Underdogs Gastro Truck is one of the newer food trucks in America’s Finest City, but they are making a big splash in the mobile food world. Serving up some of the best artisan sausage recipes in town, made with many local ingredients and lots of local love. Step right up and learn more about San Diego’s first sausage serving food truck.

 
 
Underdogs Gastro Truck is the creation of veteran chefs born and raised in San Diego, Steve Kennard and Steve Lee as well as business woman Rebecca Lee. Steve L. and Steve K. met 8 years ago fresh out of culinary arts school, where they both had been working the kitchen at a local hotel. They eventually worked their way up the ladder in the kitchen, Steve L. becoming Assistant Banquet Chef and Steve K. becoming Restaurant Chef. One day they realized they wanted something they could call their own. Something they could pour their passion for cooking into that wouldn’t be for anyone else but them. “We wanted something a little smaller, and we wanted something of our own. We were done working for next to nothing for the man. Instead we decided it’d be awesome to work for less than nothing, for ourselves,” says Steve Kennard. They then realized it was time to move on to something new. Steve Lee’s wife, Rebecca, had experience in business and helped them focus and create the new idea. After a year of planning and pooling resources, they purchased a truck and Underdogs was born, becoming the first food truck in America’s Finest City to serve solely artisan sausage recipes.

Seeing that no other food truck in San Diego was offering only artisan sausage dishes, they decided this would be their concept. Underdogs Gastro Truck serves sausage recipes, each with a custom and delicious twist. “…they (sausages) are so versatile, we could literally adapt them to be anything we want. It doesn’t have to be bratwurst with peppers and onions, we could put a pork apple sausage in bread pudding for something sweet,” says Steve Kennard. Their ever-evolving menu always has something new to offer hungry locals in need of a sausage fix. Some of the items you can expect to see include the Mac Daddy, a smoked beer brat on a roll topped with bacon and delicious mac n cheese. The Hong Kong Phooey which is a smoked onion sausage topped with grilled peppers and onions, fresh pineapple and a custom Dr. Pepper teriyaki sauce. You can also find one of their most popular menu items which consists of a chicken apple sausage, french toast brioche, apple kraut and topped with syrup. This is called the Johnny Appleseed. Other menu items include the Dogfather, a spicy Italian sausage with marinara and fresh mozzarella, and their late night snack the Cherry Bob-ombs- a pork sherry sausage, drunken cherry coulis, cherry rum glaze all held together in a custom Captain Crunch batter.

When it comes to San Diego food trucks, Underdogs Gastro Truck is a must try. Please enjoy our interview with co-owner and co-chef, Steve Kennard.
 

 
When did you first realize you had a passion for cooking?

SK- I had a passion very early on. My earliest memories are those in the kitchen cooking with my dad. Later, it became mom & dad are working, but I’m hungry. I just started cooking family meals. In high school I was working in a kitchen at the local golf club and learned a lot from my first chef, things I still hold on to. When I decided law was not the field I wanted to be in, I dropped out of college and enrolled in Culinary Arts. Cooking had always been part of my life, and it came easier to me than anything else, so I thought, why not?

SL- I realized my passion for cooking early on and again when I was going to college the first time. Worked in a restaurant while getting a degree in Architecture, after doing all sorts of jobs, my wife asked what I loved. I said I didn’t call in sick when I worked in a kitchen. So off to Culinary School and the rest is a big blur of fun and flames.

What was your motivation in starting a food truck in San Diego?

We were both born and raised here in San Diego and had grown tired of the hotel scene. It began to feel more like a factory than a kitchen. We wanted something a little smaller, and we wanted something of our own. We were done working for next to nothing for the man. Instead we decided it’d be awesome to work for less than nothing, for ourselves. When we started planning for the business there still were only a handful of trucks in SD, so we thought it’d be a relatively easy market to crack. We’d seen how the industry exploded in other areas, and wanted to get in on it. As we planned and schemed, we watched new trucks open up every week here. So, we may be a little behind on getting in on the ground floor, but fortunately when we opened up we were the only gourmet sausage truck here in SD.

How did you decide to have artisan sausages be your main focus with Underdogs Gastro Truck?

It took a while to come up with the concept. We were explicitly searching for a food that wouldn’t have any direct competition, as far as trucks were concerned. Also, we hated the idea of boxing ourselves in to a particular food, offering up little variety. Then sausage came to us. There wasn’t another truck here solely doing sausages, and they are so versatile, we could literally adapt them to be anything we want. It doesn’t have to be bratwurst with peppers and onions, we could put a pork apple sausage in bread pudding for something sweet. T&H Prime Meats and Sausage in San Marcos does an excellent job creating new and exciting sausages. Allowing us to do a brat with sauerkraut, a lamb sausage in pita with hummus and tzatziki, or a chorizo torta.

Some of your dishes incorporate items people may be surprised to see. How do you come up with new food ideas? When did you first perfect a sausage dish and what was it?

It usually starts as us just messing around on the truck in the morning. One day I was particularly hungry, I made some French toast, and cooked up a pork apple sausage, while SL made some applesauce and mixed it with sauerkraut, we put it together and liked it. Turns out its one of our most popular items when it’s on the menu. Other times it’s just food we love. Mac & cheese, Dr. Pepper (we make a teriyaki out of it, because we can). The Hong Kong Phooey (with the Dr. Pepper) was probably the first we perfected. It really hasn’t changed since we made it in SL’s kitchen back in June, a month before we’d even bought our truck.

What would you say sets Underdogs Gastro Truck apart from other food trucks in the game?

Aside from what we think are the absolute best sausages in San Diego, it would probably be the fact that we are two of the very few truckers here who not only have been chefs at a brick and mortar, but we’re each also classically trained. Having that background gives us so much more to draw on, which is also why we’re able to change our menu every week. How many ways can you prepare a sausage? We don’t know, but we’re trying to find out.

If you could choose one or two San Diego beers or breweries that compliment your food dishes, what would they be?

Well, immediately I’ve got to give it up to Ballast Point. We use their Yellowtail Pale Ale to simmer our sausages. It’s got incredible flavor for how light bodied it is and we can let it reduce without worrying about the hops making everything too bitter. We also use a lot of Julian Hard Apple Cider. It doesn’t impart the beer flavor in sausage or dishes that are a little more delicate.

What are some of the Underdog teams’ favorite beers and breweries?

Well, I’m a huge craft beer fan and geek out on all the great brews we have here. Being from North County, I think I am predisposed to having an affinity to Stone. But I also love Green Flash, Ballast Point, Lost Abbey, Alesmith, Ironfist…I could go on and on.

What can we expect next from Underdogs Gastro Truck?

We just did Bike The Bay last Sunday morning and it went really well. We’re now looking at changing our routine and trying to get in on the breakfast scene. If only we knew where hungry people were in the morning… We’re also working out a deal now to do late night snacks in PB, just as the bars are closing up.

Please finish this sentence… We love sausages because…

We just like to put our sausage in people.