Eggroll Masters: Enter the chamber of tightly packed flavor

This journey literally began months ago. 

Having heard about Eggroll Masters through friends who couldn’t give them enough praise, I sent an email and we set a date to meet up. Then, something happened and our meeting got canceled. So, we set another time. Nope. That didn’t happen either. Once, I even saw them at an event they were catering but the line to order was so long and the crew was in a frantic state of focused egg rollery. Meaning I couldn’t get a proper interview and my photos would most likely be rushed and blurry. 

After multiple texts, it was getting to a level of such haphazard capacity that we were laughing each time we rescheduled with one another. C’mon. 

Enter The Pit. Finally, a place that we could both agree on and were super positive would totally work out. 

There it was in all of its bright orange glory, the Eggroll Masters setup. There was a bit of a crowd, which is great, but not to a degree where we couldn’t chat as they rocked and rolled. 

David Sullivan, owner and keeper of the inventive savory egg roll ways he’s become so lauded for, was busy wrapping up an order before it dunking and frying it up to crispy gold glory. 

Wait, do you roll each egg roll to order, I asked. You don’t pre-make a bunch and just have them ready to go?

“Nope,” said Sullivan with a bright grin. “Each one is made per order. Keeps them fresh and if there is any dietary restriction I can adapt to that. It’s all about having the best product. It may take an extra second or two but the result is something pretty great.”

That notion left me puzzled as most who dote on quick snack items like this usually have gobs of pre-made loot stored away. When an order comes a knockin’, all they have to do is reach in, plop the goods into the fryer, and sell those nibbles. Watching Sullivan work on a few for me, I was instantly impressed at the speed this man handles his rolls. That extra care to do the job correctly made me a big fan, even before biting into anything he offered me. 

The first one up was the Charcuterie Egg Roll. This guy was filled with Havarti cheese, salami, and fresh dill pickles. It was big, too — about the size of a Twinkie, if not bigger. It’s an absolute charm of flavors and crispy texture. Two of my favorite items to feast on, egg rolls and a charcuterie board, have finally manifested together.

There are also close to a dozen dipping sauces to choose from so I slammed this kid straight into the spicy mustard sauce and that combo was a home run. Usually on a proper charcuterie spread you have a variety of cheeses, meats, and refined deli condiments among a sway of fruit, nuts, and toast, of course. It just made sense to align this particular roll with mustard. 

It was easily one of the best things I have eaten that week, but there was so much more to try. 

Sullivan is a Tucson native who was in the military for eight years after graduating high school. Post-military, Sullivan landed a job working for the railroad but it was around 2020 when he began to mix and match components inside egg rolls. His combinations were starting to gain momentum amongst family, friends, and colleagues and he started to branch out by catering. The thing was, it wasn’t enough. He needed more. We all needed more!

“I was a single dad wanting to make something healthy for my kids so I started with lettuce wraps,” said Sullivan, referring to the birth of Eggroll Masters. “I looked around the house for what we had, stuff like corned beef, sauerkraut, and shredded cheese in the fridge. So, I put that all together, wrapped it, rolled it, added a little mustard, and that was the beginning of the beginning. Even my four-year-old at the time, who hates most things, loved it.”

Eggroll Masters is definitely family-friendly. While eating the Beef Enchilada Roll, I was immediately taken back to some childhood vista of brighter horizons due to the use of Rotel. That’s right, I’m talking about the beloved mix of tomatoes and chiles that is likely sitting on a shelf in your kitchen somewhere and has been since “Must See TV” was a thing. Add in some seasoned ground chuck, refried beans, and jalapeño and it had me wondering why this isn’t a staple in every Tucson school’s cafeteria. It’s Southwest fun finger food and I am steering you in the direction of either the green or red chili sauce to add that power plunge to your palate. 

Never fear, there is a veggie option, too. This one is an Asian garden gone tubular. Carrots, both ground and pickled ginger, cauliflower rice, cabbage, and a variety of seasonings and sauces make it a contender for one of the best veggie rolls in town — hands down.

While I was there, Sullivan served up Chicken Cordon Bleu, Crab Rangoon, Buffalo Mac ‘n Cheese, and Chile Relleno egg rolls as well. All of these are masterful in their own right. Keep in mind that these may change as Sullivan is always messing around in that kitchen, testing out new blends, and if he gets the general approval of those finicky kids of his, you better believe it’s going on the menu. The same goes for the sauces he handmakes to accentuate all of those rolls. 

“A lot of what I have done is not just my own migration. A lot of ideas have come from friends, family, coworkers, and even customers,” said Sullivan. “Recently, I made a beer brat roll for a friend and she said this will be good to have on the menu. So, I gave it a shot. It was amazing. I’m always open to ideas. You know, I haven’t really decided this week what we’re going to do for our menu next week. I just want to be consistent and do some flavor profiles for a whole week, and then the following week, we’ll start a whole new batch of flavors. I’m being consistent by not being completely consistent.”

As I was wrapping up our chat, there was a sense of relief that our meeting finally happened, but then a sign of remorse kicked in as I had to go. I wondered when I would see him again and get to chomp on those incredible egg rolls of his. I’m pretty certain it will be sooner than later but all I can say is this: Those eggrolls were definitely worth the wait.

For more information, visit eggrollmasters.com and follow Eggroll Masters on Instagram and Facebook.