Collector's journey into the food industry began well before the pandemic hit. "I've been cooking for sixteen years," he notes. After being laid off at the start of the COVID-19 crisis, Collector, like many others in the industry, saw an opportunity to take matters into his own hands. "I was like, well, I can either go work for somebody else and eventually get fired again because there were just laying people off left and right in the restaurant industry during that time. Or, I can get a small loan and invest in my own thing," he recalls.
Stick Around was a concept Collector had been thinking about even before the pandemic hit. "I had this idea to do a skewer truck and highlight regions of the world. I change the menu four times a year because I can't decide what culture has the best meat on a stick," he says.
The decision to focus on skewers was both strategic and personal for Collector, offering an opportunity to showcase diverse cuisines while addressing a gap in the food truck market for healthier fare. "I didn't find a lot of healthy options on trucks. ... It's a lot of fried food, a lot of hamburgers, you know those kinds of things. And while that's good, I like to eat more clean," he explains.
While there are some Middle Eastern kebab trucks in the area, Collector saw an untapped opportunity. "Nobody is doing different regions. I just thought there was a cool niche, and it allowed me to cook any kind of cuisine I wanted because every culture on the planet has something that they shove on a stick and grill," he says. "That was my draw to this idea. ... It's the world's oldest form of barbecue. It's just shoving something on a stick and grilling it on a fire."
The truck's rotating menu reflects Collector's culinary passions, with each three-month menu cycle highlighting a different region of the world. Recently, Latin food was the star but now, the truck is focused on Asian flavors. This approach allows him to showcase his range and also cater to the diverse tastes of his customers.
With a consistent three-month menu rotation, Collector is thrilled about the shift to his Asian-inspired offerings. Among the options is his personal favorite, the black pepper skewer. He describes it as "a traditional Chinese-style black pepper pork. I marinate the pork in oyster sauce, garlic and lots of black pepper." The result is a flavorful, aromatic skewer grilled with a slight char, exemplifying his commitment to crafting authentic and diverse flavors.
Additional offerings on the current Asian menu include teriyaki chicken, Mongolian beef and sesame vegetable skewers, alongside sides such as miso sweet potatoes, drunken noodles and Szechuan green beans. Collector also crafts homemade sauces to accompany each regional menu. For the current lineup, he's featuring teriyaki sauce, yum yum sauce, Szechuan sauce and a sesame honey sauce.
Roasted sweet potatoes tossed with a misoyaki sauce and finished with sesame seed and green onion.
Stick Around
While the core menu rotates, one staple item is the wings. "Don't skip the wings, it's nature's skewer," Collector notes. "They're twice grilled. We do an initial grill to cook them through and render some of the fat. Then we throw them back on the grill to get them crispy and after that, they get sauced or dry rubbed. They're pretty delicious."
As Stick Around celebrates its fourth year in business, Collector has some plans in mind. "We're going to keep going on the truck for a while, but ultimately we want a restaurant," he says. "We've got to find the right people, the right investors, you know. But that's my goal, even if it's something with a drive-through."
"Expect fresh food. And have patience. That's the big one," he concludes. "Be patient, because we're not a fast food truck. We grill everything fresh to order. You come up to the window and it's made just for you."
For more information abut Stick Around, including its schedule, visit stickaroundskewers.com.
