How a Minnesota Road Trip Accidentally Changed Our Menu

Every great menu item has an origin story. The Kimchi Wonton might have the best one we have ever told.

It started in May with a road trip to Minnesota.

Tam and Heath made the drive up to Two Harbors for a sauna festival. If you have never been to a sauna festival, picture a crowd of people who love sweating, laughing, and finding the best version of themselves in a cedar-lined room. It was good fun. Good people. A great way to spend a few days.

On the way back to McAlester, they stopped in Minneapolis to visit Tuyen, one of Tam’s oldest friends. Tuyen is Vietnamese and runs her own restaurant. Her husband joined them for lunch, the kind of spread you dream about. Just a group of friends around a table, passing food and swapping stories.

At some point, the conversation turned to the menu.

Tuyen’s husband mentioned that kimchi wontons were moving fast. A real crowd-pleaser at their place.

Heath perked up. Kimchi wontons. That sounded interesting. That sounded worth knowing more about.

He asked if he could try some.

Tuyen’s husband nodded and slipped into the kitchen. A few minutes passed. Then he came back out carrying two things: a package of wonton wrappers in one hand and a giant block of cream cheese in the other.

He held them up and said, with complete confidence: “See? Kimchi Wonton.”

Heath stood there for a second.

Then it clicked.

Cream cheese wontons.

A beloved classic at Vietnamese restaurants across the country. A bite that sounds exotic, feels rich and creamy, and crunches in a way that is very hard to resist.

Heath laughed. And then he started thinking.

What if we made a version that actually had kimchi in it? Creamy filling, tangy from the fermented cabbage, and just enough heat to make the whole thing interesting?

They got back to McAlester and Tam got to work.

The first batch came out tangy and creamy with a little kick at the end. The kind of bite that makes you stop mid-sentence. Crispy on the outside. Something going on inside worth paying attention to.

We put them on the menu and y’all showed up.

The Kimchi Wonton is now one of the fastest-growing fan favorites at the truck. Tangy from the kimchi. Creamy from the filling. Crispy on the outside. A little spicy if you let it sit on your tongue for a moment.

It came from a lunch in Minneapolis, a funny misunderstanding, and a kitchen in McAlester that turned that misunderstanding into something worth driving for.

Come try one. We think you are going to be glad you did.

Find us Tuesday through Friday at Spaceship Earth Coffee, 345 E Choctaw Ave, McAlester. Thursday hours run until 7 p.m. for Trivia Night.