There aren’t that many culinary moments that become cemented in one’s memory. Food is good, but it’s rarely that good — tasty enough that it sticks in your mind for months, and causes you to tell people about it. This is the exact experience I had when I first tasted the Bama Dog. By far the best hot dog I’ve ever tasted, once I got done eating it I walked up and down the halls of the church office where I worked imploring everyone that would listen (and annoying those that wouldn’t) that they had to go to the conference room and eat what I just ate.
I’m not being hyperbolic. It was that good.
It was the product of Neth (not Kenneth) Grant’s imagination and a feature of the menu of one of Katy’s newest food trucks, Podunk Kitchen. With a mysterious logo (what is it, anyway?) that is only matched by it’s mystifying menu choices, Podunk Kitchen is not food-truck-as-usual. In a foodie scene where being unique sets you apart, Grant has managed to be set apart from the set apart, unique-er than the unique. High quality ingredients, hand-crafted sauces, freshly prepped toppings — it’s a recipe for success for this upstart food truck with an edge.
Neth seems custom-made for the gig, with tats and gauges and a winsome smile. With equal parts artistic flare and get-his-hands dirty work ethic, Grant built his own trailer in the same way he constructs his creative culinary concoctions. He dreams about recipes and making a dent in the food truck scene. In a city that boasts as many food trucks as any city not called Los Angeles, Houston can be a crowded place to open up shop with a mobile kitchen. But Podunk Kitchen’s phone is ringing nonstop. They are successfully making a splash. The future is bright.
But the food is only part of the story. Grant and his wife Natalie are not just hustle, they’re also heart. They have pledged 10% of their profits to The 25 Group, a Katy area non-profit my wife and I started back in 2014. I met Neth at a Starbucks recently and got his first donation and we talked about ways to collaborate with each other and aid in one another’s success.
So, yes, full disclosure, our nonprofit organization benefits from the success of Podunk Kitchen. But, no lie, that hot dog was the best I’ve ever had and I cannot wait to wrap my mouth around The Phatty, the double bacon cheeseburger offered by Neth and his crew.
Upon completion of reading this blog, you should do one of three things:
- Visit their website and find out where they will be next and go treat your taste buds.
- Get connected on social media. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
- Share this blog so people will know about Podunk Kitchen.
I promise, they are worth knowing about.
