Five Years for Ketch 22

The Arcadia food truck keeps growing and putting down deeper roots

Among food trucks, Ketch 22 in Arcadia is a departure from the norm.

This 26-foot trailer is mobile, but it doesn’t move (unless it’s into winter storage); it’s an order-through-the-window arrangement, but your friendly, efficient servers deliver to the table; it’s situated on a multi-purpose parking lot-turned-patio with seating for 160 patrons, under the sky, in the shade of mature locust trees, and under a very large enclosed canopy; it has an unusually “robust menu,” (think elevated) for a food truck, according to co-owner Jim Stoops; and it serves no alcohol, but patrons are free to BYOB.

(Bars and restaurants in Michigan do not need a specific license for patrons to bring their own alcohol, and Stoops says that it is not unusual for patrons to bring their own coolers, wines, and even candles for heightened ambience.)

Jim and Brandy Stoops—he runs the family marine store; she was a senior waitress at Arcadia Bluffs Golf—were not planning on any of this. But in 2021, in addition to the conservancy boardwalk, hiking and biking trails, the nearby marina, and other attractions, they became aware of a major addition to their section of the scenic M-22 corridor with the opening of Arcadia Marsh Preserve, a rare and protected ecosystem of 470 acres known as the Great Lakes Coastal Marsh, one of only 15 or so remaining coastal marshes along Lake Michigan’s Lower Peninsula shoreline.

At the time, the village did not have a lot of options for hungry travelers, and visitors to Arcadia Marsh would need a landing spot, the Stoops thought. “We thought two people could handle it,” Jim says, but Ketch 22 currently has nine employees, all kept hopping through the summer months and right through fall. (Outdoor heaters make the place cozy no matter the weather.) Jim estimates that the truck will serve 300-400 patrons on a good day during the season.

In a little gem of a place like Arcadia, with a year-round population in the high hundreds, Ketch 22 requires steady support, not only from loyal four-season residents, but also the seasonal homeowners, the boaters at Veteran’s Memorial Marina on Arcadia Lake, and the daily travelers on M-22. It’s a congenial mix and it doesn’t take long to feel like a local, no matter your origin story. There are enthusiastic groups of patrons, for example, who put Ketch 22 on regular rotation, including the Arcadia Valley Girls and the M-22 Cuisine Crawl.

On the Menu

This is the kind of menu one would find in a well-established brick and mortar destination, and it just might raise the bar of what’s considered standard truck fare. (In addition to the posted menu, look for elevated specials and vegan and vegetarian choices.)

First up are the appetizers, which are fresh and healthy, inventive, and satisfying. Many are hearty enough on their own to build a meal. Choose from Vegan Potstickers, Wisconsin Cheese Curds, Deep Fried Green Beans, Smoked Salmon Dip, Deep Fried Fresh Cauliflower, and Smoked Gouda Bites. There are also offerings of fries (regular and sweet potato), hummus and chips, and a featured summer salad.

As far as mains go, the number one choice is The Ketch, pan-seared mahi-mahi with arugula and a housemade remoulade sauce—with 17 ingredients—served on a brioche bun. (Mahi-mahi supplies are tight worldwide, but Jim will continue to responsibly source this favorite item, even though prices have much more than doubled over the years. That’s the real catch-22 for the food truck business model: high-quality food with consistent and accessible pricing.)

Another big seller is the walleye sandwich, wild caught in Canadian waters, coated with a special cornmeal-based dry batter. “We go through cases and cases every week,” Jim adds. Walleye also shows up in the Friday Fish Fry.

There are even more hearty sandwiches, wraps, and burgers on the blackboard, like the Unsinkable, a tender ciabatta bun topped with mozzarella, tomato, arugula, pesto, and balsamic glaze. Or perhaps you’d opt for the Bacon in the Sun, featuring smoked bacon with tomato, romaine, and mayo on local sourdough.

There’s a bit of a theme to many of the items like the Riptide (marinated pork and smoked ham with Swiss cheese, pickles, and Cuban mustard), the Shipwreck (pan-roasted turkey, smoky bacon, tomato and spring greens, Muenster cheese, and ranch), and M.O.B., aka Man Overboard (local beef with Swiss and sauteed mushrooms on a brioche bun).

Veggie eaters will like the Landlubber, complete with hummus, black beans, cucumber, tomato, onion, rainbow carrots, spring greens, and feta, all on flatbread with lemon olive oil. The Dinghy is another good choice, as it’s the truck’s take on a black bean burger. Meanwhile, kiddos will love PB&J, mac and cheese, and chicken strips.

And while the food is the main draw, it’s not the only one: the site is a bit of a Stoops family affair, with their son running Bowen’s Creek, offering “Coffee, Crepes, and Conversation,” and the Arcadia Ice House Ice Cream Shoppe, owned by a sister-in-law, serving up shakes, sorbets, hand dipped ice cream in fresh waffle cones, plus more.

Plus, the Ketch 22 site has weekly music on its own stage, and there are special events on-site, like the Minnehaha Brewhaha music festival, held at the end of August. Future plans include a resort liquor license, a small batch nanobrewery, and a shipping container prep kitchen for wood fired pizza.

Find Ketch 22 at 17015 Northwood Highway in Arcadia. ketch22mi.com

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