Kim Bayne’s initial plan was to launch her Griddler on the Roof food truck, a mobile eatery specializing in Jewish cuisine, sometime around Labor Day.
But as the month progressed, she said, “We realized the High Holy Days were right around the corner.”
The opening date was rescheduled until mid-to-late October.
The extra time has given Bayne the opportunity to refine her offerings.
Griddler will showcase two different menus.
The first will include traditional American Jewish dishes, such as blintzes, latkes and kugel plates, with modern twists.
“We are going to have potato knishes, but they won’t be those bland things that grandma used to make,” Bayne said.
The other menu will explore Jewish meals from different parts of the world.
“Jewish cuisine is fusion cuisine no matter where the community is located,” she said. “They maintain their culture, but they use what they have locally.”
Bayne’s background is in technology and business writing. In 1997, she released the Amazon best-selling book “The Internet Marketing Plan.”
She has lectured on the topic in cities around the world and, for a time, had a nationally syndicated radio show, “The Cyber Media Show with Kim Bayne.”
In 2011, Bayne switched gears and began blogging about food trucks, including for the “Eat Street” website.
It was during her time as a food scribe that she realized what she was missing in her life.
“I started to feel like I wanted an encore career,” she said. “There was something about the culinary field that appealed to me.”
She toyed with several other food concepts, including a waffle truck, before landing on Griddler.
“I felt like it was the perfect time to share what I’ve learned from my mother and grandmother,” Bayne said. “It makes me feel like I have come full circle with my heritage.”
Bayne said the truck, which initially won’t be kosher certified, will open quietly to work out the kinks before moving on to food truck roundups and rallies.
“There will be a lot of experimenting to see what Tucson likes,” she said.
Follow the truck’s progress and updates at facebook.com/griddlertruck online.
