Chicken Tinga With Rice is one of Roon’s Savories’ featured menu items, which can be found at stands and food trucks around the Metro. Photos: Roon’s Savories
Minnetonka grad serves up savory waffle cones.
Roon Johnson can’t stop yawning. “I’m so sorry,” he says. “I guess I need more sleep.” It’s no wonder he’s tired. The 2013 Minnetonka High School graduate has been busy turning the food world on its head with his innovative creation of a savory waffle cone. You read that correctly—a savory waffle cone.
Roon’s Savories has been making a name for itself as a specialty vendor at Excelsior’s Apple Days and Art on the Lake, the Edina Art Fair, Minnesota Vikings home games, the Minnesota Yacht Club Music Festival and U.S. Bank Stadium concerts just to name a few. Additionally, Johnson has served as a guest chef at Allianz Field. (Private events, including graduation parties and wedding receptions are also on the table.)
It all started years ago when Johnson worked at a local frozen custard shop, and the employees would put cheddar cheese on the waffle iron. “I had the idea for a hybrid crossover between a sandwich and ice cream,” he says. Johnson didn’t do anything with the idea at the time, but then COVID-19 hit. “I had some time on my hands,” he says. “So, I decided to see if it was more of a concept than an idea.”
Roon Johnson
Johnson bought a waffle iron and got to work. “I went through 27 iterations,” he says. Johnson eventually landed on a recipe for a Parmesan-herb cone that could be loaded with a variety of savory fillings. He tested out the market, bringing his creation to breweries and festivals. It took a bit of convincing, but soon enough, people caught on to the concept. “You see a cone and you think: ice cream,” he says. “We’re conditioned that way.”
Once people got a taste of the savory cone filled with Buffalo chicken pieces or macaroni and cheese, they quickly got on board, and Johnson was able to turn his side hustle into a full-time job. “I knew I would rather be disappointed than wonder, ‘What if,’ so I gave myself two years,” he says.
During that trial period, Johnson’s business grew into a commercial kitchen where he was exposed to other food businesses and learned a lot, including how to put himself out into the food market. Johnson threw a Hail Mary pass in the form of an email to U.S. Bank Stadium officials to inquire about becoming a vendor. Much to his surprise and delight, Roon’s Savories was accepted, and it can be found outside Section 111.
The cones are baked fresh with a gluten-free rice flour batter and hand rolled on the spot. “It’s crispy and crunchy, but it doesn’t crumble,” Johnson says. “And they work with a wide variety of fillings. There are endless possibilities.” The menu features cones like American Taco, Chicken Tinga, Curry Chicken Salad, Mediterranean Quinoa, Orange Chicken With Fried Rice and Philly Cheesesteak. “It’s layered,” Johnson says. “We want it to be a dish you can enjoy every bite.” The team is developing a rotating menu in order to offer new flavor combinations. “We want to be the savory cone [that] everyone remembers,” he says. “We feel like the best is yet to come.”
Roon’s Savories
Instagram: @roonssavories
