Hello everyone! Welcome to a “sweet” Twitterview with the owner of @MojoDonuts, Lisa Clark. Lets get to tweeting!

So Lisa, lets get to know a little bit about you. Where did you grow up and go to school? @MojoDonuts

Lisa:    I grew up in both New Orleans and Minneapolis. I lived in N’awlins for 11 years….

That’s why Beignets are in my blood! I went to high school in New Orleans. Some college but I kept changing majors.

I see. So when you were a child and in your teen years, what did you think you wanted to be when you grew up?

Lisa:    When I was really young I wanted to be a lawyer. I believe donuts were a much better decision.

A battle of loopholes vs donut holes? :) So when did your interest in baking start for you?

Lisa:    I can remember as young as kindergarten having an interest….

The first thing I learned was how to fry an egg when I was 6 years old. From there it was onward and upwards.

Lets then move forward to today. When and how did the idea of a donut shop come to you Lisa?

Lisa:    Well, it is a culmination of things. First, my oldest daughter doesn’t like cake…

Every year on her birthday we would have donuts to celebrate instead of cake…

I never found great donuts in the Twin Cities and always thought great donuts need to be more accessible…

On my trips to Seattle I really felt inspired by their great donut culture….

That inspiration combined with my experience at Breadsmith made me think I could make this happen here in the cities.

Interesting. So how did you come to be at the location that you’re at in St.Paul? First choice?

Lisa:    I’ve always loved St. Paul. I actually had been looking for about a year and was very excited when this spot opened up…

I have a wonderful ad agency that actually did the research on the space for me…

I had a list of things that were important to me and they gave the thumbs up that this space met the criteria.

Wonderful!  What the story behind the name of your donut shop?  How did you come up with it?

Lisa:    My two youngest children actually named the shop..

It comes from their love of monkeys and a villain named Mojo JoJo from the cartoon series the Powerpuff Girls.

Great story! :) You offer a number of unique flavors of donuts. What made you go beyond the norm of choc/glazed?

Lisa:    That’s how we like to eat at home and I hoped that customers would like it too. So far, so good! :)

What are your 3 most popular donuts, and what kind of flour do you use in baking?

Lisa:    Raised ring with chocolate ganache, mango glaze and coconut ring and any of the fritters (apple or banana pecan)…

Bakers Patent, Pastry and Whole Wheat Flour…

And we have plans to start using locally sourced flour and dairy in the near future.

Awesome! Do you do curlers, eclairs, jelly filled or cream filled donuts? Do you think you’ll ever do breads?

Lisa:    Yes and yes! We do all the above except éclairs. We do have a cream filled Bismarck similar to an éclair though…

Customers can special requests. We have filled quite a few already…

We don’t ever want to say never, but breads aren’t on our current horizon

Lots of people like coffee with their donut. What brands and flavors do you offer?

Lisa:    We offer an entire organic fair trade coffee bar with all sorts of upgrades and sweet additions…

The beans are roasted locally by B&W coffee roasters.

Lots of donut talk gets me hungry! :) What are your hours of operation for when people can come for your tasty treats?

Lisa:    Tuesday-Friday 5:30 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday-Sunday 6:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

Thank you for your time today Lisa! Read more about her and other MN donut shops on @MNMOmag here – Article

Lisa:    My pleasure Joel! Stop by sometime and give us a try!

Some may be disappointed by the recent news of Dunkin Donuts having no plans for moving into the Twin Cities market. While it would be great to have them as another option for donuts, there is a new donut shop in St. Paul that is bound to hit the spot for many when it comes to great tasting donuts.  At the beginning, I will say that I’m more of a fan of raised donuts as opposed to cake donuts, but I do like trying new things, and especially sweets, so here goes my donut journey!

I had heard a lot of “buzz” about this new donut shop in St. Paul called Mojo Monkey Donuts, and I even had conducted a Twitterview (Interview done on Twitter) with the owner, Lisa Clark, which made me even MORE tempted to try out this new place in St.Paul. So one day in January on my way back from a Social Media Breakfast that was held at the Twin Cities Public Television studios, I stopped in at the  Mojo Monkey Donuts shop to try it out for myself.

On entering the shop, it has a feel of a bakery that has been there in that location for years. The color scheme and style of the shop gives it a real aged-St.Paul feel. Just perfect for that neighborhood.  I wanted to try a few different things, so I ordered a few of the Pumpkin Egg Nog donut holes, a banana cream bismark and an apple donut. The donut holes were nice and light and sweet tasting. Eating the bismark was like jumping into a vat of sweetness and not wanting to get out of it. The banana flavor was strong but not overpowering and the donut itself was soft and fluffy. Perfect! A wonderful sweet experience! The apple donut with cinnamon was good too.

