Pop-Up Stars

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The story below is from our January/February 2024 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you! 

Roanoke’s foodie entrepreneurs dish out a diverse playlist of culinary hits at venues around town.

Good pop-ups have long been a staple of any thriving food community and are a win-win for both business owners and diners. Chefs can test new concepts or menu items with lower overhead and investment, while giving diners an exciting and diverse array of dishes to try. Thanks to Roanoke’s latest crop of food entrepreneurs, a meal out could mean pairing a Bavarian-style pretzel with a craft beer at a local brewery, feasting on French crêpes on your lunch break or adding Mexican-style street corn to your cravings hit list.

Mia’s Big Mouth

  • Founder: Amia Makins
  • Concept: Creative riffs on comfort food classics with bold flavor befitting the brand’s namesake.
  • Fun fact: Makins is a culinary student at Virginia Western Community College where she’s honing her cooking chops and supporting her someday-restaurant dream.
  • A delicious mouthful: The loaded baked potato comes topped with sour cream, mac ‘n’ cheese, and steak, peppers and onions; compose each forkful with a bit of everything to ensure flavor fireworks.
  • Currently in R&D: Look for fan-favorites like chicken tacos, egg rolls and fajita pizzas to get a glow-up with new spices profiles, and for new additions such as nacho cheese fries and crispy chicken sandwiches in flavors like sweet chili or buffalo chicken.
  • Where to find: Every Tuesday at Food Hut starting mid-March. Follow @mias_bigmouth on IG for menu updates and details on private cheffing and special events.

Elote Alebrije

  • Founder: Julia Rigney
  • Concept: Creative spins on elote (Mexican-style grilled corn on the cob) that marry Rigney’s Mexican heritage and Southern sensibilities.
  • Fun fact: Menu items are named in Spanish after words of empowerment for women, like the spicy Chingona, which means “badass woman” and aptly features crushed flaming hot Cheetos and hot sauce.
  • Most popular: La Jefa is a traditional spin on elote, in which grilled corn is rolled in Duke’s mayo and cotija cheese then anointed with Tajín mild sauce and Tajín lime chili seasoning.
  • Don’t miss: Chica Loca(l) is the ultimate homegrown collaboration, featuring a custom spice blend from Spice Titan Seasonings and a special blend from Fermented Fire Hot Sauce Co.
  • Where to find: Follow @elote_alebrije on IG for up-to-date pop-up locations at breweries, festivals and events.

Giggles the SchoolBus Crêpe Stand

  • Founder: Maya Ittah
  • Concept: French crêpes made with a 100% gluten-free blend of flours, unrefined sweeteners and organic ingredients and plant-based fillings.
  • Fun fact: Giggles the School Bus is also a school bus turned food truck serving up the kind of creative plant-forward fare Ittah earned a loyal following for at her former restaurant, Garden Song Eco Café.
  • Make it sweet: Opt for the chocolate banana or chocolate strawberry, amply filled and drizzled with vegan chocolate hazelnut spread. 
  • Take it savory: Try The Hozzle, starring slow-cooked barbecue jackfruit, sesame ginger slaw, avocado, vegan mozzarella and green tahini sauce or The Greek, filled with vegan feta, tomato, cucumbers, onions, Kalamata olives and greens.
  • Wash it down: Seasonal sippers include the likes of a Lavender Pine Elixir or The Sassy Root, a wild foraged sassafras root beer.
  • Where to find: The Giggles crêpe stand frequently pops up at the LEAP Grandin Village and West End farmers markets, the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC and at area breweries. For schedule and menu updates, visit gigglesthebus.com or follow @gigglesthebusva on IG or GigglestheBus on Facebook.

Hot Knots

  • Founders: Alex Eliades and Maggie Perrin-Key
  • Concept: Bavarian-style pretzels and pretzel sandwiches.
  • Butter it up: Choose from accompaniments like obatzda, a German beer cheese spread, mustard butter or chive butter. (If you manage to take home leftovers, the chive butter is excellent folded into scrambled eggs.)
  • Fun fact: Eliades, owner of local bakery Breadcraft, first made a ham and Gruyère pretzel sandwich for his partner Perrin-Key, a local artist. It was so good, it gave Perrin-Key the idea to start their business.
  • Perfect match: Hot Knots pretzels make an ideal pairing with local craft beers. Try Eliades’ favorite pints, the Spelt Saison at Blindhouse (where the pretzels are frequently served) and the Klaus at Golden Cactus Brewing (where the knots are a permanent fixture).
  • Where to find: Follow @hotknotsroanoke for pop-up dates or pick up pretzel buns at Yard Bull Meats to make your own sandwich creations.

Eatza Pizza

  • Founders: Nick Bradburn and Stacia Dougherty
  • Concept: Made-to-order Neapolitan-style wood-fired pizza.
  • Word of warning: The pizzas are fired in a 900-degree oven and are served so fresh, they have the potential to burn the roof of your mouth (ask me how I know).
  • Local sourcing: Yard Bull Meats supplies proteins such as mortadella and pepperoni, and farmers provide much of the produce toppings, like basil and tomatoes from Garden Variety Harvests and mushrooms from Wingstem Farm.
  • Off-the-wall: Bradburn and Dougherty love experimenting with fun, bold ideas, like crab Rangoon- or Mexican street corn-inspired pizzas.
  • Where to find: Grandin Village farmers market, local breweries and events. Follow @eatza__pizza on IG for info on pop-ups and catering (pizza wedding, anyone?).

The story above is from our January/February 2024 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!