It’s the Bomb...ing Blue!

By Liv Stecker

From Portland, Oregon, to Portland, Maine, the food truck trend of recent years has introduced a taste of all ethnicities and imaginations to the masses. Large urban communities have embraced the micro-cuisine fascination as a quick and inexpensive way to enjoy a variety of tastes and cultures during the workweek on the fly. Once relegated to iffy taco trucks and the occasional elephant ear, dishes as basic as a hand-dipped corn dog and as elegant as curry-basted eggplant have become standard lunchtime fare for urban residents across the nation. 

Diners in rural areas and small towns have traditionally enjoyed the food truck culture only in the contexts of fairs and events, waiting months for annual indulgences like teriyaki noodles and German bratwurst. But for Colville, Washington residents, there is no need to travel to festivals or brave the crowds to try a flame broiled Bombing Blue Burger, a delectable Indian Taco, or a mouth watering beef brisket sandwich. Bombing Blue, Colville’s own resident food truck, opened in early May of 2016, after a long and winding road relocated them to this area from North Dakota. 

Hannah Green and her husband Ben moved to the lower 48 states from Alaska in the quest for a simpler and more stress free lifestyle. Settling in Nampa outside of Boise, Idaho, the former supervisor of custodial services for a large school district and the electrician didn’t find exactly what they were looking for. Ben took a job as an electrician in North Dakota during the oil boom and Hannah followed soon after. The Bombing Blue began when Hannah made home cooked meals for the guys working on the pipeline. With no background in foodservice, Hannah laughs. “We like to play with our food - we know what we like and the food we make is what we like to eat!” 

Soon the obvious need for commercial dining in the area drove Hannah into an entrepreneurial adventure that she hadn’t counted on - all the way to Texas where she purchased a fully equipped catering trailer that she hauled back up to North Dakota where she started experimenting with feeding hoards of hungry oil workers a few of their favorite things. At the top of the menu was the Bombing Blue burger - a delectable surprise of a hamburger, loaded with bacon, blue cheese and apricot jam. 

Bombing Blue soon established a firm fan following in the Midwest.The unique twists on classic favorites that they offered were irresistible after a long shift of hard work. Hannah named her business after the trademark burger that has earned it’s own fan club. Moving around in the Kildeer area, the Bombing Blue was a mainstay in high quality fast food. 

Hannah Green isn’t into cutting corners when it comes to the quality of the food she serves. “We spend a lot of money on product to serve a high end meal.” She says. And while Bombing Blue might not be the cheapest burger in town, the mother of four grown boys understands how to fill a belly with portion sizes that make the lankiest teenager happy. Green says running a food truck wasn’t really part of her long term plan, but feeding her crew of boys gave her the experience she needed to please a hungry crowd.

 “It’s kind of ironic because I wouldn't eat out of a food truck before,” she laughs, recounting an experience with a questionable dinner in Portland, an area famous for its quirky food truck offerings. But Bombing Blue is looking to redefine that stigma by offering top of the line food out of a sparking clean kitchen. Her standards are high, but she says she’d rather shut down then lower them to cut cost or save time, and for Hannah, time is what it’s all about. 

Leaving a barrage of stress between her job and a wave of tragedies and troubles with her extended family in Alaska, Hannah and Ben were seeking quiet days on lake front property somewhere in the Northwest. They happened to find a spot outside of Colville and are working hard to make sure they are running the business so they get the family time that they want and need.

Bombing Blue is closed on Sunday and Monday, and opens at 11 AM Tuesday-Saturday. The few breakfast items on the menu - remnants from a much more demanding schedule in North Dakota, will potentially disappear from the menu all together. Hannah says that she isn’t entirely sure what the future holds for Bombing Blue as fall approaches and different possibilities arise. 

The Greens haven’t ruled out moving into a fixed location as an option, and they have plans to do a couple more events this summer with the truck, including the Area 36 Blues and Music Festival and the Chewelah Chataqua on July 7-10. Hannah says moving the trailer to events is a major production, and often the menu they are allowed to serve is so limited that Bombing Blue isn’t being fairly represented. But it’s a good chance to meet new people and introduce them to the new burger in town. Down the road she looks forward to doing less events, and they are already mulling over what the winter season looks like for the big blue trailer. But for now, you can check out the Bombing Blue and a collection of other mouth watering offerings and daily specials at 1000 N Highway 395 or give them a call to pre-order at 684-1212.