The Paddy Wagon's burgers are a smash hit

Kyle Forrest thought he might be a stay-at-home dad this winter. Then, his plans drastically changed.

He opened his burger-and-fries food truck the Paddy Wagon YQR in June and planned to run it until the weather got cold.

That's when an opportunity presented itself. His friend and Benny's Food Truck operator, Krystle Hagen, was invited to bid for a kitchen residency at the Highland Curling Club (348 Broad St.), but she was too busy with other aspects of her business to submit a proposal. She asked the Highland board if Forrest could apply in her place. They agreed.

The Paddy Wagon moved into the curling club in October and has flourished since then, offering smashburgers made famous by social media.

Earlier this month, the Paddy Wagon announced a kitchen expansion to increase their flat top grill space and add another deep fryer to reduce wait times.

"It's a good problem to have," Forrest says. "I never could have dreamed it would have taken off like it has."

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Always at home in the kitchen

Forrest remembers the first meal he made, at 11 years old: fettuccine alfredo.

"From there on in, I had a love for cooking," says Forrest. "I've made every Christmas dinner in my house since I was able to."

He calls his mom a "phenomenal cook" and says she has taught him a lot over the years.

Forrest's parents, who are retired, moved to Regina this winter to help him chase his dream.

"Since Day 1 my parents have been by my side," says Forrest."My right-hand man in the kitchen, Mark Deeley, has been guiding and mentoring me every step of the way. Without them, I wouldn't have been able to do this."

A social media smash

Like many self-taught chefs, Forrest is a tinkerer. He and his brother, Jesse Wildeman, toiled for six months in his home kitchen before launching the food truck.

"A lot of what we do here and what I've learned has been social media inspired, and smashburgers is a very big trend that's kind of blowing up in the States right now," says Forrest."I also realized that Regina didn't really have a place that was based around the smashburger."

Before seeing them on social media, Forrest had never tried a smashburger, let alone made one.

The magic of a smashburger is what's called the "Maillard reaction," which occurs when food be it a steak, bread in the oven or a roasted marshmallow browns due to heat. Smashing the patty into the flat top increases the surface area able to brown and react, creating the delicious crust distinctive of smashburgers.

The Paddy Wagon uses 100 per centfresh Angus ground chuck for their patties. Chuck, which is cut from the shoulder of the animal, is marbled enough to become thin and crispy when smashed, while also retaining enough fat to stay juicy.

Now, Forrest is hooked.

"I don't make normal hamburgers anymore," he says.

Building out the menu

They launched the food truck with three burgers, a loaded hot dog and a poutine. Forrest's brother suggested they add a Philly cheesesteak and, seeing a gap in Regina's food scene once again, they went for it.

Moving into the Highland Curling Club gave them more space for storage, prep and cooking, so they've added more menu items, including dessert.

Forrest also introduced the Royale with Cheese taco for gluten-free customers. Forrest is gluten intolerant himself and tried 10 different gluten-free buns before settling on a favourite for the Paddy Wagon.

The names of all of the menu items play on the idea of crime, like the Smash and Grab burger and Billy Club Dog. The concept originated with a friend suggesting the business's name.

"He was kinda joking around," says Forrest, "and then we thought about some different funny names and it really clicked, and we just started to brainstorm. And the rest is history."

His brother came up with their tagline: "Locking up your hunger."

Big plans for the future

It's shaping up to be a big summer for the Paddy Wagon crew. They'll be operating three locations: the food truck, the curling club and Kings Park Speedway on race days.

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Forrest also has ideas of converting the space upstairs at the Highland into a sports bar with the board's blessing, of course.

Reflecting on the wild ride he's been on since last June, Forrest remains humble. Prior to smashing burgers, he ran an oil well servicing business in Estevan, Sask. Asked what he brings from that experience to Paddy Wagon, he says, "That tomorrow's income is never promised, and you always have to be ready for the changing world, whatever that may look like. Just because today something's working and something's profitable, doesn't mean tomorrow it's gonna be, right?"