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Just when it looked like 2024 was going to be a record-breaking year for the Steakstop food truck, Joseph Elmhorst suffered two serious setbacks: breaking his leg in April and having his truck totaled in November. Coming back in full force with a brand-new truck, he will introduce some new menu items at the July 9 Farmers Market in Hollister.
“Both things were giant hiccups for me,” he said. “But we’re really excited to get back to business and re-engage our friends in the community.”
Elmhorst was cleaning his swimming pool when he slipped and fell in, causing his leg to twist and snap his fibula and tibia near his ankle. He underwent several surgeries and spent three months in recovery.
“I’ve got a big old rod in my leg now,” he said. “But my crew is the best. They handled my absence with complete fortitude, never even skipping a beat.”
Elmhorst, who has a lifetime of cooking experience behind him, including the 12 years he spent as an executive chef at Togwotee Mountain Lodge in Wyoming, found he needed to train his people from scratch on all aspects of the business.
“I was taken completely out of the equation,” he said, “so they all had to learn new skill sets, like how to travel and sell the truck. It was like they belonged there. It was quite impressive to watch, and I loved it.”
It also gave Elmhorst a new perspective on the business and provided time for reflection on its direction. He said that, as a small business owner, he had to learn how to create his product, then learn how to sell it to the public. And somewhere in the middle, there is the hiring and training of employees.
“One of the hardest things for an owner,” he said, “is getting out of the way to let your business have its own thing. I had to step back so my employees could take on more responsibility. And that was a hard thing for me.”
In November, Elmhorst was making the turn onto Hwy 156 from the Hwy 101 off-ramp when he was struck by a driver who failed to see the truck approaching and made a left turn.
“She rammed us on the passenger side,” he said. “They were trying to repair it for four months before they started discussing the possibility of totaling it. From there, it was a matter of getting a new one ordered, built, and back into production.”
Losing his truck, which he had purchased in 2023, meant returning to the original Steakstop trailer for the next six months. Elmhorst’s advocacy was a key factor in establishing the food truck scene in Hollister, and in 2021, that trailer became the city’s first to be licensed for operation in a fixed location within the city limits.
The smaller working area and storage capacity forced Elmhorst to restructure his business, which meant scaling back his operation for the next six months.
“That little trailer was built just to get us going,” he said. “It wasn’t really optimized to perform on the level expected by our community. So we had to cut a lot of things out of our model and trim back on a lot of the bigger scale events.”
His new truck debuted at the Saddle Horse Show and Rodeo last month. He picked it up a week before the event, and the permits and inspections were completed the day before Elmhorst drove it to Bolado Park.
“It was never tested or vetted,” he said. We plugged it in, turned it on, and went to town. But the community instantly knew who we were and loved seeing us back in the big truck. It was a huge success with a phenomenal outcome.”
Besides the rodeo, Steakstop has been a regular fixture at the San Benito County Fair, the Hollister Farmers Market, Food Truck Tuesdays, and the Hollister Concert series. Elmhorst also had a prime spot near the bandstand at the Hollister Independence Rally on July 4-5.
“I was packed both days,” he said.”We were kicking ass and taking names, for sure. The promoters did a fantastic job. Hollister really needs to find a way to open this thing up and make it a marquee four-day event.”
Besides his regular menu, such as the popular “The Boss,” with steak, provolone, house-made Cheez Whiz sauce, grilled mushrooms and onions, sweet peppers and bacon, and his fried button mushrooms served with garlic aioli sauce (one of the most addictive items he sells), Elmhorst had also planned to debut a new menu item for the rally, his take on the Mexican Pizza, called (tentatively) the Crunch Master.
“We just couldn’t do it,” he said. “We were so busy, we didn’t have the capacity. But it’s up and coming. We’re going to do a soft release at the market this Wednesday [July 9] and a hard release the following week.”
Steak Stop’s The Crunch Master
The Crunch Master starts with two 13 1/2-inch flour tortillas that have been baked to a crisp, enticing texture. Two versions will be available: Elmhorst’s signature confit pork and a tequila lime chicken.
The lime chicken prototype that I tried had three cheeses layered with the meat: mozzarella, sharp cheddar, and the house Cheese Whiz. It was topped with fresh veggies, including tomatoes, onions, and lettuce, and sprinkled with a house-made chimichurri. It is topped with garlic aioli and Elmhorst’s secret pink fry sauce, and served with slices of lemon.
Elmhorst was inspired by seeing all the Mexican food trucks that have been drawn to the area, and he wanted to do something within that scope, but just a little different.
“I was kind of thinking,” he said, “ that we’ve got all the ingredients to do it. It would be a lot of fun. Nobody else is doing it. It seemed like it could be kind of a cool idea.”
The Crunch Master could not be more appropriately named. The tortilla remains crisp and substantial even as next-day leftovers. The mix of sauces and veggies offers a wide range of textures and flavors that hold your interest as you compulsively munch away. It is going to be very popular.
Elmhorst started his food truck in response to the “writing on the wall” following the COVID-19 pandemic, when he saw the demand for food delivery services and options outside of conventional restaurants. Now he sees the food truck phenomenon beginning to peak, with the market getting oversaturated.
“In a year and a half,” he said, “you will see a lot of people dropping out because there’s just so much competition. If you’re coming into the game now, you’re going to have a huge challenge to create a market share, and it doesn’t matter what you’re selling.”
Although he suffered economically during the time he was without his truck, Elmhorst says that he is encouraged by the loyalty of his customers. And while he thinks he will fall short of last year’s sales, which realized a 30% increase over the previous year, he knows that his regulars will continue to support him.
“There are about 75 people who come to see us at the Farmers Market each week,” he said. “They’re not even trying other food trucks; they’re just coming straight to us. And as long as we can keep them, we will stay afloat.”
Steakstop will continue participating at the Wednesday Hollister Farmers Market, which runs through Oct. 16 and will also be participating in Food Truck Tuesdays when it resumes after the market closes. Notices of other upcoming appearances can be found on Facebook and Instagram.
Recommendations for future Eat, Drink, Savor articles can be emailed to roberteliason@benitolink.com.
BenitoLink thanks our underwriters, Hollister Super and Windmill Market, for helping to expand the Eat, Drink, Savor series and give our readers the stories that interest them. Hollister Super (two stores in Hollister) and Windmill Market (in San Juan Bautista) support reporting on the inspired and creative people behind the many delicious food and drink products made in San Benito County. All editorial decisions are made by BenitoLink.
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