Against the Grain: How Peter Stewart Plans to Drive The Roaming Dive Even Further

Whether it be our isolation from the rest of the world and hunger to jut above the pack, or the humble quality of calling things how we see them, New Zealand is full of sparkling individuals taking the reins and living on their own terms. With that in mind, and in partnership with Budweiser and Monster Valley, we're delving into the lives of local leaders of independent thought, who make up the rules as they go and use their creativity to produce world class original ideas.

Peter Stewart has been part of the Auckland food truck community for three years now as The Roaming Dive. Predominantly running the enterprise by himself, he serves up a selection of mouth-watering American-influenced street eats. Think: sliders, buffalo wings, chilli dogs, po' boys and fries. Sticking to his theory of continuously finding ways to evolve his business, Peter's latest venture has seen him move into the catering business with mobile food box, The Cater Station.

For Peter to get to this point undoubtedly takes nerves of steel, patience and pure determination. We caught up with him to understand what drives the catering maestro. Warning, do not watch the video on an empty stomach.

GOING FOR IT

Growing up in Auckland, Pete counts both of his parents as big influences. Each had different companies and took the leap running their own small businesses. His father is an avid inventor "who will avoid logic to build something himself rather than shop," while his mother has been at the helm of several successful businesses, including leather garment manufacturing and other sorts of retailing.

When it comes to his own endeavours, namely The Roaming Dive, his mother has been a huge asset in the motivation department, offering a 'going for it' attitude and nuggets of wisdom like "if you stick to it, you'll work it out" and "business can be a fun game".

That positive energy led Pete to strive for the goal of being something in the community that carries value.

"I am currently using her approach to marketing next month, 'go big'." It's important for me to create something not just functionally successful but also creative and well managed as a give back to the folks for their support."

STRAIGHT OUTTA AMERICA

While studying International Business at AUT, Pete was given the opportunity to head over to San Diego for a semester. While there he got ingrained in the American culture and food scene and became particularly fond of the dive bars and the hole-in-the-wall establishments run by generations of family. "They're just cooking whatever they want to cook and have got their key clients that come back and back and back. I just loved that so much."

The pairing of humble food and the close vendor-client relationship was something of a light bulb moment for Pete, figuring he could introduce something similar back in New Zealand. It was just the beginning of the blossoming food truck scene in Auckland, and the streets of the US were a treasure trove of inspiration.

"Where I studied there was Trujillos, a taco bar that was the midnight spot. They use to serve this item called the Sigma Pi Burrito which had carne asada, guacamole, sour cream, french fries and salsa all wrapped up in a burrito and grilled — it was memorable."

"All my influence comes straight out of the states. It doesn't have to be the food or the particular cuisines. A lot of my menus are based around Asian cuisines but it's how to bring that into an American environment. It's always going to come back to America. I need to figure out how to set up base over there really."

BLIND JUDGEMENT

Upon his return. Pete didn't necessarily have much of a game plan, though had the idea of acquiring a truck in the back of his mind. The big idea behind setting up a truck was to start a small business and simply see where it would take him.

Scrolling through Trade Me he stumbled across a former tower service van-turned-camper that because of its American look was perfect. He ended up buying it on a whim with plans of setting up what would eventually be The Roaming Dive. With his American ambition, it was Kiwi ingenuity that proved its worth while fitting out the truck. After enlisting plumbers, electricians, panel beaters and friends for the more technical duties, it was a matter of fitting everything in the tight space.

From there came the menu, something he wanted to be honest and delicious. "I haven't had much experience as a cook. It was almost blind judgement thinking you could jump in and start up a food truck. But most people in food trucks don't actually come from chefing. It was more about creating a menu that I'd like to eat and figure out how to cook it from there, in bulk orders and at speed."

THE CATER STATION

After a "disastrous" start that unexpectedly clashed with the Auckland Santa Parade, The Roaming Dive has become a staple part of the mobile food vendor landscape in Auckland — the truck's moreish sliders are a favourite at night markets and food vendor gathering spots.

In line with the 'going for it' attitude, Pete is "always trying to formulate new methods and new kinds of products to offer." His latest undertaking has seen The Roaming Dive expand into the catering business. With the appearance of the truck not feasible at every single event, Peter came up with the idea of creating a self-serve station of slider meats, buns, salads and sauces, complete with cutlery, plates and serviettes. The idea sat around for a while before he set about crafting a makeshift version from plywood and carting it up two flights of (now sauce-covered) stairs into an advertising agency.

"It all worked out perfectly for a slider based menu. Everything that you need to host an event is in the box and what's offered in the box is exactly what's offered in the truck."

The future will see the Roaming Dive move further into boxes as The Cater Station. "That's where you'll see the full range of different options that we'll be providing, we'll be moving away from food trucking somewhat. My big goal is to be Caterer of the Year. I just want to create an offering for people to have something better than Pizza Hut but not need the full service of canapés or spit roast. It's a good space for me to get some really nice food and a special way of presenting it. My intentions for the next year are to grow the catering business and really get that humming."

He also plans to venture out of New Zealand with The Cater Station, coming full circle and working through a market entry plan in the states over the New Year.