Fox River Grove team to compete on Food Network’s ‘The Great Food Truck Race’

A aspiration 10 yrs in the building is coming legitimate for a Fox River Grove lady with a one of a kind meals idea.

Shauna Fetterman, a culinary faculty-skilled chef, will contend on the 15th time of the Food Community exhibit “The Terrific Foods Truck Race” with her arancini-themed notion, Girl’s Acquired Balls.

“It is handheld gourmand food to go,” she reported.

The season premieres at 8 p.m. Sunday, June 5, on Food items Community and Discovery+.

Arancini is an Italian rice ball typically designed with risotto, Parmesan and fillings these types of as pancetta and peas, then coated with bread crumbs and deep-fried. Fetterman provides them her have distinctive twist.

“I’ve actually been wanting to be on the clearly show for about 10 many years,” Fetterman reported. “I am a actually big lover of it and would always enjoy it.”

The 8-episode time, hosted by Tyler Florence, was shot in Southern California and options nine teams of aspiring food stuff truck homeowners from all over the place. The opponents, with specialties ranging from fresh pasta to plant-centered Cuban dishes, must not only cook excellent meals but also exhibit their marketing prowess and offering competencies in challenges to make a lot more funds than their rivals and keep in the race.

The season will wrap up with the finale airing on July 24, with the previous two teams heading head-to-head in San Diego and battling for the $50,000 grand prize.

Fetterman reported she acquired the concept for the thought that would turn out to be Girl’s Acquired Balls about 15 several years ago.

Soon after graduating from culinary university in 2009, Fetterman acquired how to make risotto and arancini when working at an Italian cafe in Barrington identified as Gavi. Her boss, who was Italian, inspired her to enjoy about and invent new combos of arancini for every day specials. Her bestselling “Tacky Pig” was born of this experimentation, stuffing the risotto ball with pulled pork and mac and cheese flavors such as cheddar and Gouda.

Quick ahead to 2020, and Fetterman discovered herself operating in a purchaser services occupation that was eliminated through the pandemic.

She claimed it was the previous push she desired to abide by her aspiration.

“I required to do a thing,” explained the single mother of two. “My young ones lost their father (her ex-spouse) to COVID, and I desired to do something to display them that if you function tricky you can attain nearly anything. We needed some positivity in our lives.”

She took the last $400 that she had to her identify and introduced Girl’s Bought Balls, in the beginning marketing them from less than a tent at neighborhood festivals.

The strategy came alongside one another more rapidly than the identify.

“I pretty much had a piece of paper with at the very least 50 diverse names revolving all-around various text for balls,” she mentioned.

Her sister attempted to speak her out of her ultimate choice.

“She claimed it was vulgar and no a single would acquire from me, but after launching the corporation, absolutely everyone beloved it — every person was so supportive, young, old,” she said. “Honestly, I have never experienced any destructive opinions.”

Just after a calendar year of working beneath tents, she acquired a cargo trailer that had been converted into a food truck. With some tweaks, she was in a position to get it on the road in a pair of months. She can be found most Tuesdays at VFW Submit 4600 in McHenry, as nicely as at breweries that do not provide food, festivals, non-public gatherings and community pop-ups.

Fetterman says she at some point sees having “a tiny fleet” of food stuff vehicles, in addition to a restaurant.

“Carrie (Jones, co-employee and teammate from the exhibit) and I have been talking about it nonstop, and we have total ideas and a concept to open a brick and mortar place in the in the vicinity of potential.”

She suggests that the cafe would be in Fox River Grove, where by she has lived for 27 yrs and Jones for 18 yrs.

“We want to remain near to home,” Fetterman claimed. “People have been really supportive of us.”

She claimed her practical experience on the show lived up to 10 years of expectations.

“I loved each 2nd of it,” she explained. “I recall the really to start with time I stepped in the food truck they gave us, and I knew I was wherever I should really be.”

You can discover where Girl’s Acquired Balls will be up coming on their Facebook site and eatatggb.com. They are scheduled to choose component in the 2nd Once-a-year Woodstock Foods Truck Competition on June 4.