Twin Cities “Best Food Truck” comes to local fair

The Steele County Free Fair never has any shortage of food options. If guests want turkey legs, deep fried pickles or cheese curds, they’ll find them in abundance. But, if an individual has a hankering for some good ol’ tater tots, there is one clear choice - the Tot Boss. 
In only it’s second year at the local fair, the Tot Boss vendor has gained enormous popularity with its unique twist on the crunchy potato treat.
“No one else is doing it, so I got creative,” said owner Dan Docken, whose creative food option led to a continuous line at his trailer throughout much of the week. Even though a bit off the beaten path in front of the 4-H building, hungry guests still flocked to the vendor for their tots craving.
As its name suggests, everything at the trailer includes tater tots, with options including bacon-wrapped tots, loaded tots, chili tots, tater tot nachos and pizza tots. Docken does include a chicken tenders basket, but even this comes with a side of tots. Just standing in line for some tots, an individual might hear the word “tots” more than the rest of the year. 
“I love them,” Docken said. “I grew up eating them.” Docken added that his personal favorite dish provided at the fair is the loaded tots; a basket full of tots topped with sour cream and melted cheese made from scratch and bacon. 
“It’s the most popular,” he added.
Docken came up with the idea of the Tot Boss stand just four years ago, after a turn in the economy. 
“I used to be a cabinet maker. Back when the economy kind of went south, the company I worked with for 25 years was going to close,” he said.
With over two decades of experience behind him, Docken decided to completely change his career.
“I decided, I like cooking, I like serving (and) and I like people.”
Thus began the Tot Boss stand.
Four years later, Docken has made a name for himself, travelling to multiple fairs and car shows around the state, as well as serving at weddings, graduations and corporate lunches. The vendor gained even more popularity after being named “Best Food Truck” by three different news networks in the Twin Cities area, including Twin Cities Live, KARE 11 and WCCO. 
When KARE 11 approached Docken to congratulate him, he wasn’t even aware people were voting for him. 
“I didn’t even know it was happening,” said Docken. “They just showed up at the truck and said, ‘You were voted best food truck.’”
Despite his growing popularity, Docken still has one unmet goal: “I really want to get into the state fair.”
Those who missed the Tot Boss this week can find the food truck schedule on totboss.com or on both Facebook and Twitter.