Out to lunch with Payton: Shaken Not Spurred Events and Mobile Bar

Hello again, foodies!

In my last column, we snagged some of the final pies from a loved favorite, Ashland Pot Pie Company, before their storefront doors closed last month. This week, saddle up for the latest cheesy creations by Shaken Not Spurred Events and Mobile Bar’s new food truck.

Karie Brooks has been a longtime Hanover County resident and has always had a love for horses. Combining her passion for construction, her degree in graphic design and knowledge of mixology, Shaken Not Spurred Events and Mobile Bar was born.

In April 2023, Brooks began her business by fully redesigning and converting a two-horse trailer, affectionately named "Shelby", into a mobile bar with a serving window to sell her own signature cocktails and mocktails at weddings, local parties, bridal showers, corporate and other events.

Now, Brooks is starting to expand her business into the culinary world, by converting another trailer into her own food truck nicknamed "Clyde"

Brooks said that one hurdle she had to face was that she is a picky eater, but still wanted to be sure she could create something delicious that also had a range for diverse palates.

“I’m the pickiest eater,” said Brooks. “For my business plan, I always do a lot of research. When I was doing a speed networking group, I asked them, each time we did the exchange of groups, that I was starting a food truck and what they would like to see.”

After receiving feedback, Brooks learned that local customers’ ideal food truck dish would be something was “not messy, not fried and bite size or handheld.” This inspired Brooks to try her own take on a crowd favorite: grilled cheese.

“I think people are really going to like the grilled cheeses, especially because they're gourmet,” said Brooks. “It’s definitely a new twist on comfort food, and everyone loves bread and cheese.”

Clyde has already made his first debut at the Richmond Raceway and is set to "stirrup" some noise at the Ashland Strawberry Faire on June 7.

The review

The Trailblazer is a spicy twist on the traditional grilled cheese with sharp cheddar and fresh jalapenos melted on Texas toast, topped with Mike’s Hot Honey. There was a very solid bread to cheese ratio with a nicely toasted crunch. The cheddar had a bold, sharp flavor and a great melty cheese pull. I really liked that the jalapenos were fresh and brought in some heat. The hot honey was an excellent addition to bring in a slightly sweet element, but also not cooling the spice level down too much.

The Winner’s Circle was my overall favorite in the flavor category. This dish is described as a gourmet grilled cheese with layers of creamy chive and onion spread with mozzarella, tomatoes, purple onions and everything bagel seasoning on multi-grain bread. I loved the rich and flavorful chive and onion spread paired with the mozzarella that was well melted. The tomatoes and onions added some freshness to cut through the rich cheesy spread and gave a little crunch. My one critique would be to add a little more onion to give a little more crunch to this creamy creation.

Clyde’s Sweet Berry Cream is honestly nothing like I’ve ever tried before in the best way. This Ashland Strawberry Faire exclusive is another gourmet grilled cheese on Texas toast, but also features strawberries, sharp white cheddar cheese, strawberry jam and is topped with an icing glaze and powdered sugar. The best way to describe the flavor of this sandwich to me is ‘strawberry cheesecake grilled cheese’. There is still a slight savory sharpness from the cheddar, but it is interestingly complimented by the sweet, fruity flavors from the jam and strawberries inside and on top. The glaze was also a delicious cream cheese icing that brought the flavors together very well. This unique grilled cheese twist is a definite must try for me.

Overall, I recommend checking out Shaken Not Spurred Events and Mobile Bar’s new food truck for fun takes on a crowd favorite. I’m looking forward to seeing how they grow as this new culinary chapter takes the reins.

Tips encouraged.As you should do at the end of any lunch, I want to leave my readers with a “tip”. However, these will be for cooking rather than monetary, from the local chefs in their own community.

Owner Karie Brooks’s tip for readers:

“Test your food on different types of palates,” said Brooks. “It’s very helpful, because I’m picky, to get the opinions of people that like all different kinds of things.”

I’m excited to continue this journey of connecting more with The Local readers’ community during my lunch hour. Eat well, tip well.