After years of wandering around the county, taking her food to the people in her popular food truck — Nomad Kitchen — chef Meghan McCracken has now found a home in the kitchen at Big Springs Spirits.
In early July, she settled in as the main chef at the Bellefonte distillery after making several appearances as a guest cook. After Big Spring’s former house chef decided to move on to other adventures, McCracken was asked to take up the post and she said it has been “a perfect fit.”
Thursday through Sunday, visitors can see her making up her colorful, fresh and locally sourced food in the open space of the bar area. And while her cooking space might be small, she is well experienced in finding creative ways to make her fare. After all, she is familiar with the tight quarters in a food truck.
“I have to think creatively and I think the food truck kind of prepared me for thinking a little outside the box as far as menu items,” said McCracken.
She moves her way around the kitchen area with ease, working the small oven, piling on veggies and premade ingredients from a crock pot. The transition from food truck to home base seems to have suited her well, but there have been some adjustments in having to rein in her nomadic sensibilities. Luckily, she said, she found the perfect place to call home.
“It was a really good fit, maybe less nomadic, which is not usual for me,” said McCracken, “but I feel like I’m moved in for sure. I’m painting the walls and I am getting comfortable. It is a fun challenge for me as a person to feel a little bit more grounded. It allows for different opportunities.”
She said it is nice not to have to worry about outside variables when she is preparing for the day.
“With the food truck, there were just so many variables. Is it going to rain? Is it going to snow? Is it going to be really hot? Are there some other events going on that is going to draw people somewhere? So here, it is just more grounded,” she said.
She said she loves the people and space at Big Springs and she is happy to be able “to do her own thing” in the kitchen.
“I believe in what they (Big Spring Spirits owners Paula Cipar and Kevin Lloyd) are doing and how experimental the business is. The owners are amazing,” said McCracken. “When they offered me the position, they offered it as a collaboration, so basically I am still an autonomous business within this already existing business. Which for anybody coming into a restaurant like this, to be able to still operate on my own is kind of like a dream come true. I am a pretty independent person and I need that creative independence, or else I feel like it bogs me down.”
The crowds at Big Springs seem to have taken to her food and creative spirit. On Oct. 3, she served Moroccan-themed food and paired it with a local belly dancer for what she called a “fun and festive event.”
Another Moroccan-themed event is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 7.
McCracken’s cooking is part of the show, with the colorful spread of fruits and veggies that she uses to make her dishes welcoming customers as they enter from the front door. She said she enjoys engaging with customers, who come up to tell her how much they like her dishes.
“I love an open kitchen. One of the things I loved about my food truck was that I could talk to people one to one. I am so glad to be able to do that here,” said Mc-Cracken. “I love customer interactions.”
She said her menu will vary week to week, but she will always keep it fresh and local and include vegetarian dishes.
“My focus is to try to get people to think that veggies aren’t a drag,” said McCracken with a laugh. “I think people in general are like ‘eh vegetables.’ I want people to be excited about vegetables and I think that when you mix them with the right thing, there are so many different flavors going on. There is nothing drag about that to me.”
The menu is always changing, with offerings of sandwiches, tacos, desserts and more. McCracken spends a lot of time planning, experimenting and preparing her menu, and she is glad to have a home to share it with. She still owns her food truck, and she is not sure what she will do with it yet, but she will keep on doing what she loves — cooking and serving up her food — in her new home.
“You have to love what you do to do something and put that much effort into it. Not just time, but your energy, your brain and your creative thoughts. Even when you are not working you are thinking about it,” said McCracken. “You better love it. And I do.”
