May 20, 2022

Chislic might be the signature item of a food truck with the name Chizlickers, but the menu will grow to feature other South Dakota flavors.

Owner Alex Koltze said he sources as many ingredients locally as possible and plans to incorporate his own produce later this year.

“We’re farmers too,” he said. Koltze and his wife, Miranda, own Sweetgrass Farm near Viborg.

They’ve started an orchard and gather plums, chokecherries, wild onions and wild turnips from their land.

“You can’t go out and buy that, but you can grow it,” he said of the items native to the South Dakota prairie that they cultivate.

Chizlickers kicked off its first season earlier this month. It will be at the Falls Park Farmers Market every Saturday, where his wife, the owner of downtown shop Sweetgrass Soapery and All Walks Trading Co., also sells her homemade soaps.

They’ve been part of the farmers market for several years and noticed the need for more prepared-food vendors there.

“I talked to another vendor about it, and it made sense,” he said of starting Chizlickers. “I love to cook.”

The food truck also is booking events, with upcoming dates at McCrossan Boys Ranch, including a plant swap from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday and lunch for Food Truck Friday on July 15. Koltze sold food at a Good Earth State Park festival last weekend and will be there as part of the Sunday Concert Series on July 3.

“We’ll do some pop-ups around town as we get things figured out, and we’ll find a place to park,” he said.

“Right now, we’re keeping it pretty simple with the menu, just trying to perfect the things we’re doing.”

He’s making grilled beef chislic and is working to find a lamb supplier. Bratwurst and hand-cut fries are other standards.

For breakfast at the farmers market, he also serves French toast.

“We use cinnamon babka from Breadico, dipped in eggs from Fruit of the Coop and coated in a bread crumb-panko mix.”

It comes with a side of maple syrup or wojapi, a traditional Native American compote he makes from their chokecherries. Miranda is Lakota and part of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation.

“I’m just trying to add more native ingredients, not just for the cultural aspect but it’s a short carbon footprint to get here.” That sustainability awareness also is found in packaging. Chizlickers uses compostable flatware and recyclable paper containers. It sells water in paper cartons instead of plastic bottles.

Koltze’s heritage is German and Irish, “heavy on the German,” so he’s planning to add pork schnitzel and sauerkraut to the menu.

He said he loves to make Japanese food, but “I’m not sure how we’re going to work that in yet.”

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