WinCity Wings prepares for its second season at a new location in Rochester – Post Bulletin

ROCHESTER – The WinCity Wings food truck recently reopened for the season after the 2023 season was canceled.

Jim Gaston and his family own and operate WinCity Wings, a food truck at 2040 Viking Dr. NW in Rochester. Gaston is originally from Chicago and wanted to bring that flavor to the community.

“I’m a builder by trade and building became quite hard on my body,” Gaston said. “I started looking for something else I could do. I’m from Chicago. I love Chicago style food. We didn’t have many places where we could get this kind of food here. My son and I actually built this truck. There was an empty box truck. We went and got the truck from North Dakota and drove it home. We worked with public health. It took a while, but we finally built it and are making our dream come true.”

Eighteen years ago, Gaston moved to Rochester and attended Rochester Community and Technical College. Now his son is about to graduate high school. He chose to raise his family here and make it their home, but now he wants to bring his home here through food.

The food truck is a family business, involving his son Triveon, his daughters and wife. Gaston is grateful for his children’s help.

Gaston is not a chef, but has chosen dishes and flavors that he specifically liked in his hometown. Chicago is known for many dishes, including Italian beef sandwiches and Chicago dogs that are served with seven specific ingredients: mustard, relish, onion, tomato, pickle, pepper and celery salt.

“One of the main things we love is that we have a specific sauce,” says Gaston. “This popular Chicago sauce is called mild sauce and is unique to Chicago. All our pizza puffs and our wings are drenched in the sauce. Italian beef sandwiches are a Chicago thing that started in Chicago in the early 20th century and has been a Chicago staple ever since. And the Chicago dog. Those are my most popular meals.”

Pizza puffs are another unique item to Chicago. Gaston knew he wanted them on the menu and it is one of the most popular items. Gaston describes it as a gourmet hot pocket. He also likes the Big Cheesy beef sandwich. It’s packed with cheese, beef and peppers.

Gaston knows that his food can have a spicy taste. He has found a way for everyone to enjoy the food, even if they don’t have a high spice tolerance, without sacrificing the taste.

“So for some people who don’t like a lot of spices, I just pour some juice on top to give it the flavor I wanted without all the spices,” Gaston said.

Maya Giron / Postbulletin

This is only WinCity’s second season as a food truck in Rochester (they took last season off), but so far the season is going well. They’re seeing more success after moving from the southeast side of town to the northwest on Elton Hills Drive. The high visitor traffic encourages more business.

“We took a year off and now we have a new location,” says Gaston. “I especially liked this location because we had three (other) food trucks there. So I thought this was good for the options where we were trying to get our feet under us.

In the future, Gaston and his family want to become more involved in catering and events. They hope to go to some festivals or events this summer, but mainly plan to leave the truck where it is. They want to have a permanent location and schedule while they build a following.

“We are a family business, built by hand with me and my son,” said Gaston. “We had some instrumental people working with us who made it all possible. My blood, sweat and tears are in it and we are here to bring you good quality food and great customer service.”

Maya Giron / Postbulletin

Maya Giron / Postbulletin

Maya Giron / Postbulletin

Maya Giron / Postbulletin

Sara Guymon is a Post Bulletin business reporter. Guymon grew up in New Ulm, Minnesota. She graduated from New Ulm Public High School and went on to attend the University of Minnesota Duluth. While attending UMD, Guymon majored in journalism and double minored in photography and international studies. Before joining the Post Bulletin, she worked as a staff writer for the Brainerd Dispatch. There she covered the city of Baxter and the business community.