July 28, 2022

Two sisters looking for a new path are starting a food truck.

Taverns & Tots is the creation of Kelsey Cook and her older sister, Nikki Cook, who both work in the medical field.

“It’s definitely been a long-time dream of my sister,” Cook said. “She’s the cook of the Cooks. We’ve been talking about this for years, and an opportunity came up this year. … We’re both ready to try something different.”

Nikki and Kelsey Cook

They found a food truck for sale in Denver, and Cook flew out and drove it home in 110-degree heat a few weeks ago.

“That was an adventure in and of itself,” she said.

The truck’s former life was as The Veggie Whisperer, selling hummus and falafel.

Cook said she asked the owner if he was upset that it was becoming a meat-and-potatoes truck, “but he didn’t seem to care when I gave him the cash,” she joked.

Taverns & Tots has been Nikki’s vision for the food truck since they started talking about starting one, her sister said.

“We just wanted to do something a little different than hot dogs, hamburgers, burritos and tacos,” Cook said of the menu. “It’s something that people are familiar with. It’s Midwest food for Midwestern people.”

Cook points out that taverns aren’t the same as sloppy joes. They’re both loose-meat sandwiches, but taverns don’t have a tomato-based sauce. She compares it to a Maid-Rite sandwich, which originated in Iowa.

Taverns & Tots will serve the Cook Classic with the sisters’ signature relish. The Red-Headed Stepchild will be closer to a sloppy joe because it’s topped with a sweet tomato sauce. A third sandwich, the Pretzel & Cheese, will be served on a Milwaukee Pretzel Co. bun with a homemade cheddar ale sauce.

Other menu items will include hot dogs like the Tavern Dog, an all-beef hot dog topped with tavern beef, cheddar ale sauce and relish. The Walking Tavern is their version of a walking taco, and they’ll serve tater tots loaded with tavern beef, cheddar ale sauce, lettuce and tomato, drizzled with a dill pickle ranch dressing.

“That’ll be the menu for now,” Cook said. “Down the road, we might do more Midwest favorites like tater tot casserole and chili.”

Taverns & Tots will get its start Saturday with a private party. The first public event in Sioux Falls will be Aug. 6-7 at Bin 201, downtown at 11th Street and First Avenue. Hours will be 6 p.m. to close Saturday and 2 to 8 p.m. Sunday.

Since it’s later in the food truck season, they’ll work on lining up festivals and events for next year and focus on pop-ups in business parking lots and private bookings for now, Cook said.

They’ll post locations on the Taverns & Tots Facebook page.

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