From serving freshly cooked food at banquets, special events, festivals and other community events, the two-man crew inside the ShockWave Food Truck is, well, riding a wave of success.
“From the moment we got up and running it’s been hard to keep up with demand,” said Dave Tindel, who is half-owner with his partner, Steve Geyer. “It’s kind of overwhelming, but we love it. I mean, people seem to like our food; they keep lining up; and it keeps paying the bills, so we’re just going for it.”
On Oct. 12, the duo, with the help of a third prep person, rolled their bulging food truck, with a brilliant photo of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk emblazoned across its side, into the Harvest Festival at Rio Del Mar, a fundraiser for the school. They anchored in a row of other such food trucks, kicked on the grill and deep fryer and unfolded the menu boards.
Geyer said they serve what they refer to as American fusion food, from burgers and tacos to Philly cheese steak sandwiches. Once they set the parking brake, the truck can be quickly switched into a mini restaurant, with flip up menu boards, a convenient service window and a counter with a full blown kitchen all under one roof.
“We try to cater to everyone,” Geyer said. “We want to make the masses happy. If we have to switch things up a bit, fine.”
Geyer said he has been in the restaurant business for the past 35 years.
“I even worked at my dad’s place, the Glass House Pizza, where I made $1.75 an hour as a kid,” he said. “But this is where I began to learn some of the basics of cooking and kitchen prep. I’ve always maintained the idea that ‘what’s more important in life than food and housing?’”
Tindel said he’s dotted around various jobs in Santa Cruz County including a stint at The Bagelry and at Capitola Produce.
But a huge tragedy fell into Tindel’s lap when his wife, Season, and their daughter, Kaila, 17, were killed in a car crash on Highway 129 outside of Watsonville on Nov. 29, 2014. The crash also mangled their son, Jake, who was 14 at the time, and left him with 27 broken bones. Tindel said Jake died twice in the hospital, among other complications. Jake was in intensive care for about two months and in an induced coma for weeks.
Tindel said that his world collapsed and he was forced to reinvent himself from the ground up, on top of taking care of Jake, who eventually ended up in a wheelchair.
The crisis ended up caving in Tindel’s job at Capitola Produce, which left him without his wife and his daughter, a severely injured son and no job with expenses piling high.
After brushing sleeves with a host of food truck mentors, Tindel said he discovered a new direction that he has thrown himself into, full blast.
“One thing I love about doing this is you make so many friends and you make them happy with good food,” Tindel said. “Every time I see their smiles at the end of their meal, it makes it worth it. Sometimes you just barely make it when you count out the money, but that’s not what we’re here for.”
Regarding the hard level of work and the high pace, Geyer said, “It’s the best stress you’ll ever see.”
Tindel said the phone is constantly ringing, people asking for his service.
Meanwhile, Tindel said Jake is fully back on his feet, back on his skateboard and back in the surf; a 100 percent recovery.
“We’re learning as we go through this,” he said. “We try to surround ourselves with good people; we know what we have to do.”
Tindel said he is seeking workers to help out in food prep and taking orders. He can be reached at 212-6151.
