Food trucks: Kettle corn business adds pop to local festivals

Name: Minuteman Kettle Corn

Owner: Susan Flynn of Worcester

The crispiest pop: It may sound like it could be a difficult task to pick from Flynn’s 55 different flavors of kettle corn, but she says it’s much easier than that: She says you can't go wrong as “any flavor of kettle corn and lemonade pair together perfectly.”

The story of the pop: Flynn started Minuteman Kettle Corn in 2015 out of a stand she would set up at festivals and events.

At the time, the business was a part-time pursuit, with a name that hailed from deep within the history books.

“When I was doing research about the company, I was looking up historical references,” said Flynn, 61, “and the first mention of kettle corn was from a diary of settlers in 1776.”

Being that the first events of the American Revolutionary War started that year by none other than New England minutemen, the choice for a name was almost a given.

To make her kettle corn, Flynn used equipment she found listed on eBay by a similar business in Kansas.

The sellers were nice enough to haul the popper, a sorting table and other equipment to Massachusetts. Flynn had what she needed for a successful kettle corn business.

The venture proved to be something Flynn greatly enjoyed, so much so that in 2020 she decided to fully devote herself to Minuteman, doing wholesale out of locations in Worcester and adding a utility trailer.

With the help of her husband, Bob Tucci, Flynn renovated the truck to fit the needs of a kettle corn business, even painting on it the logo of a smirking minuteman in black and white on the side.

In addition to the kettle corn, Flynn also sells lemonade for a perfect pairing.

“There’s nothing more fun than pulling up at a place, seeing the people down the line and they’re like ‘Kettle Corn!’ and they get so excited,” said Flynn.

Where the cob grows: You can catch Flynn's truck at food truck events and festivals within an hour and a half of Worcester.

Her kettle corn can also be found at The Market Pantry inside the Worcester Public Market, Worcester Discount Liquors on Mill Street and other spots.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Food trucks: Kettle corn business adds pop to local festivals