Junior's Backyard Grill aims to serve Cloquet

Jess Waldbillig, The Pine Journal, Cloquet, Minn.
·2 min read

Jul. 6—CLOQUET — From a hiring event at Kane Transportation to the Fourth of July festivities and their homebase at 2510 Carlton Ave., Junior's Backyard Grill is bringing "great meals at an affordable price" to the community of Cloquet, according to its owners.

Owner and operator Scott Holman said Junior's is "a dream that was started many years ago."

He runs the food truck along with his wife, Theresa Halvorson, who said they decided to take the plunge with a food truck to get their dream rolling.

"We just kind of finally said, 'Let's do it.' COVID did stop us a few more years, and we didn't want to get a big building and lose that, so we thought we'd just go with a food truck and here we are," Halvorson said.

Their goal is to stay local.

"It seems that people start here and then they leave and do all these Duluth events ... we'd like to just stay here," she said.

Holman said they keep their

Facebook page

up-to-date with their hours and whereabouts.

The menu offers a wide variety: reubens, Cubans, friscos, chicken wings, patty melts, and Holman's personal favorite: cheesesteaks.

The food truck officially opened in June, and despite not being open for a full month, Junior's Backyard Grill has had an accelerated start.

"We've received lots of messages on our site that the food is really good ... everyone is loving the food, and we're loving the community support. We're going to continue to do that and hopefully just stay local," said Halvorson.

Holman previously served as a

Cloquet police officer until 2019,

when he was fired for allegations of misconduct. Holman

has since filed suit

against the city for violating his rights.

The Cloquet man said he did not want to get into the details of his history with the Cloquet Police Department, but said, "I have a long history of serving the community and it (the food truck) was just another way that I could continue on serving the community."

Learn more at the

Junior's Backyard Grill Facebook page

or by calling 218-428-5942.