Ingrid's Lunch Box

Ingrid Rockwell grew up on a Wisconsin farm with six siblings, "so food was really a big deal," she says. She learned to cook from scratch from her mom and a grandmother, who owned a restaurant in Germany and would visit each fall, then honed her skills -- and realized how much she liked being around food -- working at a bakery and as a line cook at a Greek restaurant. So when her first child was born and she decided she wanted a more flexible work schedule, she and her husband decided to open a food cart. He built the humble red bin, and Rockwell and a couple of friends dole out treats like fried egg sandwiches (featuring a tangy horseradish hollandaise of her invention) and cornmeal crepes packed with fresh ingredients every Saturday at Madison's Dane County Farmers Market. The food is made to order (there's even a convection oven, so Rockwell can cook her biscuits off). It's not the fastest meal you'll find on the sidewalk but worth the 10- to 15-minute wait. Try to get to Ingrid's early, because on most Saturdays, popular items are running low by 11 a.m.