Should you see something rolling through Seattle streets late at night that looks like a catering truck that has morphed into a giant pig, do not fret we know it’s close to 2012, but this is not a sign of the apocalypse. What you have just witnessed is the Maximus/Minimus food truck, the brainchild of Kurt Dammeier, head of Sugar Mountain (which owns Beecher’s Handmade Cheese, Bennett’s Pure Food Bistro, and Pasta and Co.).

The original Maximus/Minimus sandwiches began as snacks cobbled together in the Sugar Mountain kitchen, followed closely behind by some sauce experimentation.

As Dammeier explains on the truck’s website, “I still ask myself how we got here. In the Spring of 2008, I started regularly serving up a favorite of mine – braised pork… and the staff loved it. To the pork, I added a delicious barbecue sauce that had been developed for our restaurant, Bennett’s, and the pork just got better and better.

Coincidentally, around the same time, I started calling my oldest son Max – an “emerging teenager” – Maximus.

The two ideas became one and quickly developed into Maximus / Minimus, a food destination that’s about making delicious pork sandwiches… all hinging on the idea of one flavor profile being Maximus (savory and spicy!) and the other being Minimus (tangy and sweet).”

Maximus/Minimus is like no food truck you’ve ever seen. With the help of industrial designer Colin Reedy, the Maximus/Minimus has transformed a standard food truck into a giant metallic pig on wheels. Complete with ears, snout, tail, and even a giant pair of sunglasses to top off their signature look.

As strange as Maximus/Minimus may appear on the outside, do not be fooled, it has a well-oiled machine of a kitchen on the inside.

The idea behind the Maximus/Minimus menu is that you choose how you want your lunch prepared, Maximus style or Minimus style.

You have your choice of pork sandwiches, slow-simmered and tender, or vegetarian sandwiches made with onions, and barley. These aren’t huge sandwiches however they cannot be classified as sliders either. They are about the size of a small hamburger.

From there, you receive a choice of sauces, ranging from spicy and hot (Maximus) to spicy and sweet (Minimus). They will make your sandwich spicier upon request, but their default is low on the spice scale, so don’t be afraid to step it up. Your final choice you will have is whether or not you will add the Beecher’s Flagship cheese to your masterpiece.

For drinks, you have a choice of ginger lemonade, hibiscus nectar, Mexican Coke, and bottled water. Add one of the two possible side dishes (freshly made slaw or vegetable chips) and you have got yourself a meal that will get you to forget you just received your order out of the side of a shiny silver pig.

To add to the ambiance around the truck, they have built in speakers where you will have the chance to hear some classic rock and roll from the likes of Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, and The Doors.

In keeping with their commitment to pure food, Maximus/Minimus and its sibling companies contribute 1% of all sales to the Flagship Foundation.

The Maximus/Minimus food truck can be found Monday through Thursday from 11:00 am until 2:00 pm in the parking lot on the corner of 2nd Avenue and Pike Street in downtown Seattle. The truck has also been known to show up in Fremont and other North Side locations on weekends.

Updates are posted on www.maximus-minimus.comTwitter, and Facebook.

Our recommendation:

The Minimus pulled pork sandwich with a little Hurt added. This pulled pork sandwich is smothered in a very subtle yet sweet honey mustard dressing.

What their fans have said:

Do pulled pork sandwiches come from Heaven?? They do if you get them from the Maximus / Minimus truck in Seattle.

Tanya S. Henderson, NV

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