Foxy Falafel

(Buddy the Pony and his friends - photo by Mike Braucher)

I am a creature of habit and one of the most comforting and delicious of my habits for the last couple summers has been a trip to the Kingfield Farmers Market almost every single Sunday. Sometimes I bring the whole family along and we meander and nosh on mini-donuts, falafel or Thai omelets, running into friends and neighbors at every turn. Sometimes, I go in for a surgical strike – alone with my basket, in and out in fifteen minutes, loaded down with eggs, veggies, salmon, meats and cheeses for the week. By the looks of the mellow shuffling crowds, I am not the only one with a Kingfield Farmers Market habit, and so I am probably not the only one who’s going to be feeling a bit forlorn now that the season has ended.

Minnesota isn’t exactly known as a falafel lover’s paradise, but if Erica Strait keeps doing her thing, the Land of 10,000 Lakes could quickly become the Land of Falafel. Strait is the 30-year-old chef-turned-entrepreneur behind Foxy Falafel, one of the Twin Cities’ newest street-food sensations.  In her first year on the scene, she’s managed to garner a devoted following of falafel fanatics at the farmers markets and special events she frequents. And I’m spending a couple days with Strait, serving up falafel sandwiches to get a glimpse at what goes into putting her falafel stand on the map.