Moving mac-n-cheese and more

Late-night revelers in Moscow are a little more familiar with John Fletcher's wares than most others in town.

Specifically the basil pesto mac-n-cheese with bacon.

"Everybody loves bacon," said Fletcher, the owner of the Grub Wandering Kitchen, guessing at what makes the dish his best seller.

The business, more commonly known as the "Grub Truck," will have been around for two years in September, and can usually be found parked along Moscow's South Main Street on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturday nights, though it also provides catering for affairs like weddings and community events.

A veteran in the service industry, Fletcher worked in restaurants across the country - literally, in both Miami and Los Angeles - but eventually wound up in the Northwest to be near his family in Spokane. He opened Picabu on the South Hill in Spokane in 2005 with his sister and the business is still going strong. It was even featured on an episode of Food Network's "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives."

After selling his share of that business to his sister and following another restaurant endeavor that didn't work quite as well, he moved to the Palouse to help a friend open a new business, SouthFork, where he was the bar manager for four years.

It was during that time he came across a deal on a truck on Craigslist that he just couldn't pass up.

"One of my friends was talking about food trucks and it kind of put the idea in my head," he said.

Fletcher had an idea for a food truck with 10-12 different types of "funky" mac-n-cheese, so he bought the truck and a portable generator and thought he'd get it up and running in just a few months.

"I figured, 'Oh, well I can build something out by myself in three or four months, maybe six months,' " he said. "It took two years and two months, I think, by the time I was finished with it."

Getting the truck outfitted with the proper plumbing, electricity, gas and painted took a lot longer than he expected, but it was worth it, he said. And during that time he expanded his vision for a menu as well.

"In general it's not very difficult, it's just kind of deciding what my favorite foods are and trying to make the best version of it that I can," he said.

It's a little more complicated than that, he admitted, since the amount of space in the truck limits what kind of equipment he can work with - there's no room for a charbroiler or a fryer - but he's added things like red peanut curry, pork and chicken tacos and hot beef sandwiches to the menu. Of course, there's still about seven different kinds of mac-n-cheese.

While the mobile food business does have its advantages, like more flexibility with the menu and taking nights off - something that you just can't do in a typical brick-and-mortar restaurant - there are some ways in which it's more difficult as well.

It requires more time to set things up and break them down after a shift and, with the limited staff he has, it's a little more complicated to schedule time off. Preparing for three weekend nights and one or two daytime shifts requires about two days of prep work during the week, when they make the 9-10 gallons of cheese sauce, pre-boil about 200 portions of mac-n-cheese and start cooking the meat and vegetables they'll use during any single shift.

Currently the prep work is done do at Gnosh on Main Street, but business has been good enough during the past few years Fletcher will soon open a kitchen, one without wheels, where the business will make its sauces and noodles.

He said the company already does catering, with the occasional wedding or special event, but he said once he has his own kitchen he can begin booking more of those jobs, while continuing to serve the late-night, inebriated crowds that has been the business' main focus since the beginning.

On the business side, Fletcher said he also hopes to rent out a portion of the new kitchen as a kind of incubator space to chefs looking to open a booth at the Farmers Market, which requires a deal with a commercial kitchen.

On the personal side, Fletcher said he's going to try to hire a few more employees so he can start working more during the day and get away from all the late nights.

"About 2-2:30 (a.m.) is definitely our busiest time," he said.

The Grub Wandering Kitchen can be found online through its Facebook page or by email to grubtrucker@email.com. The truck can usually be found in person from 11 p.m. until the crowd dies down on the 500 block of South Main Street in Moscow on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.

Bill McKee can be reached at (208) 883-4627, or by email to wmckee@dnews.com.