Rick and Nancy Herman, owners of Log Home Wood Fired Pizza in McGregor, Minnesota, are TV stars. Or, at least, their pizza truck is.
Their mobile operation appears in a new holiday movie, titled Rescuing Christmas, that’s currently streaming on the Hallmark Movies Now network. The Hermans posted an Instagram announcement about it recently, calling it “an awesome opportunity and so much fun. Plus, catering their last evening shoot was a blast!”
Rick told KWLM the story behind his pizza truck’s starring role. The scenes were shot in Duluth in May, he said. “The [film’s] art coordinator reached out to us in April and asked if we would be willing to be a part of the winter market scene. They were really excited about having our brand shown in the film. So we put the food truck [in place], and it was a backdrop to the winter market scene.”
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Log Home Wood Fired Pizza / Instagram
The weather wasn’t exactly Christmas-like, but this is Minnesota we’re talking about. Even in mid-spring, it was still plenty cold, Rick said. “So it wasn’t a big deal for people to walk around in winter boots and hats and stuff.” The film crew used flocking to provide the “snow,” he added.
The Hermans own a brick-and-mortar operation, open during weekends only, and the food truck, both with the Log Home Wood Fired Pizza name. Unique items on the pizza menu include the Open Range (pesto, five-cheese blend, spinach, wild rice, chicken, green onions and garlic oil) and the Sugar Maple Dessert Pizza (pure maple syrup, mascarpone and oatmeal crumbles).
Rick is a former educator who worked as a teacher, elementary and high school principal and superintendent for more than 28 years. He also served more than 14 years in the Minnesota National Guard. Nancy operates her own business, Yellow River Advertising & Design.
The Hallmark movie wasn’t their first brush with Hollywood. In December 2022, Log Home made a fleeting cameo of sorts in Hulu’s Merry Kiss Cam, which also filmed in Duluth in May of that year. In a scene taking place during a hockey game, Log Home’s logo appears for a split second among other promotional signs plastered along the side of the rink.
Log Home has an active social media presence, often posting several times a day, and routinely runs promotions to drive traffic to the brick-and-mortar restaurant. On Instagram and Facebook this fall, the pizzeria spotlighted its employees in numerous “Meet Your Pizza Creator” Q&A posts.
On December 2 and December 16, Log Home hosted two Cookies With Santa events for local kids. Also on the pizzeria’s holiday marketing schedule this year: a Pizza & Paint event devoted to painting Christmas ornaments.
