September 2 Menu-Durham Central Park

We slipped into the Food Truck Rodeo at Durham Central Park at the last minute!
I am so excited to be able to be a part of it!

Here is the menu that we will be offering.

We actually shipped our top-split hot dog buns in from a bakery in New England. They are pretty tasty!

Hot dogs and sausages will be all beef hot dogs cooked on the flat-top grill!

Spicy Kimchi Hot Dog-$4
All Beef Hot Dog topped with Spicy Kimchi and Siracha Hot Sauce
*Please note that this kimchi does contain shellfish*

Bill's Buffalo Dog-$4
All Beef Hot Dog topped with Buffalo Chicken and Blue Cheese Crumbles

Pork Bratwurst-$4
All Natural Pork Bratwurst served with Braised Sauerkraut and Dijon Mustard

Italian Sausage-$4
Confit Italian Sausage served with Fresh Tomato Slices, Shredded Mozzarella, and Basil Aioli

Vegan Dog-$4
Tofu Vegan Sausage served with Apple Cider Vinegar Slaw

Drinks-$1
Bottled Water and Assorted Sodas

Shooting for the Stars

I am planning on doing an ambitious menu for the event September 9th at Chatam Hill Winery in Morrisville.

I am going to shoot for doing a lobster-shrimp sausage with tarragon-chive aioli, a beef short-rib hot dog with spicy kimchi, a vegan dog with slaw, and a bratwurst with braised sauerkraut.

I have my commercial kitchen all squared away, so it's time to get to work!

Semi-Grand Opening Menu

Here was a our menu for the semi-grand opening on the Gastro Dog Cart last Saturday.

I apologize for the fact that you couldn't read the original post.

We had a blast out there slinging our hot dogs and sausages!

We proudly served up high-quality, grilled Nathan's Hot Dogs with Buns the we ordered from a bakery in New England for $2.50.

Topping included at no extra charge were ketchup, mustard, Siracha hot sauce, relish, and onions.

For an extra $0.50 each topping, we loaded on chef-made chili, chef-made slaw, and quality kraut.

We also rolled out a few different Gastro Dogs.

We sold our Bill's Buffalo Dog which was a grilled Nathans dog with our Buffalo Chicken Topping and Blue Cheese crumbles for $4.

We sold our chef-made kimchi and bacon on our Nathan's dogs for $4.

We sold a Carolina Dog, with slaw, chili, and onions for $3.50.

We also sold a Vegan dog with slaw for $4.

You could do a combo meal with includes two hot dogs with regular toppings, chips and a drink for $5.
Also you could add a chips and a drink to any Gastro Dog for a $1.50.

It was a blast, and we learned a lot about what to do and not what to do, so thanks to those that came out!

Update

I just wanted to throw out an update to everyone.

I plan on opening CJ's Street Food full time starting the week of Labor Day, as I am still working out my notice at my current chef gig.

Everything is lined up as far as having a location to operate. As of right now, I have a regular location for the Gastro Dog Cart on the 2600 block of Hillsborough Street in Raleigh at the corner of Gardner Street and Hillsborough, across from DH Hill Library. I plan on adding other locations in other areas in the near future, but for the moment until I am up and running full-blast, this is the location I will start at.

I plan on setting up at my location on Hillsborough Street this Saturday, August 18th. It won't be the true Gastro Dog experience yet, since I don't have my charcuterie production up to speed, but there will just be some unique toppings for some high quality hot dogs and sausages. I just want to get started at this point!

I do have our first event lined up for Sunday, September 9th at Chatam Hill Winery in Morrisville, which I am really excited about. My charcuterie, toppings, and condiments will be the cart for that event!

As far, as the food truck goes, I just approved the CAD drawings, so they will be submitted to the health department for approval, and then construction will begin!

Everything is taking shape. I hope to see some of you this Saturday!

Big Day!

Today, we got approved for our city of Raleigh pushcart vendor permit for the Gastro Dog cart. We are now able to operate at our permitted location in Raleigh! Once we open, we will be permitted to be across from the NCSU library on Hillsborough Street.

Also, the process is almost complete of getting the commercial kitchen with the sausage making equipment all squared away.

I am headed off to Durham County offices this week to get the Durham permits all wrapped up. My understanding is that if I get can get through Raleigh's permitting process, then Durham's should be no problem. I am hoping to get it all wrapped up by the weekend.

I am seeing a light at the end of the initial regulatory process, and I am really excited to be able to open!

Thanks for following our progress, and for the encouragement and support!