Big Thunder Roadside Kitchen tours local breweries

SoDel Concepts has been taking its food truck, Big Thunder Roadside Kitchen, on road trips to Delmarva breweries during the off-season. The truck has trekked to 16 Mile Brewery in Georgetown and, most recently, Mispillion River Brewing in Milford.

SoDel Concepts founder Matt Haley, who passed away in August, put Big Thunder on the road in early 2014. “Having a food truck that could tour the peninsula was a dream come true for Matt,” said Scott Kammerer, president and CEO of SoDel Concepts, which also has eight coastal restaurants and Plate Catering.

“He wanted to bring the SoDel Concepts’ theme - fresh, affordable and local - to people outside of the restaurants’ walls. Big Thunder Roadside Kitchen has been to charity galas and other events, and now it’s hitting the many breweries on the Delmarva Peninsula.”

Not only does Big Thunder bring a fully equipped catering kitchen on site, but it also introduces SoDel Concepts’ cuisine to potential restaurant customers.

The brewery tour is also an educational opportunity for SoDel Concepts’ staff, said Ronnie Burkle, a corporate chef with the company. “We work with a lot of local breweries at our restaurants, particularly at Matt’s Fish Camp and Fish On,” he said. “Being able to tour the breweries, talk to the brewers and see their actual operation gives us a new appreciation for what these guys do and how hard they work to make their products great. That, in turn, makes our restaurants better.”

The next scheduled brewery trip is to Evolution Craft Brewing Company in Salisbury, Md., Saturday, March 28. To schedule a Big Thunder visit or to find out when the truck will be in the area, email Jim Affeldt, a SoDel Concepts director of operations, at jim@sodelconcepts.com.