The Foodie's RV

For instance, the mobile kitchens Wonder used to put chefs on the road to make fresh meals at customers' doors without being obtrusive. These vans made use of 57kWh battery pack arrays to eliminate the need for noisy, smelly gas generators and let the chefs use professional equipment just as they would in any other kitchen..

Wonder de-branded and sold off their fleet of mobile kitchens, and I got the chance to borrow one for an evening of putting it through its paces. Since I am not a professional chef, nor do I have a customer to cook for, I enlisted the help of my folks to help me give the mobile kitchen a good and proper test. Since the van was previously used to cook Italian food (based on how the breakers were labeled), we decided to keep that history alive by cooking a simple Italian meal - spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread, and toasted ravioli.

Around an hour before we were set to meet up, I started the van's kitchen systems, which operate mostly independently from the powerplant. A brief startup procedure engaged the contactors with a series of heavy clicks, followed by cooling fans firing up and the kitchen lights turning on. I started with an 89% charge, when I started the battery system to get the fridges and freezers going. By the time we started loading food into the van, the fridges were cool and the freezers were close enough. Cleverly designed slanted and lipped shelves made a perfect place to keep dishes such that they wouldn't fall to the floor at the first sharp turn. Since the van had already been stripped of the appliances it used to boast, we brought some of our own and a cooktop borrowed from the shop.

Then we hit the road, Dad riding in the van with me and Mom following in her car - the van only seats two. It was during this ride that my tall father found the passenger seat unable to move far enough back for him to have legroom. We would find more like this later. We made a stop at the grocery store to pick up some remaining ingredients. The van - a Mercedes Sprinter with a diesel engine - was tricky at times, but was usually manageable even in tight parking lot maneuvering. It cannot fit in one spot, it needs two lengthwise. When we returned to the van with our food items, we loaded them straight into the fridge and freezer. How convenient!

Then we headed to our destination - a parking lot for a boat ramp on the Mississippi river. I wanted to prove that with enough equipment, anyone can cook in a van down by the river!

We parked on level ground and got to work. I turned on the remaining built-in appliances - warming lamps, and a chilled salad bar - and plugged in those we brought with us. An induction cooktop, air fryer and microwave all ran as expected on the van's 120v system. No TurboChef or pasta cooker for us, but we cooked just like we were at home. The kitchen was surprisingly spacious, enough for two people to work together if they get along, and three people if they have to.

Working in the kitchen was not bad. There was enough counter space for all of our concurrent cooking to take place, and enough room to stash what had yet to be cooked, what was cooking, and what was already cooked. Our mixed salad waited patiently in the cooled salad bar while our meatballs and ravioli stayed toasty under the warming lamps. All the while, we were boiling noodles, heating sauce, and toasting garlic bread. They say if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen - but there were no heated tempers in this kitchen. We all had everything we needed!

Once the meal was all prepped, we walked to a nearby picnic table and chowed down. The hot food was hot, the salad was cold, and our drinks were frosty. Meanwhile the mobile kitchen patiently kept the fridges and freezers going. All told, I had the system running for about 5 hours, and we were using heavy-power-draw appliances for about two of those. What started as an 89% state of charge became 78% by the time we got back to my place to unload. I've got every confidence this thing could run for a day or a shift and have juice to spare by the time it gets plugged to charge back up via the RV plug.

Now that these vans have hit the open market, I could see them used for catering, naturally. But I could also see them as being something of an RV for foodies - camp in a tent, cook in the van. Rough it in all ways but culinary. The van charges with the same RV receptacles found at campgrounds, so in theory, one could set their own priorities and challenge camping norms. Anyone can cook, and now, anyone can cook in a van down by the river. All thanks to the battery capacity of an early RWD Model 3, used for something just a little different.