Chicago-style beef and hot dogs offered at new Vail Valley food truck

A taste of Chicago has come to the Vail Valley. Chi Shack food truck serves Chicago-style hot dogs and other Windy City favorites. This is all courtesy of Mark Ramos who just opened the food truck in June.

“I’m a real Chicagoan now. I couldn’t get the food I wanted. So I decided to make it myself and bring it to the community,” Ramos said, while wearing a Chicago Cubs T-shirt.

“I don’t mind putting grease on it. I’m not going to wear my best White Sox,” joked Ramos, who hails from Chicago’s South Side but says he supports both Chicago baseball teams. “And Sunday is ‘bear down.’ We only wear Chicago Bears shirts on Sundays. And the Broncos are cool. It’s perfect. We support everybody.”

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Ramos has worked in the restaurant business his entire life. From Denny’s to Portillo’sa famous Chicago restaurant specializing in Chicago street food since 1963.

“I was running Portillo’s. For those of you who know, you know. It’s iconic to us. I’ve done everything in the restaurant industry, I’ve done everything I could do except be my own boss,” Ramos said. “Then I was at a crossroads and my wife looked at me and she said, ‘Yeah, do it. Let’s do the truck.’ And we did and it was my dream.”

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The menu is full of tasty, authentic Chicago-style hot dogs and classic dishes.

“We’re starting with the Chicago Dog on the menu, and the most important thing is you have to have flavor. It’s got to be, like, lime green, and then the pickle – a big, long crunchy pickle – tomato, onion, sport pepper, which is a Chicago pepper, and then a little bit of celery salt with it. a zigzag of mustard. No ketchup allowed, but we will keep the ketchup outside the truck for anyone who wants it. We won’t judge you if you want ketchup,” Ramos said.

There’s also the Italian sausage sandwich, cheese dogs and chili dogs, as well as the Ditka Polish, named after famed Chicago Bears football coach Mike Ditka.

“The Ditka Polish is ridiculously big here. And it’s simply delicious. We add grilled onions, sport peppers, a nice zigzag of mustard. It’s beautiful,” Ramos said.

“My favorite item on the menu is Italian beef. I love the way it’s dipped, the peppers make it, then the fresh mozzarella is grilled nice and hot, you can’t beat it,” said Mike Henderson, who is Ramos’ brother-in-law and business partner. “Mark is showing me the ropes and helping me get started in the restaurant business.”

“Family always comes first, that’s how we do it on the South Side,” Ramos said.

Ramos said the first weeks of operations have gone very well and the public response has been positive.

“It’s been incredible. There are more Chicagoans in this valley than I expected. And for those who aren’t from there, they love it too. I can’t thank everyone enough for the great reviews,” Ramos said. “And our hearts and souls are in this thing. When you come, you’ll know we put our love into this food because you’re going to love.

The Chi Shack food truck will be parked in its usual location along Highway 6 west of The Gashouse, across from the Edwards Fire Station. Visit TheChiShack.com for current times.

“I turned the propane back on after closing – we’re not turning away a guest. We’re here for you guys,” Ramos said.

The truck will also be at the Edwards Farmers Markets on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., then back to the main location from 1:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. They also appeared at the GoPro Mountain Games and will be featured at Arrowhead. Friday Afternoon Club events, Junior Rodeo in Gypsum and other upcoming events. Ramos said they are also available to host events.

“It’s been a blessing. I’ve worked in the restaurant industry my whole life and done this kind of thing for other owners and I thought, ‘Why can’t I do this?’ So, here we are, we’re really excited to serve this beautiful community,” Ramos said.