Overall, I would visit again when I was in their neighborhood. How could I make an excuse not to go? They offer a variety of donuts for you to choose from, and you’ll have more to choose from the earlier you arrive. They go fast from what I hear, and I can tell why by how well they tasted. Make plans to visit there yourself so that you can take in the “hole experience” of Mojo Monkey Donuts. A sweet retreat in St.Paul!

@JoelECarlson:    Hello everybody! Welcome to the last #TCFoodTruckWeek guest for TwitterReviews, it’s @chefshack1! Carrie Summer will be Tweeting.

Q – #1    To start off Carrie, how and when did you and Lisa connect to develop @ChefShack1?

Carrie:    Lisa & I met 10 years ago when she hired me as her sous-chef on a restaurant project here in Mpls.

we started @chefshack1 on a table top in 2007 @MCFarmersMkt

Q – #2    What was the plan or concept that you and Lisa first came up with for @chefshack1? How did it grow to several trucks?

Carrie:    ..well it all started with the Indian spiced mini-donuts.. Brenda Langton from @spoonriver1 asked us to create a concept

..for the new @MCFarmersMkt ..and as a pastry chef that I am , I was passionate about doing a really great donut

..chef Lisa then also started with her signature hierloom tomato/watermelon gazpacho. That was 2007

..after that first year it was just gangbusters..then we started looking for a trailer and bought chefshack1

..the following two trucks were acquired in 2009 locally. Now we work @chefshack1 full time May-Oct.

…our goal was to create really seasonal, tasty and organic streetfood to the public at fair prices

Q – #3    Great! In addition to the 2 items that you mentioned, what are some of the other regular options on your menus?

Carrie:    ..we do bison burgers w/ fixins’ , that soft-shell crab sandie, pulled pork nacho, beef tongue taco, grass-fed hot dogs

..our signature donuts, chocolate mousse, creme brûlée, farm ice creams, charcuterie, Farm salads, duck specialties

..we really concentrate on cooking within the seasons and of course #organic whenever possible and within MN & Wi..

..our menus are always changing, at any given time we are fortunate enough to have many farmers bringing us .

..spectacular ingredients. All Local !!! Sustainable & #organic ..#knowyourfarmer

Q – #4    High quality menu choices with local ingredients is important to both you and Lisa. Why not a Greasy Spoon instead?

Carrie:    ..integrity is paramount to us. Yes, great ingredient cost a lot, but it’s important to us…

..I think that’s why people like our food so much , because of our ingredients..it’s all so fresh !.

..we decided on opening the trucks/trailer ..as it was more affordable for us at the time. And so we could travel

..in the winter months to refresh and to experience different cuisines around the world..

Q – #5    Integrity is a good thing! :) With having a few trucks, how big is your staff/crew that works with you and Lisa?

Carrie:    ..it fluctuates as it’s seasonal. A few! Lisa & I really try to do all the cooking ourselves, she on savory & I do the sweets

All 3 units are usually not out at once. The trailer goes to @MCFarmersMkt @kingfieldmarket,Red goes to #foodtruckcourt

..lil’ Donut truck is finicky cuz she’s an oldie and we have her out here and there. She just got out of the shop..

..so she’ll be back on the streets next week!it’s a full time job just keeping all the fleet (including 2 catering vans)

..on the road w/ maintenance, fuel, washing, propane etc..

Q – #6    I see that! With you being at the beginning of the food-truck introduction to MN, do people approach you for advice?

Carrie:    ..yes, consistently. Via e.mail, calls or just on the street. #jectv ..looking for advice

Q – #7    If someone has a restaurant or cafe idea, would you suggest a food-truck as a good way to test the market for interest?

Carrie:    ..yes, absolutely. It’s less over-head =less risk. But do not miss-understand , it’s still rather costly.

..I am just parking a truck now , after service :)

Q – #7    Any plans for additions to the menu(s) that you care to share? Any additional expansion plans in the works?

Carrie:    ..new curries, and a few new sandwiches are on deck, and we plan on introducing some new desserts too!

..with 3 units, it’s enough. Probably no more ! #jectv we always have something up our sleve, when you see it you’ll know:)

@JoelECarlson:    Not trying to add work to you Carrrie. :) Thank you for your time today and for sharing some things about @chefshack1. Enjoy the day!

Carrie:    ..thank you Joel! Great to meet you, have a fantastic weekend. And thx 4 the tweets on #jectv !