LUTSEN – Motorists traveling on Highway 61 this winter will see a food truck parked on property belonging to Lutsen Resort.
They’ll likely also notice plastic covering the large wooden sign marking the entrance to the iconic North Shore resort that was destroyed by a fire last winter.
“We certainly do not want to remove an iconic sign that was commissioned by Edwin Lundie,” said Bryce Campbell, the owner of Lutsen Resort. “It’s not exactly a sign that can be taken down temporarily, so covering it in the interim made the most sense until we can start putting up signage pertaining to resort updates.”
Campbell responded to an interview request with this reporter Nov. 17 about the Lutsen Resort sign being covered by plastic and about the food truck parked nearby. Campbell said he agreed to let the owners of Goldie’s Food Truck be on the property this winter. The truck is currently stationed just below the Lutsen Resort sign leading toward Lake Superior. The entrance to Lutsen Resort remains blocked off and closed in the aftermath of the fire.
As the wind ripped across Lake Superior and Highway 61 toward the Superior National Golf Course and Lutsen Mountains ski hill Sunday afternoon, Kirk Leand, the co-owner of Goldie’s worked to cover the Lutsen Resort sign. Leand told this reporter it was part of the agreement with Campbell that he’d cover the Lutsen Resort sign in exchange for allowing the food truck to be parked there this winter. Campbell supported the notion.
“There was no financial arrangement,” Campbell said, “just an in-kind favor and knowing that there will be eyes on the property over the winter while they needed a spot to ‘park’ for the winter.”
Campbell said insurance arrangements were “made through Goldie’s underwriter,” regarding operating on the Lutsen Resort property this winter.
Campbell said he has a tremendous amount of respect for Jennifer Guerra, the founder and co-owner of Goldie’s, and looks forward to trying the food in the near future. Leand said the truck could reopen for business as soon as this week at the new location. The truck was previously parked at the nearby North Shore Winery, he said.
Campbell was not on site Sunday afternoon while the Lutsen Resort sign was being covered. When this reporter asked if he was back in his native Canada, Campbell did not respond to that question specifically. Campbell said that while he has the “greatest respect” for Guerra, he was initially hesitant to let the food truck be parked on the property this winter, as the investigation is still active, and as the public’s interest in the fire continues.
“While I was reluctant at first as we don’t want to have the possibility of sightseers wandering down to the property, the tradeoff of Jennifer watching over the place made sense,” Campbell said.
The food truck serves sandwiches, breakfast burritos, tacos, and other items. Goldie’s will be open Thursday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
