New food truck specializing in breakfast, lunch and street eats honors owner’s grandfather

Credit: Natalie Jones

Credit: Natalie Jones

Beyond breakfast, they would cook large Italian dinners together for every holiday with dishes such as lasagna, stuffed shells and wedding soup.

As a kid, Kelly would stand on a stool in the kitchen watching his grandfather cook and asking him a thousand questions.

His grandfather had a dream to open a restaurant. After he died in 2016, Kelly thought opening a food truck and sharing it with others was a way to honor his grandfather and the memories they had together.

Iggy Ragu’s specializes in breakfast, lunch and street eats inspired from his travels around the world.

Credit: Natalie Jones

Credit: Natalie Jones

Kelly recommends trying the TK Classic, featuring a garlic-brushed brioche bun topped with sausage, a fried egg, parmesan cheese, pesto and herbed aioli, paired with a spud patty (a hashbrown) and secret spud sauce (a tangy fry sauce).

His goal is to source ingredients locally with buns from Baker Benji’s on Troy Street. All sauces are made in-house.

Much of Kelly’s inspiration for Iggy Ragu’s comes from living in Portland, Oregon, where there was a strong food truck scene.

Credit: Natalie Jones

Credit: Natalie Jones

His long-term goal is to open a co-op in Dayton featuring a breakfast spot and grocery store. He then hopes to have a farm that would support the store, as well as the food truck.

“I can’t really imagine doing anything other than the food truck,” Kelly said.

Kelly, who grew up in West Milton, has been in the restaurant industry for over a decade. He currently works as a server at Troll Pub, while attending Midwest Culinary Institute in Cincinnati. He’s expected to graduate in the fall.

Kelly operates the food truck with his mom, Caralee Grieshop, and his partner, Chase Weliever.

Weliever, who met Kelly in Denver, Colorado, has a love for hospitality and is looking forward to meeting people on the food truck.

“Our thing is street eats for the people,” Kelly said. “My grandpa was all about people. He had a way of just walking into a room and making everybody just feel at home. We would like the truck to be that spot for somebody.”

Upcoming events for Iggy Ragu’s includes:

The food truck is available for catering and events. For more information, visit iggyragus.com or the food truck’s Facebook or Instagram (@iggyragus) pages.