By Kevin Fuller | WickedLocal.com
Wicked Local staff photo by Kate Flock.
Julie and Walid Kefi, owners of Kefi’s Kitchen foodtruck, Nov. 29, 2012.
WALTHAM - On the side of a patched-up rackety street lodged into the urban sprawl that is the unofficial Waltham business park on Bear Hill Road, the smell of home cooking attracts the city’s workforce to the street.
Julie and Walid Kefi are cooking lunches for hundreds that will inevitably step out of their offices to refuel for the afternoon.
“It’s been getting busier and busier,” said Walid Kefi. “It’s been really good.”
While watching a show on the Food Network about food trucks – the increasingly popular restaurants-on-wheels that park near populated areas at mealtime – the Woburn resident realized his life dream.
“I said, hey I can do this,” he said.
He followed through with his dreams. Walid and his wife now own and operate Kefi’s Kitchen, a full-time food truck in Waltham that services businesses in the city.
A food truck isn’t everyone’s main course, but Kefi and his wife have the creative pallet to take the mobile meal machine to the next level.
Wicked Local staff photo by Kate Flock
A falafel made by Kefi’s Kitchen foodtruck, Nov. 29, 2012.
After graduating from Bunker Hill Community College with a culinary degree several years back, Walid Kefi started working in numerous restaurants as a chef.
“I was everywhere,” he said. “I spent a lot of time doing odd jobs.”
He spent a short stint in New York City working at different restaurants in what some consider the culinary capital of the world, while never losing sight of what he really wanted to do.
“It was my dream since I came here,” said Walid Kefi.
A dream alone doesn’t start a business. Kefi spent roughly $50,000 to get the truck up and running.
“It had a few problems,” said Walid Kefi. “I found this on Craigslist.”
Wicked Local staff photo by Kate Flock.
Ellen Korsh, of Newton, orders from Kefi’s Kitchen foodtruck, parked on Bear Hill Rd. in Waltham, Nov. 29, 2012.
Kefi bought the truck in December 2011. It had a fridge and grill. Walid has spent hours customizing the truck to fit his cooking abilities and culinary vision.
“It’s tough to start your own business,” he said.
The Kefis had to get a permit and went through city hall to obtain the requirements.
“They were very accommodating,” said Julie Kefi. “They worked with us knowing we didn’t know the system.
“They have their standards and they have their procedures and if you follow them, it’s quite easy,” Julie added.
Getting started was quite the process but Walid had the vision to keep it strong. Walid is from Tunisia and puts a twist of his heritage into the menu.
“I am trying to squeeze Tunisia in there,” he said. “I even have a middle eastern theme.”
The diversity is what makes the truck so successful, the Kefis said.
“Our food is a little different so we attract a lot of people,” said Julie Kefi, who is from Massachusetts.
The fact the truck is parked at several different locations lends to Walid’s creative nature.
“We can try out different recipes at different locations,” said Julie Kefi.
Kefi’s Kitchen is parked in front of 335 Bear Hill Road on Wednesdays and Fridays, 1430 Main St. on Tuesdays, and 43 Foundry Ave. on Mondays and Thursdays. The truck is also parked at the Waltham Farmers Market when it’s open on Saturdays.
Wicked Local staff photo by Kate Flock
Abdrahaman Marrouse (l) and Walid Kefi prepare an order at Kefi’s Kitchen foodtruck, parked on Bear Hill Rd. in Waltham, Nov. 29, 2012.
“We are daytime right now but would like to make some night hours,” said Julie.
Walid starts his day at 7 a.m. His truck is limited in size so he has to buy fresh produce and ingredients on a daily basis.
“We are constantly getting new food on the truck,” said Julie.
Keeping up with a business that demands fresh ingredients can be taxing – especially with two young children at home. The Kefis have 6-year-old Zack and 2-year-old Ramsey at home, but that doesn’t slow them down.
“The best thing about a food truck is you make your own hours,” said Julie.
They also receive help from a couple of chefs Walid hired to cook out of the truck.
“It’s a lot of fun,” said 50-year-old Abderrahman Marrous, while cooking in the tiny kitchen. “I’m a small guy so it’s OK.”
Marrous has worked in the food industry for more than 27 years as a server and chef and says this is the best experience he’s had.
“They are so nice,” he said with a smile. “It’s a lot different than the restaurant business – of course, we are coming to them. With a smile, everybody of course has to be nice to you.”
Walid also caters and works as a personal chef to help his business out. “He has a lot of outside the box ideas,” said Julie Kefi.
The creativity of the culinary world is something that has inspired Walid for years, he says. Throw that all in a truck and it’s the open road that inspires the Kefis to do what they do.
“We can go on the move,” Julie said. “It’s great.”
