Filipino food truck venture by burger eatery owners

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

Sep. 10—TRAVERSE CITY — Bergstrom's Burgers opened in June 2020 as a food truck and in December 2020 in a physical building near Chum's Corner.

Chef-owner Timothy and his wife Kathy Bergstrom go back to their beginnings with their newest food truck Kathy's Little Tiangge, which translates to "place."

"It's her Indigenous food," Timothy said. "It's Indigenous Filipino food. The menu strictly aligns with that."

Currently, they serve kinilaw (ceviche), lumpia (egg rolls), humba (Asian barbecue pork), afritada (similar to a stew), adobo (marinated chicken) and pancit (noodle dish). Timothy said they can make pancit with a protein or vegetarian. The ceviche is made with tuna, and the afritada uses pork.

"We make it all from scratch," he said. "It's all handmade, just like at the burger place."

Kathy said the egg rolls are common in the Philippines.

"I use beef because I do have Muslim friends," she said. "I don't use eggs because there are food allergies out there."

Instead, she uses heavy whipping cream to tie the ingredients together. The meat is marinated with onion, garlic, carrots, peppers and a few other ingredients. Everything is mixed and then wrapped in a thin paper-like cover, similar to a spring roll.

At least two items are made to order: the escabeche (a sweet and sour fish dish) and the tuna ceviche. Kathy said this helps ensure their freshness and "we're not wasting any products."

Many of their dishes are made with pork, fish or chicken and they mostly season things with salt and pepper, Kathy said.

"Nothing really is spicy with Filipino food," she said. "There are no heavy seasonings."

Timothy said they wanted to insert more variety into the northern Michigan culinary scene. He said many restaurant menus have similar dishes.

"We've lost a lot of ethnic places, destinations," he said.

Though it took a while to get started with the truck, he said they "promised the community it would open."

"It's going to be a short season," he said. "We'll work the next few weeks so people know to come and they can enjoy it next year as well."

Kathy added that she is glad community members can try a different kind of food.

"I'm happy I'm able to share what another country is serving," she said.

Kathy's Little Tiangge is open from 2-7 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday in the Flat Cap Ventures parking lot.