Behold, The Most ‘Minnesota’ Drive-Thru Ever

I think it may be safe to say that this particular Drive Thru between Melby and Evansville, Minnesota is located about 2 hours North West of Minneapolis. This might be the only one in the state and that is saying something pretty special. Kim Englund is the proud owner of a tiny little Lefse Drive-Thru.

She is part of a program called "cottage food exemption" that allows individuals to sell certain "potentially non-hazardous" foods in Minnesota without a license, but they are still required to register with the state and follow best practices and receive training.

So what exactly is Lefsa? According to fjordtours.com "Lefse is a soft Norwegian flatbread, made using traditional recipes and baking methods. Lefse is usually made with potatoes, flour, butter, and milk, cream, or lard. Traditionally, lefse is cooked on a flat griddle, with particular wooden utensils used in the process."

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Englund started by watching both her grandmas make lefsa all the time, so she figured she would too io a bigger scale. She has been making lefse and selling to area markets for around eight years, but these past two years they’ve started operating their to-go stand.

If her building looks like a type of shed you would be right it is made from a converted deer stand with a sliding window. Englund said to The Fergus Falls Journal:

People want to buy local and know what’s in their food. I feel it is coming back to that idea, and it’s all the locals that support it — that’s what’s great about small towns.

This little business is truly a family affair, both her children are certified through the state cottage food law, and her 13-year-old son runs the drive-thru. She said they start making the lefse in September and close on Christmas Day.