WICHITA — You knew it was just a matter of time.
The ubiquitous Melad Stephan has done just about everything else related to food – bars, restaurants, catering – so naturally now he’s going to have a food truck, too.
“I’m pretty much about 90 percent done with the deal,” he says.
He hopes to debut his Schwarma Truck in November. Stephan plans to sell dishes popular in his native Lebanon, including chicken and beef schwarma, gyros, falafel, hummus and fattoush, among other things.
Like the other popular food trucks spinning about town, Stephan will rotate his among businesses and events.
“We’ll definitely want to do one day in Old Town and compete with myself, right?” he says, joking about his Old Town businesses – Sabor Latin Bar & Grille, Luca Italian Kitchen, Oeno Wine Bar, Caffe Moderne, the coming Revolution Rock Bar and his Empire Catering at Eaton Place.
“I got too much going on, don’t I?” Stephan says. “Honestly, it’s just one of my kid’s idea.”
His son Jordan, 21, will operate the truck.
“He’s been bugging me about it for a couple of months,” Stephan says. “I’m just going to let him live the American dream.”
The food business is not Stephan’s dream for his children.
“I didn’t think I wanted any of my kids to do what I do,” he says.
It’s happening anyway, at least with one of them.
“I don’t know, must be in the blood or something,” he says.
