Sept. 24, 2021

The food at Monica’s Menu features the flavors of the cultures of three friends.

Monica Castello is Puerto Rican, husband Bob Berg is American and their friend Laura Espinoza is Mexican.

“Laura makes her Mexican food, and my husband makes goulash, hamburgers and all the American food, and I make all the food from Puerto Rico. It’s a perfect combination,” said Castello, who started the food truck in June with Berg.

The Mexican items on the menu range from burritos and tacos to taquitos.

Castello’s Puerto Rican dishes include options such as fried pork, roasted pork and arroz con gandules, or seasoned rice with fried pork. Her signature dish, also called Monica’s Menu, includes all of that along with fried plantains and macaroni salad.

The arroz con gandules is the showstopper, according to Berg.

“This guy … ordered a BoriBurger and rice. He goes, ‘I just took one taste of the rice, I ate all the rice, and The BorgiBurger I left behind.’ It was the rice. People love the rice.”

That customer likely finished The BoriBurger, Castello’s spin on an American hamburger, later. It includes roasted pork and hamburger topped with cheddar cheese and a combination of mayo and ketchup on a bun.

They also serve a Cubano for $10 that’s big enough for two meals for most customers. It’s roasted pork with ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, lettuce, tomato and the signature Monica’s sauce.

Monica’s Menu has spent the summer serving food at Foundation Park in northwest Sioux Falls. It’s parked on the north side of the Amazon fulfillment center that’s under construction, serving food from lunch into late afternoon weekdays and sometimes on Saturdays.

They keep prices affordable for the workers and the service fast since most of them have only a half-hour for lunch, Castello said.

She and Berg, with Espinoza’s help, plan to continue working from there as long as the weather holds. As word spreads about Monica’s Menu, they have been booking events in the evenings and on the weekends, posting locations on the truck’s Facebook page. They’re also available for catering.

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