Local Burrito to offer product samples at local food fest Nov. 2

Chef Kyle Sieck says Local Burrito started out as a “half-baked idea” that today offers full scale catering, food truck and wholesale burrito company.

Local Burrito started out as a way to feed hungry people something good at the Saturday morning Iowa City Farmers Market. Seick was attending the market while working for the Echollective CSA, an organic garlic and vegetable farm.” I helped manage the produce stand at the Saturday morning markets. I just had so much access to good food I couldn’t resist cooking it up and rolling up fat breakfast burritos. And yes, I knew people were hungry for something better!”

Sieck started the company in 2009, and his is now in his sixth year of operation. He started up soon after attending the University of Iowa for geography and philosophy. He credits several influential internships and real world experiences for leading him into local food business. Working on farms and getting to experience firsthand the local food distribution system helped give him the tools he needed to make Local Burrito work. He took a Permaculture Design course, which he says “blew my mind and opened me up to all the potential to produce food products. I also took a ‘social entrepreneur’ class in India my final year in college which showed me the power of the individual businessperson.”

What makes Local Burrito different than the rest? “Everything from the flavor to our ethics and sustainability, we offer a superior frozen burrito product than what currently exists in most stores,” says Sieck.” We are an Iowa company that wants to distribute regionally, taking food directly from local farmers and processing it into affordable, healthy and delicious burritos.”

Many frozen burritos are bland, highly processed and produced in a way where one can’t even discern the ingredients inside. “Our burritos are made with whole, un-processed ingredients from the heartland. Imagine a good home cooked meal wrapped with love into a burrito, and that’s us,” he says.

For example, a steak burrito that is available from their food truck is described as a small warm tortilla stuffed with seared local grass-fed steak in a garlic-teriyaki marinade, Spanish rice, seared purple cabbage, black beans, Kalona cheese curds, bean sprouts, cucumber spears, cilantro and homemade salsa

Using as many local and organic ingredients that are readily available, Local Burrito offers seasonal tastes with exotic flavors not available at import based food establishments. Sieck also makes his own hot sauce and blends his own spices for an even more unique taste.

Sieck says outside of growing the local food truck scene and high end catering service, their biggest area for growth is in our wholesale frozen burrito production and distribution. “Currently, our product is carried in over 15 locations, ranging from grocery stores to cafes. Our aim is to offer a better frozen burrito, made with ingredients from the heartland and a taste of home. We are actively seeking assistance in distribution channels and professional cardboard packaging,” he says.

Local Burrito hand-makes and delivers every unit they sell. However, Sieck says they need help distributing to a larger audience. “We would love to continue cranking out burritos, using local food and putting great products in stores. We primarily need assistance in growing accounts and servicing them.”

You’ll have a unique opportunity visit with Kyle and sample his local burrito products and meet with more than 100 other exhibitors at the Feast! Festival & Tradeshow in Rochester, MN on Sunday, Nov. 2.

The Feast! Festival is your prime stop to satisfy your curiosity about local foods.  Visitors will be able to taste and purchase a variety of foods that are locally made throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa. Meet the farmers and artisans and hear the stories behind their foods. Admission to the festival is $5 for adults and $2 for children. There is an additional charge for beer and wine tasting.

“I thought this would be a great opportunity to network and learn how to grow Local Burrito,” Sieck says.

Following the Festival, the Tradeshow on Nov. 3 will offer an exclusive experience for exhibitors to network with buyers.

For more information about the Feast! Festival & Tradeshow, please visit www.local-feast.org. To keep in touch with the latest updates, like Feast! Local Food Network on Facebook, follow @Local_Feast on Twitter and use #localFEAST to make sure your voice is heard.