When you venture into the newest deli-and-more in Hudson, called simply Hudco To Go, you can likely be in and out with your order faster than you can actually munch on it. In part because its so affordable, and thus pulling only those few needed bucks out of your wallet takes just moments.
The cooler compartments are aplenty, full of well over a dozen sandwiches featuring many meats at only $5 a shot, and also salads and such, and the meal deal gives you also three sides for a total of only $15. Counter shelves also show more than a dozen different kinds of salsa-type sauces, (shown at left), and many other toppings that you can apply in your own kitchen, as well, to give an idea of the options presented. Such take-out is only the start, being supplemented by fresh-made daily items from across-town gourmet Buddy’s Bakery, and it shows full platters of various foods covered with foil, including pizza and there are loads of pot pies of various types.
And back to that originally mentioned fare, you can use as a guide for choosing options a literal decorative sandwich board that’s positioned as a poster on the wall, and other pieces of informative art.
At Hudco To Go, they offer a wide range of chef-inspired, house-made food items that are perfect for those whipping in on the run. From their main items, to soups to desserts, the menu features a variety of options to suit every taste. Whether you’re looking for a quick lunch, a grab-and-go dinner, or a tasty treat, they say they’ve got you covered with a menu 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,” they say. The shop is just a couple of steps off the sidewalk on Locust Street, a stone’s throw from the main drag.
For those who prefer to cook at home, Hudco To Go offers a range of take-and-bake meals, convenient options that allow you to enjoy a restaurant-quality meal in the comfort of your own kitchen.
As a locally owned business, they are proud to support the community, such as the aforemtioned Buddy’s Bakery and more. By choosing Hudco To Go, you are supporting local producers, reducing food miles, and contributing to a sustainable food system, as they strive to eliminate food waste along with the use of compostable containers, tableware, packaging and cutlery that are made from plant-based or recycled materials.
You can check out their approach, and the offerings by almost 20 other area restaurants and some drink partners too, at the Taste of the Valley, that being the St. Croix, down by the riverside at Lakefront Park for most of the evening on May 23.
— It’s Thursday night, come 7 p.m., and the Taste of the Valley is still rolling. And even rocking.
Sweet Home Alabama was being strummed, but not from the band shell. Rather a block south in Lakefront Park, as in the south land. But come 8:04 p.m., it was time for the music to die, until 2025. “See you again next year,” shouted the lead singer. There was no apparent encore, and no more Orbison.
A block or two up, people were criss-crossing the streets and their side streets, coming and going. Patrons at Pier 500 and Smilin’ Moose, per their outdoor patios, also had it hopping, although that at the Moose trickled off on their near side toward the end. But venue trucks were amovin’ on.
Were some of the two-dozen participating businesses now shut down, at their actual home venues, across those blocks and further.
However, an eve earlier, curds carried the day. As in cheese, from Ellsworth. A friend noticed that right off the bat in a smaller fest, in the County Market, featuring such nuggets, and funnel cakes too. But going back the other direction, we’d just noticed the same for only $1.99, although not fried, but not double the price or more when making your stand at a stand. Coincidence? —
Look at the range Hudco To Go offered, as an example of the special items, only between April 23 and May 4 when they truly got rolling, with more such options to come. These were a big part of a two-week take and bake extravanganza:
Lasagna with sausage or without meat at a single serving of a pound for $8, with the atypical and great option of prize breaks for volume, up to the family size of six pounds.
Spaghetti was sold as plain or with meatballs (with vegan and gluten free options), and for example with two meatballs is $8.
Italian meatballs with housemade pasta sauce are $20 for $25 to feed the family, with smaller options available. Spaghetti with housemade pasta sauce (no meat) also comes in a range of sizes, and it will only run you $10 a pound. The single cuts it to $5, and gluten-free options are also available.
The fried rice also can be gluten-free and can have added Smokey Treats BBQ and more local business options of pork, or chicken, at just a bit more.
Bread pudding and brown apple betty and single-slice pot pie are $6 apiece. The BBQ pulled pork and its beef sloppy Joe’s are each $10 a pound, and blueberry pies $25 each.
Roasted vegetables, corn and peas, are sold in three sizes from $4 to $10. Cinnamon rice pudding is also $4. Dinner rolls are 50 cents a shot.
Chicken or turkey pot pies go for $15, with the gluten-free chicken variety being $20. Try what’s offered by the nine-inch pie crust filled with Chef Ben’s housemade creamy chicken (or turkey) pot pie filling. The beef pot pie is also $20. Cooking instructions for the signature dishes that include pork are, if fresh, at 350 degrees for just one hour, and frozen only 20 minutes more.
Housemade soups (with new soups daily) sell for a bowl at $6 and cup at $4.
The goal is to get you in the door, get your food, then allow you to exit within a matter of just a few minutes. Dozens of the selections are premade, deli-style, to the degree that keeping freshness allows, and you can just point them out and be done.
The selection of sauces, as said earlier, is without peer.
Chef Ben Jung has taken where he’s been and made it into a place that’s being different than others where you’ve been. His one-stop-shop, Hudco To Go, is so aforementioned quick, it won’t stop you from finding time for the other places you need to be, and just be. Soccer game? Check. Dance recital? Also check. And squeeze in that business meeting? Can do that too.
One look, or two at the maximum needed, at the options inside the newest store to hit Hudson and feed it, and you will see it’s different.
Take that look, as they are right off the main drag on Locust Street, just a few doors up.
Take it from them, as written here. This is their mission statement: Hudco To Go is a chef driven-deli featuring housemade products and local market items. Hudco To Go will provide quick, high-quality meal options for the residents and guests of Hudson, along with the St. Croix Valley, so visit the store. It uses a co-op concept, and will partner with both Hudson and the surrounding area businesses, bringing a fast and one-stop-shop for some of your favorites from around the St. Croix Valley, along with of course, their own chefmade options.
Hudco To Go features: Hot and cold grab ‘n go, single-serve heat-and-eat meals, family-size take and bake entrées and sides, dry grocery, frozen foods, local items and deli foods. It again, is a family-based company and realizes how hard it is to find healthier options when you have work, kids activities, sports and such to go to. They want to give fellow Hudsonites another option that is quick and of better quality than other choices.
Their blended family and Chef Ben moved into a home in downtown Hudson, which they call beautiful incidentally, more than 10 years ago. He grew up in the Randolph, Wis. area. Spouse and co-owner Hannah (HAW-nuh if you talk to her) grew up in the Cloquet, Minn. area and moved to the region to attend college at UW-River Falls.
Chef Ben most recently worked at YMCA Camp St. Croix as the kitchen manager and chef by feeding campers. He was one of the founders of Pizza Market nights at Camp St. Croix, and also has past experiences attending Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary arts, working for Bon Appétit Management Company at Macalester College and Medtronic, Cafe Tango, Sysco Foods, Woodville’s Cubby Hole also in the region and more.
As they restate, Hudco To Go began with a simple desire: To provide chef-inspired, house-made food that is convenient and delicious, taking great pride in creating mouthwatering dishes using only the freshest ingredients. Their commitment to quality and flavor is what sets them apart, they say, and believe that good food is meant to be savored and shared, whether you find time to dine in the cozy cafe with tables by the up-front windows with view of a scenic historic streetscape, or need to grab a quick bite and trek quickly through the front doors that feature cool decorative knobs of a bull head and a — safely presented by burying the “blade” into the wood — piece of meat cleaver inspired art.