Found Treasure: Caballus Food Truck

June 16, 2023 – Confession: The Marina dump is my happy place. And it just got happier, because it just got tastier.

If that sounds surprising, I get it. Let me explain.

I already loved the dump—formal name Monterey Regional Waste Management District—rebranded ReGen Monterey for a bunch of reasons. 

1. Nostalgia. I grew up around a gardening mom and DIY dad who’s also a contractor, and we enjoy going to collect wood chips or unload junk or recycle scraps. We’d parlay that with a meal at now-defunct Tommy’s Restaurant in Marina, the greasy, heart-felt, devoutly old-school mom-and-pop where you could read the provided newspapers at the low counter and bask in the beauty of a “Working Man’s Breakfast” with two eggs, hash browns and toast for…$.99 (and eventually, after egg prices rose, $1.49).

2. Wonder. There’s something humbling and inspiring about seeing all the detritus—of a diverse, hardworking multi-municipality community of 170,000 people across 853 square miles—weighed, unloaded, sorted, scooped, piled, processed, bundled, repurposed, scrapped, treated and otherwise processed.  

3. Respect. ReGen has earned a dumptruck full of awards over the years, including being recognized with a Zero Waste Achievement Award by the California Resource Recovery Association and, further back, as the Best Solid Waste System in North America.

4. Treasure. Not all Found Treasures can be consumed. A promising place to find many treasures is Last Chance Mercantile, the upcycle epicenter of my world. Bring on the vintage (vintage vintage) vinyl, patio furniture, obscure art, used bikes, crystal glasses and funky sculptures, all set in an airy warehouse and adjoining outdoor lot. If you’re not scoring gold here, you’re not trying.

5. Tools. Processing food scraps and organic waste is a team sport. Here certified organic compost, wood chips made from recycled lumber, top soil and potting soil come by the ton at the MRWMD scales, but thankfully in self serve bags at Last Chance. There are also backyard bins like The Soil Saver and The Wriggley Ranch. Then there are food scrap collection containers, compost thermometers, composting books and “how to” guides. Free compost workshops throughout the year as well.

6. Sweet people. From the smiling clerk at Last Chance offering a chance to spin the Thursday Rainy Day Wheel for discounts, or lifers who work the scales and remember your face, the team sport applies here too. 

And now there’s yet another reason, and it might be the best yet. 

Pops and I were fresh off unloading an obsolete mattress and boxspring—fun fact: it’s free, by law, to drop here—so I was brainstorming spots for lunch.

Then the bright red Caballus Catering Food Truck came into view, parked centrally between the scales and Last Chance.

I saw all I needed mid-menu: bacon hot dog. 

I like hot dogs enough that at one point last year Edible editor Deborah Luhrman essentially forbade me from writing about them anymore. (One was a tribute to the Warriors eliminating this year’s NBA champs, the other word of an enterprising family spot in Salinas).

That helps round out a working person’s menu Tommy’s would be proud of: tacos, burritos, tortas, quesadillas, hamburgers, trip-tip sandwiches, asada fries. Prices are fair. Decent sized tacos for $3, most dishes $8-$10, trip-tip the most att $14 with fries.

The hot dog was spot on, solid A, which would be an A+ with dispensers for mustard, relish and onions (don’t even think about it ketchup). 

A potato bun, crisp bacon and a Nathan’s brat contribute. At $7 with fries, a great bargain too. 

I returned for a rarity in my playbook (tri-tip tacos), and a go-to (al pastor torta). The tacos were tops; the al pastor reminded me only to order only it when it’s coming from the top, aka the trompo (“top” in Spanish, slang for the huge spit of pineapple dripped pork that spins and is shaped like…well, you get it.)

While I waited for the dogs, two on-site staffers appeared, one in a hard hat, another in office slacks, and debated the merits of their two faves on a hungry day: the loaded quesadilla and sturdy cheeseburger.

Meanwhile it was easy to observe the even-easier flow of the husband and wife in the kitchen, Martin and Lourdes Enriquez. They work together behind the screen like they’ve been doing it for years. (Spoiler: They have.)

Martin asked me about my hat, I told him a little about Aquarius Dive Shop’s scuba club. Then I mentioned it’s great that he extends food service to the legion staffers there and gets built-in traffic from the steady stream of dump users.

“Oh,” he replied, “and people drive here just for the food too.” 

More at Caballus Catering Food Truck’s Facebook and regenmonterey.org, including a virtual tour experience and specific info on Last Chance Mercantile.