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October 28, 2024
HUDSON – With more than 25 years of experience and a lifelong passion for cooking, Chef Ben Jung and his wife, Hannah, took the entrepreneurial leap and opened Hudco To Go earlier this year.
Offering home-cooked meals in grab-and-go and take-and-bake options, Ben said Hudco To Go supports local producers – contributing to the region’s sustainable food system.
“We believe that food should not only be convenient but also satisfying and nourishing,” he said. “We know how hard it is to find healthier options when you have work, kids, sports, etc. We want to give fellow Hudsonites another option.”
A perfect pairing
Growing up on a 2,200-acre cash crop farm – that grew wheat, corn, soybeans and canned products for local canning factories – just 45 minutes northeast of Madison, Ben said his love for the art of food dates back to his childhood.
“I had a good food background from being out in the fields with my grandfather and helping in the kitchen with my grandmothers, learning cooking skills,” he said. “I was always interested in food and where it came from.”
In addition to helping sell sweet corn at the farmers’ market in Madison for 10-12 years, Ben said his first job was at a local cafe.
“Denise’s Café had been a diner since the 1930s,” he said. “It was a local 40-seat, one-waitress, one-cook small-town café.”
After high school, Ben said he moved to the Twin Cities to attend Le Cordon Bleu culinary college.
His culinary experience since has included working at Ciatti’s Italian Grill, the 5-8 Tavern & Grill and eventually for Bon Appetit Management Company – where he fed students at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and the employees at Medtronic’s.
That was, Ben said, until the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Most recently, I was the kitchen manager and chef at YMCA Camp St. Croix for the overnight camp – feeding campers, counselors and others for various events, along with catering weddings,” he said.
Minnesota native Hannah said she compliments her husband’s culinary skills with her hospitality industry experience.
“My first job was working concessions at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center,” she said. “I moved to River Falls to go to college at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. I also waitressed and hosted during college, along with various retail jobs. I graduated in 2009 with a bachelor’s in marketing communications and a minor in business administration.”
Though she’s been working in the healthcare industry since she graduated college, Hannah said her service-based knowledge helps support the customer-facing aspect of Hudco To Go.
“I still work full-time from home, but I handle a lot of the behind-the-scenes aspects of Hudco To Go – including finances, answering emails and posting to our social media,” she said. “I work half days at the store on the weekends.”
Hannah said Ben’s two oldest children – “my bonus kids” – Mike and Ash, help out at the store part-time and/or on the weekends.
“We truly are a one-of-a-kind locally owned and operated family business,” she said.
Order’s up
Over the years, Hannah said Ben has had different ideas for food-related concepts and businesses.
“He owned his own restaurant in Woodville in 2007 for a couple of years,” she said.
The concept for Hudco To Go, Ben said, came about when he was doing some consulting work for his now landlord.
“She had come up with a concept and I was going to help get it started,” he said. “As weeks went by and there were more discussions, we decided that we would take on the business and transform it into our own perception of a deli/store. Hudco To Go began with a simple mission: ‘Provide chef-inspired, house-made food that is convenient and delicious.’”
Hannah said it was one of those “now or never” decisions.
“We decided to ‘go for it’ toward the end of January 2024,” she said. “We started our LLC and all the various paperwork and signed the lease for the building to start on March 1, 2024.”
Though, Hannah said things didn’t go completely to plan.
“We did run into some obstacles with permitting and were not able to open until March 20,” she said. “We’ve had to pivot a few times since opening – finding out what was and wasn’t working.”
Culinary fare
In the store (located at 210 Locust St.), Ben said they offer take-home meals – both in reheat-ready and grab-and-go options.
Ben said the grab-and-go menu is designed for those who are short on time but still want to enjoy a delicious meal.
“With our grab-and-go options, you can quickly pick up your favorite dishes without any hassle,” he said.
Hudco To Go’s take-and-bake meals, Ben said, are for those who prefer to cook at home.
“These convenient options allow you to enjoy a restaurant-quality meal in the comfort of your own kitchen,” he said. “You can stop in to buy a single serving up to a family of six.”
Ben said they try to keep some of the Hudco To Go’s staple items in stock all the time, such as pot pies, lasagna, fried rice, meatballs and meatloaf, as well as sides like mashed and roasted potatoes and roasted vegetables.
“We also offer pulled meat sandwiches, and we roast the meat in-house,” he said. “They are in our deli case. It’s the meat, cheese and bread, and we can toast any of them in less than one minute, then you can top them however you like with our toppings bar. We also have deli salads and soups.”
As they continue to gauge the likes of the store’s clientele, Hannah said they are always adding food and meals to Hudco To Go’s menu rotation.
“We’re able to offer food made without gluten, which many people are looking for, along with other dietary needs like vegetarian, vegan and dairy-free,” she said. “We also support other local vendors by selling their products in our store. That way they’re available to a wider range of people.”
Committed to doing its part in eliminating waste, Hannah said Hudco To Go uses compostable containers, tableware, packaging and cutlery that are made from plant-based or recycled materials.
“We also strive to eliminate as much food waste as we can,” she said.
A well-balanced effort
Ben said what he likes most is working for himself and the hardest part is working for himself.
“We love seeing customers excited about our products and our vision, trying various items and returning for more,” he said. “We love being here and giving people more quick meal options that are also healthier, along with giving back to the community. The most challenging was retooling parts of the business so that we could be more sustainable with minimal staff. It was hard but necessary.”
The couple said a long-term goal is to one day open a larger kitchen off-site to produce more of Hudco To Go’s staple items.
“This will be necessary in order to be able to get our products into other stores around the community and neighboring towns,” Hannah said. “We’d also love to be able to do more large catering events as well.”
Hudco To Go is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Visit hudcotogo.com for more.
