'Putting love into motion': Shobi's Table expands serving days offering meals on a pay-as-you-can basis

Aug. 25—Shobi's Table has been in St. Paul for more than ten years, with the mission of serving people through the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.

Shobi's pay-as-you-can food truck started in the spring of 2019, serving lunch twice a month. One year later, in the spring of 2020, the organization expanded to serve weekly on Thursdays and Fridays. Shobi's added Tuesdays to its roster this summer, serving three meals a week to the St. Paul community.

The addition of Tuesdays resulted from a decrease in catering due to COVID-19, something that Shobi's has been doing since 2018, said executive director and deacon Kari Alice Olsen. Shobi's would cater at events and use that money towards the food truck vision, Olsen said.

"The pandemic for us was in a way a gift, she said. "It really reset our priorities."

PAY-AS-YOU-CAN MEALS

The food truck now focuses less on catering and more on the three pay-as-you-can meals weekly. Olsen says the pay-as-you-can model seeks to give people a sense of pride when dining.

"We really want to be a regular, like food truck experience for just about anybody who can, who comes without the barrier of prices on our menu," Olsen said.

Shobi's curates a menu based on ingredients donated from Twin Cities Food Justice. The food truck serves up to 75 people per day in the summer, often people of different backgrounds, Olsen said.

As a deacon of the Lutheran church, Olsen said Shobi's Table is her theology in practice.

"Deacons are called to be a bridge between the church and the world. So for me, the work of Shobi's Table is very practical theology. It's putting love into motion, specifically the love of Jesus, into really tangible edible motion," she said.

While it's rooted in religion, Shobi's aims to create an inclusive space for people of different faiths and backgrounds, with options to accommodate Muslims, vegetarians and those with gluten-free needs.

MORE THAN 3,400 MEALS SERVED

In June, Shobi's catered at St. Paul Youth Pride, hosted by St. Paul Parks and Recreation.

"I was so excited. I was like, 'this is exactly what we want to support,'" Olsen said. "We so believe that Jesus loves every single person who comes to the food truck, who is walking on the sidewalks of St. Paul. No matter your gender identity, no matter your race, no matter your economic status. We believe that we are all called to the same table to love each other."

So far in 2021, Shobi's has served more than 3,400 meals, an increase over its 2,600 meals served in 2020. Some customer favorites are the chorizo and roasted potato burrito and chocolate chip cookies, which they bake the same day.

In the coming months, Shobi's will be expanding even more. The organization received a $16,000 mission grant from the Deaconess Endowment Fund and $8,000 from Open Your Heart, which Shobi's will use to buy more refrigeration.

'LOVE MADE EDIBLE'

With this new funding, Olsen hopes to continue bringing love to the Twin Cities.

"We are all about working for that justice and for the people who really feel like they're on the margins. So we really want to step into those spaces and support the folks who are really in need of that tangible move towards inclusivity," Olsen said. "We really want to be love made edible in the Twin Cities."

Shobi's food truck can be found on Tuesdays at the junction of Christ and Capitol Hill on 105 University W., Thursdays at Faith Lutheran in Frogtown at 499 Charles, and Fridays at Bethlehem Lutheran in the Hamline Midway area at 436 Roy St N.