The Veggie Wagon is now one of just 44 facilities statewide that has earned a meat and poultry processing permit from the N.C. Department of Agriculture.

As a certified value added meat processing facility, The Veggie Wagon in now allowed to process meat to be incorporated into their recipes, and to be sold wholesale to other stores and restaurants.
 
Max Sussman, who co-owns The Veggie Wagon with his wife, April, said the yearlong process of completing the requirements necessary for the permit was very labor-intensive. As part of the permit requirements, the Sussmans now have an on-site state inspector in the kitchen on a daily basis who oversees all aspects of the meat processing.
 
“Despite this being a very time-consuming process, we’re so excited to now be able to add meat to our recipes and expand our offerings to both our customers and to new wholesale accounts,” Max Sussman said.
 
Because not all restaurants can process their own meats, some are forced to purchase some items, such as hamburger patties, from outside vendors. This is where the Veggie Wagon comes in. With the new certification, it can sell items such as fresh, all-natural, hand-pattied burgers to local restaurants.
 
Some of the expanded in-house offerings include pizzas with chicken, pepperoni and sausage, smoked brisket burritos and pasta primavera with chicken.
 
In another change, The Veggie Wagon’s hot chocolate bar has returned for the winter season, featuring eight flavors of hot chocolate prepared with homemade syrups and flavorings. Each concoction is topped with a toasted homemade marshmallow made with local honey.
 
Other seasonal specialties include peppermint brownies, candy cane chocolate Chex mix, cheese balls and holiday ham rolls with country ham and honey butter.
 
The Veggie Wagon has two locations, 3315 Masonboro Loop Road in Wilmington and 608 S. Lake Park Blvd. in Carolina Beach.  
 
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