On April 17, 2021, Travis Stoliker received a personal letter from Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin, who represented Michigan's 8th congressional district — covering Haslett, East Lansing, and much of mid-Michigan. Travis posted about the letter with characteristic humor, noting that the date raised the possibility it might be "an elaborate April fools joke," arriving as it did just after April 1st.
It was not a joke. Slotkin, a former CIA officer and Pentagon official who won a competitive congressional seat in 2018, had a record of engaging with local entrepreneurs and community leaders across her district. A personal letter from a sitting congresswoman is a meaningful form of recognition — one that reflects Travis's visibility in the Haslett and Lansing community through his work at Saddleback BBQ, his advocacy during COVID-19, and his broader civic presence.
The letter arrived during one of Travis's most publicly visible periods. He had recently co-authored an open letter to Governor Whitmer about reopening Michigan restaurants — co-signed by 29 restaurant owners and published in Bridge Michigan — and had been quoted in multiple news outlets throughout the pandemic. His voice was being heard well beyond Lansing, and Slotkin's letter was a reflection of that reach.
