Upon retiring from their respective jobs as an insurance industry worker and a conservation warden, sisters Joy and Sue Miller decided to fill their time with an entirely new venture: the food industry. “We both really enjoy cooking and meeting people,” Joy Miller said, “and we thought this would be a fun thing to do.” Joy Miller said the initial idea stemmed from their past ventures within Europe visiting Italian and French cafes. The pair decided to open a food truck, Joy Miller said, because it allowed them to serve their dishes without the complexities of a “brick and mortar” business. The Marigold food truck, now coming up on its fourth season of business, serves up handmade, Italian-cafe style panini sandwiches. Each of the Marigold’s dishes share its name with a plant or flower, as the first place the Miller sisters tried out their recipes was at their brother’s greenhouse and nursery in central Wisconsin. One of the truck’s best-selling items is The Foxberry, a turkey and provolone sandwich topped with cranberry chipotle. Another fan favorite is The Hosta, a reuben featuring a unique sauerkraut that is caramelized with onions and apples. A specialty dessert of the Marigold is their gelato and semifreddo, which comes in a variety of flavors. This past fall the two even spent time at the Carpigiani Gelato University in Bologna, Italy, where they refined their skills in gelato making (and tasting). In general, Joy Miller said the best way to describe The Marigold’s food is “fresh” and “very flavorful,” while Sue Miller chose to use only one word: “Delicious.” 

The Marigold Cafe Food Truck • (715) 563-4069 • facebook.com/themarigoldcafe

Volume One’s Food Truck Friday event series – presented in partnership with Silver Spring Foods – kicks off its second season on Friday, May 3, along the Great Lawn in downtown Eau Claire’s Phoenix Park. Each month from May to September, as many as 10 food, snack, and drink establishments will open for business for lunch and dinner (11am-7pm), providing the opportunity to sample and feast upon the work of multiple mobile chefs. To learn more, visit the Food Truck Friday website at volumeone.org/foodtruckfriday.