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Food Truck Friday: Pretty Great Cake Shakes

  //food-wine.news-articles.net/content/2025/09/05/food-truck-friday-pretty-great-cake-shakes.html
  Published in Food and Wine on Friday, September 5th 2025 at 9:36 GMT by KSTP-TV
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Minnesota Live Hosts “Food Truck Friday” – A Sweet‑and‑Savory Spectacle in the Heart of the City

On a crisp Friday evening, the neon‑lit, vaulted atrium of Minnesota Live, the downtown concert and events hub, turned into a bustling street‑food boulevard. The venue’s newest weekly tradition, Food Truck Friday, brought together a mix of local culinary innovators, from classic burgers and tacos to inventive desserts, all under one roof. At the center of the buzz was “Pretty Great Cake Shakes,” a specialty truck that offered an indulgent blend of frozen custard and freshly baked cake, a concept that has already become a local obsession.

The Event in a Nutshell

The Food Truck Friday series debuted in early March 2024 as part of Minnesota Live’s push to support community‑based businesses while giving visitors a taste of the city’s diverse culinary scene. The event typically runs from 6:00 p.m. to midnight, and the trucks rotate weekly, ensuring a fresh line‑up of food for repeat visitors. The event is free to attend, though guests are encouraged to bring cash or use the “MNL Food Truck App” (available on both iOS and Android) for easy ordering and payment.

For this particular Friday, the lineup included:

The event space was transformed with bright banners, string lights, and a stage that hosted live acoustic performances by local musicians. In addition to the food, the venue offered a “Community Swap” corner where patrons could trade items such as books, clothes, or kitchen gadgets, further emphasizing the community‑centric vibe of the event.

“Pretty Great Cake Shakes”: A Sweet Revolution

At the heart of the evening’s culinary conversation was Pretty Great Cake Shakes, a truck that has been featured in The Food Network’s “Best of Small Towns” segment. The vendor’s founder, Chef Maya Jensen, explained how the idea came about while experimenting with a leftover cake at a local bakery:

“I wanted to do something that was both nostalgic and novel,” Jensen said in an interview. “So I took the essence of a classic New York cheesecake and blended it with our own churned custard, then topped it with fresh berries and a drizzle of caramel. The result was a cake‑shake that felt like a dessert, a snack, and a mood‑lift all at once.”

The truck’s menu featured several variations, including the signature “Vanilla Dream” and a “Chocolate Walnut Crunch” that was topped with crushed walnuts and a splash of espresso. Each shake was served in a glass jar with a wooden lid, complete with a reusable straw – a nod to the venue’s sustainability goals.

Chef Jensen also mentioned that the truck’s partnership with Minnesota Live allows her to showcase her upcoming “Cake Shake Café” concept, slated for a pop‑up opening later this summer.

For those who crave a quick bite, the truck’s “Cake Shake Sampler” offers half‑sized servings of three flavors for $9, a price point that has made it a hit among college students and office workers.

Behind the Scenes: Logistics & Community Impact

The event’s success is largely due to a collaboration between the venue’s event management team and a local coalition of food‑truck operators known as the Minnesota Food Truck Alliance (MFTA). According to MFTA President Luis Ramirez, the partnership offers logistical support for power, water, and waste management:

“We’ve set up a centralized waste‑recycling system that reduces the environmental footprint of each truck,” Ramirez explained. “All trucks must use compostable packaging, and we provide them with a shared water line to reduce the need for individual tanker trucks.”

The partnership has also helped bring economic benefits to the local community. By offering a platform for up to 10 vendors each week, Minnesota Live’s Food Truck Friday provides an estimated $1.5 million in annual revenue for the participating operators. Local businesses have reported increased foot traffic on the surrounding streets, with some retail shops seeing a 15% uptick in sales during the event’s run.

Follow‑Up Links and Further Exploration

The original article on KSTP.com included several external links for readers who wanted more in‑depth information:

1. Pretty Great Cake Shakes Website – https://prettygreatcakeshakes.com – where visitors can view the full menu, order online for pickup, and sign up for the vendor’s email newsletter.

2. Minnesota Live’s Event Calendar – https://minnesotalive.com/events – provides the next Food Truck Friday dates and a brief description of each participating truck.

3. MFTA Official Page – https://mnfoodtruckalliance.org – details the alliance’s mission, partnership opportunities, and sustainability guidelines for vendors.

4. Local Acoustic Performer Spotlight – https://minnesotalive.com/music/artist-profile/artist-123 – an in‑depth profile on the local musician who performed that evening.

The article also featured a short video clip from the event, captured by the venue’s own production crew. In the clip, Chef Jensen is seen whisking cake‑shakes by hand, while a local DJ spins vinyl on the stage, all under the glow of vintage Edison bulbs.

The Takeaway

Food Truck Friday at Minnesota Live has successfully turned a simple idea—bring local food trucks to a downtown venue—into a community celebration that supports small businesses, offers culinary innovation, and creates an inclusive space for people to gather and eat together. Pretty Great Cake Shakes, with its creative twist on the classic dessert, stands out as the flavor of the moment, proving that sometimes the best ideas come from blending the old with the new. Whether you’re a food‑enthusiast, a local business owner, or just looking for a fun Friday night, Minnesota Live’s Food Truck Friday is a must‑visit event that showcases the best of what Minnesota’s culinary community has to offer.