farm," he said of the food truck. "We want to provide a healthy option in terms of how we serve our protein."

He said they aim to serve homestyle meals using the Hungarian mangalitsa pigs from their farm for the pork meat. The process starts with a soy- and corn-free feed for the pigs.

"[The pork] it's a fatty cut but it's delicious and flavorful," he said.

Menu items include smoked kielbasa and specials like the pork burger: grilled onions, pepper Jack cheese and tomato on a brioche bun.

"We serve, with our meals, a half link of sausage," Tom said. "People often asked for another whole link."

Smoked ribs, chicken dinners and schnitzel (pork cutlets) were also on the list of rotating specials. Tom said it depends on what is available.

"It's all from our farm, so it's limited quantities," Tom said.

They also offer homemade soups using the bones from their pigs for the broth. They rotate two soups weekly, Tom said.

The pierogi comes from their family friends near their hometown of Hamtramck. Sides include sauerkraut, beets, dill pickles and horseradish — "all imported from Poland," Tom said.

He added that they get the beef for the stuffed cabbage, called "Golabki" in Polish, from nearby Garvin Farms.

Their garden, Kathleen said, provides much of the produce for their dishes, including dill, beets and cucumbers.

"Everything starts off from something from our farm," she said.

Kathleen sells a variety of items in the art center too, including frozen pierogi by the dozen, potato pancakes, jams, dried and pickled mushrooms and more.

Tom left his work in property maintenance to run the food truck. Two of their children assisted over the summer.

Polish Countryside Kitchen aims to remain open from 1-7 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through November. Visit the Facebook page for updates.