A Food Truck Named Desire

Mike Golembiewski, who recently graduated from CASA under Chef Kristin Beringson in Nashville, TN, is gearing up to launch his first culinary endeavor; a food truck specializing in gourmet egg rolls. We sat down with this food-truck-Bourdain to discuss his life, the program, and this exciting project.

How did you originally become interested in the culinary arts?

My interest in cooking began when I was a child. I used to mess around in the kitchen and prepare meals for my family when I was 10 or 11-years old. That kind of blossomed in high school, when I joined a culinary arts program. I really wanted to get involved in the restaurant business. I hit some obstacles at the end of high school and ended up joining the Marine Corps. It was a good experience, but it also side-tracked me from pursuing that dream.

When did you start pursuing your dream professionally?

I got into the restaurant business originally as a server, when I got out of the Marine Corps and was in college. I was going to college full time for business management, and being a server was the most flexible and financially beneficial position I could take in the restaurant industry. Eventually, I found my way into the kitchen, and became a jack-of-all-trades. I was a line cook, a dishwasher, and worked the grill. I enjoyed being able to switch it up.

It’s kind of rare for chefs to begin as front of house employees. Do you think you have any advantages starting there instead of on the line?

It definitely helps me see the full picture. I’m extremely service oriented and was a great server. I’m still a great server. I want to provide the best experience for people possible. Being in the server world helped me get a better sense of what goes on in a restaurant.

What motivated you to start pursuing a more formal education?

[After college], I had a young child, and I had to re-prioritize my nights and weekends, limiting my career options. For about 13 years I worked in the tech world and in mortgages, but I realized all of those roads were not leading to much happiness. Through some therapy, I rediscovered my love of cooking. The kitchen has always been my place of comfort. No matter the type of day I have had, once I’m in the kitchen I just start whistling. I had a business plan for a restaurant I’d been thinking about for 13 years and wanted to start putting that in motion. I wanted to learn better technique. I had never taken the time to learn cooking formally.

I realized all of those roads were not leading to much happiness. Through some therapy, I rediscovered my love of cooking.

How did you find CASA?

I found it online. I wanted a culinary arts degree, but I knew I didn’t have the time to dedicate towards that. I also knew that when it comes to learning I’m veracious. I’m a committed self-learner. I wanted something that let me move at my own pace as much as I could. I also was attracted to the hands-on experience aspect of the program. Financially, it worked out nicely too.

Tell us about your mentor.

My mentor was Chef Kristin Beringson who is with Henley. From day one she was comfortable to be around. She’s extremely knowledgeable. She immediately made a great impression. She is casual, smart, and intuitive, with an amazing pallet.

Can you tell us a bit about what you’ve been doing post-graduation?

Egg rolls right now are my primary creation, as I am gearing up to roll out an egg roll food truck. I’m taking that medium and really playing with it. I’ve got a southwest egg roll. I’ve got a chimichurri steak egg roll. A pizza egg roll. A vegetarian egg roll. Even dessert cinnamon egg rolls. I’m keeping my menu limited, but I’ve experimented a lot. I’ve tried everything, and I want to do all of them, but it’s best logistically to keep the menu simple. The business plan I’ve been dreaming about has morphed into this idea. At CASA, I started thinking about what was most practical, slowly coming to this idea.

Does your truck have a name yet?

Getting there! My LLC is IDK Food Services LLC. I’ve always been someone who wants to keep things real and be natural. Right now my logo says: Egg Rolls by IDK Food Services. But I’m tossing around the idea of calling it, How I Roll.

I love this idea. What a great drunk food!

Oh definitely! Can’t go wrong with an egg roll at midnight. Especially after a couple beers, for sure.

Can you tell us about the food truck culture in Tennessee? I know in Nashville it’s huge!

It’s gotten tremendously large. There are so many events. Even in the past couple of days, I’ve gotten invited to bring my “food truck,” to several functions that are pretty large. I don’t even have the actual truck yet. I technically live in Manchester, TN, which is where Bonnaroo is, so that is a huge annual opportunity. Here, specifically, food trucks provide some of the variety we’re otherwise missing.

I have to ask, Chef Kristin’s background is so fancy, and it seems like your approach to food is more down-home: Was there any tension in these two, equally valid but different, philosophies?

No, not at all. It was perfect. Yes, I want to make egg rolls, but I’m making gourmet handcrafted egg rolls. I’m incorporating so much of what Chef Kristen taught me. Not only that, but she had some great ideas and advice for a food truck specifically. Her background was totally complimentary to this dream.

Do you have any advice for someone starting the program?

This program is what you make of it. You get out of this program what you want to get out of it. It’d be easy for somebody to go through the program and gain very little. It’s equally as easy for someone to go through the program and gain a world of knowledge. That’s what I did. Approach this with a mentality like, ‘I’m an adult. It’s up to me to do the work.’ If you do the work, you reap the rewards– not only in knowledge, but in networking and opportunities. Several people I’ve met have been amazing resources for me. Everyone has been so eager to help anyway they can. That’s huge. I know if I ever need a job, I can go and get a job at Henley. I can’t imagine getting this much experience, with the flexibility, any other way!

Is there any final thought you want to leave us with?

Yeah! I just want to shout out Chef Kristin and Chef Descher. They were fantastic mentors, and continue to be. They’ve been so helpful post-graduation. They’re always available. The program too. It’s been a wonderful experience.

I just want to shout out Chef Kristin and Chef Descher. They were fantastic mentors, and continue to be.