EGG-CITING POSSIBILITIES. Andrea Reneau started Korean Egg Rolls and More in 2020 as a fun side gig during the COVID-19 pandemic, but she quickly saw the potential for a bigger biz. (Submitted photo)

Starting a new business can be daunting, but you never know the kind of community support you’ll get until you are on a roll. 

Andrea Reneau has been cooking delicious Korean-style egg rolls for the past 20 years, starting in her aunt’s Korean restaurant in Eagan, Minnesota. Her gift for cooking inspired her to open Korean Egg Rolls and More, a new social media-infused side business.

The biz operates out of the VFW in Altoona and accepts orders through their private Facebook group of the same name.

Reneau serves as the sole owner of the business, which she started during the COVID-19 pandemic. She said her hours at a local restaurant were cut down, and her friends had always asked her to make the egg rolls, so she decided to ask the public on Facebook if they’d be interested in ordering a few.

“Within five minutes, there were over 500 rolls (ordered),” Reneau said. “I quickly panicked and deleted the post. I did fill the request and quickly learned to limit orders based on what I could realistically make at home while working and enjoying my family time. Well, word spread way beyond my expectations. This was just supposed to be something fun. Although I love doing it, I knew I couldn’t continue to work out of my house. There’s a difference between making egg rolls for friends and the liability and health code extending to those I don’t know. That’s when I decided it was best to rent a space and create a business.”

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WORD SPREAD WAY BEYOND MY EXPECTATIONS. THIS WAS JUST SUPPOSED TO BE SOMETHING FUN. 

Andrea Reneau

Korean Egg Rolls and More

Interested patrons have the opportunity to order a variety of different rolls from Reneau and her team each week, with the majority ordering through Facebook and a select few walking into her VFW workspace to order.

Currently, she offers her family’s egg roll recipe of chicken, carrots, onions, egg, and vermicelli noodles; a breakfast roll consisting of sausage, egg, green onion, onion, tomato, and noodles; and a veggie roll consisting of carrots, onion, green onion, red cabbage, tofu, and noodles.

To keep things fresh, Korean Egg Rolls and More throws in specialty flavors such as Mac n’ Cheeseburger, ham/pickle, cream cheese, cookies n’ cream, and crab rangoon. 

While the business is doing well, Reneau said making the business her sole source of income is something she is wary about.

“Working in a restaurant and farming are two of the hardest jobs around in my opinion,” Reneau said. “Not only difficult, but they take a toll on family time. There is always something that comes up. I grew up in both industries. My family owned three farms in Fall Creek before opening the Secret Garden. My parents missed out on so much of us growing up. I do not want that for myself or my kids. As I’ve learned after losing my mom to a plane crash in 2011, life is way too short. I do not need to be a millionaire, but I’m going to work hard and play harder. We just never know when our time is.”

Current pick-up times for Korean Egg Rolls and More are on Mondays from 4 pm-7 pm and Tuesdays from 10 am-7 pm at the VFW in Altoona. For more information, visit their Facebook group.