The Wiener Crew

The Wiener Crew consists of two passionate food driven guys that have a combined 25 years experience in the restaurant industry. The men behind the Evil Wiener love eating, drinking and above all else, having people eat what they make. Why wieners you ask, why not? Just about everybody has eaten one and prepares them to their liking. So, that challenges the Wiener Crew to come up with unique ways to eat them and between the two of them, they are bound to create some that will make you remember and crave the Evil Wiener

Jeff Cummins graduated from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, CA. He began his career at some very competitive, cut-throat, high-end restaurants from San Francisco to Los Angeles. His natural talent for cooking, combined with skills learned from the Academy, moved him up the kitchen ladder quickly. Jeff favored working in the upscale, fine dining arena, but had dreams of doing something a bit on the quirkier side in the food industry. In 2008 he relocated to the Austin, TX area with his sons and wife of 16 years and stepped away from the grind for a bit. It’s time to pursue that dream of doing things on his terms: A kitchen on wheels! His quest is simple, it is to bring you joy through your stomach!

Roger Zapata, a native Texan and a 20-year veteran from the Marine Corp., has always had a love for cooking. Not only was he a warrior for our country (it was during this time in his life he realized working with food would be in his future), he is also the warrior in the backyard manning the BBQ preparing some kick-ass brisket and fajitas! Roger graduated from the San Diego Culinary Academy and began preparing for his career in the food industry. After working as a line cook, rolling sushi and later chef at a Mexican restaurant, he realized he was not going to fulfill his passion for food in this manner.

As fate would have it, Roger and Jeff met at a local Austin restaurant where they worked together and shortly thereafter developed a friendship realizing they had a lot in common. Knowing the challenges and long hours required of owning your own business, they put a plan into action. They could now do things on their own terms, establishing that family and food, in that order, were their passions and priorities.

While drinking beers one night (they love good beer), the topic of food was brought up (as always), and they joked about opening a food truck and the different foods they could feature on the menu. Not realizing, in their altered state of mind, they created the Evil Wiener!

Ideas of gastronomic proportions continue to flow out of the Wiener Crew. Yes, it’s just a hot dog, but their thinking is, “Why not glorify the common wiener?”