Today we’d like to introduce you to Chuck Denning.
Chuck, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
We moved from Illinois to Georgia in 2010 soon after I married my wife and our daughter was born. While I was searching for a job, I came across a vintage step van for sale in Tennessee. I had always liked older cars and trucks and I had only seen a few like this one before. The food truck craze had really just started getting hot and I thought this would be a real eye-catcher. I had also noticed that there wasn’t many trucks doing the food I love, Cheesesteaks. I soon had visions of making delicious sandwiches in a 1950’s food truck.
Having a lot of time available, I eventually wore the seller down to a low-ball offer I could afford. With the help from a super great neighbor, wife and mom I had it done and outfitted about six years later. It was a slow start, but when people started trying my food and the word got out, well, it’s been fantastic.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
We had my son arrive on the scene after we moved to Georgia. So along with my daughter and my wife working my hands were always full. Because the step van was so tall it would not fit in the garage. Everything on it was fixed or replaced outside in the very warm southern sun. Because we were on such s tight budget, everything needed for the step van was bought a little at a time. It was sometimes difficult to buy truck parts when there were so many other places the money needed to go.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Chuck’s Curbside story. Tell us more about the business.
Cheesesteaks are the sandwiches that we’re known for. The Atomic Cheesesteak is a spicy variant of the original and is the best seller. I’ve also included another classic called the Italian beef which has recently gained a following. My favorite is the Boss, it’s basically the everything sandwich with a special red sauce topped with banana peppers, it’s superb! A genuine shortage of vintage food trucks serving “northern” food, so it’s great to fill that niche’ like being part of the community and attending local events around town. My wife is a teacher and we support our school that she teaches at and the kids attend.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
It’s always something, but it’s the experience that you learn from. It’s just lucky I was brought in with a boatfull of tenacity. Lesser mortals could not have done so much with so little. Just kidding, it was and is an ongoing adventure that I love.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 706-509-1419
- Email: chuckscurbside@gmail.com
- Facebook: Chuck’s Curbside Cheesesteaks @58foodtruck
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