When you think of amazing food from a food truck, chances are that pizza and sushi aren't what come to mind. But that's exactly what comes to mind for chef and entrepreneur, Dave Starkey. After spending years as a Sushi chef in Lake Tahoe he found himself out of work.
"I wasn't sure what to do," he said. "But it was time for me to start my own business. So I did, sushi is something people knew me for and pizza was something that I wanted to bring here. I mean there is some good pizza but nothing like what we have back east. The right kind of crust and cooked to perfection. I just figured this would be two things people like."
So he designed his food truck called Starkey's Pizza and Sushi just for both. His is the red one with the wood-burning brick oven on the back. And it's been a hit.Â
"There are a lot of great things about this," he says. "I am my own boss. I cook to order so the ingredients are always fresh. And I can park this baby anywhere. I can look at Tahoe, or South Lake or here in Reno. I love the freedom."
The oven cooks at 700 degrees but it gives him just what's needed for a perfect pizza in under two minutes.
"I have been dying to try this because I've heard so much about it," said Amber Roberson who was in line at noontime today. "And I'd say it definitely lives up to the hype. It's great."Â
He warns others that there is a lot more to running a food truck than being a chef, though.Â
"I have to split wood, fix electrical things and mechanical problems when they happen. You really have to be versatile to run a food truck. And you have to be more of a chef than a businessman."
