The Food Truck Pioneer

Big D’s Hot Dog truck has been a community

staple for 20 years. Dominick Angelone shares

stories from his room with a view.

Dominick Angelone has been feeding Dover and making friends for 20 years. (Photos/Jon Esquivel)

Dover’s open doors make everyone hungry. From the smell of Colombian coffee and fresh pastries mixing in the morning mist to hot tacos and empanadas in the afternoon or grilled fish and meat, the streets are full of delicious restaurants.

But some days you just need a “dirty-water” dog. For 20 years, that means pulling up to Big D’s Hot Dogs, a food truck outside the train station parking lot on 36 Morris Street.

Big D is Dominick Angelone. His dogs simmer in a broth of secret spices and pair well with toppings and sides made from fresh, homemade ingredients.

The 64-year-old Rockaway resident says his passion for food began as a kid growing up in West Orange, where he would visit nearby food trucks around Newark.

Angelone put his passion for food aside to work for 20 years in New York City’s diamond district. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that it was time to do something he loved: cook and become part of a community.

He says it wasn’t easy to get started, but he took the risk anyway. Food trucks may be everywhere today, but Big D’s was the first licensed food truck in Dover.

“It’s really hard to get a permit in the state of New Jersey; there’s only a number of towns you’re actually allowed to sit in. Today, you have food trucks that drive around to job sites and stuff, but to sit in, it’s not easy.

The town actually only allows two food trucks. I probably went to 10 different towns before I actually received a permit,” he adds.

“My first day here, I was nervous. I didn’t know what to expect,” Angelone says, adding that he chose the hot dog truck because the ingredients were simple and easy to find.

Twenty years later, Angelone is still comfortable in this kitchen-on-wheels. “I don’t feel claustrophobic in here,” he says. “In the summer, I open the back doors and let the sun come in. It’s very spacious in here.”

As lunchtime approached, Big D’s truck was surrounded by hungry diners. He sprang into action, grabbing fresh buns from Sorrento’s bakery and quickly picking up dogs with his tongs.

Big D’s Hot Dogs was now open.

“My best days are Mondays and Fridays. On Mondays, I make my own homemade meatballs, and on Fridays, I make delicious sausage-peppers-and-onion sandwiches,” he says.

He won’t say how many specials he sells, but a daily favorite is the “hot potato dog,” a popular offering that smothers a dog with potatoes, hot peppers, and a hint of “Dom’s secret sauce.”

The ‘potato dog’ is a popular offering at Big D's Food Truck. (Photos/Jon Esquivel)

Jasmine Rodriguez is a fan of his food truck. “I’ve been getting a hot dog here for years,” she says, while waiting patiently to be served.

“They have the best hot potato dog. I bring my sister here all the time, and it’s great.”

Big D’s Hot Dogs has been a food staple and source of comfort for many Dover residents. Angelone takes his business and his standing in the community seriously.

“I want to thank Mayor James P. Dodd, who really helped me land this location. I think they gave me this spot to act as ‘eyes’ here. Whenever I’m here, I look over commuters and their cars, watch mothers and their kids walk by, and all sorts of people. Nothing happens when I’m here.

Matthew Londono, left, and Arnaldo Espinoza enjoy their Big D’s favorites. (Photos/Jon Esquivel)

“I’ve met everybody by being here. I’ve made so many friends—a lot,” he says. “Everyone works in this town. My customers include lots of workers in the trades, including carpenters and plumbers. The people seem to enjoy me, and they always come back.”

Angelone, who has one adult daughter, knows he’s closer to selling his last hot dog than his first, and boils down his secret sauce for happiness to this: “Do what you love, but make sure you do it right. Use fresh ingredients and treat the customers right, that’s really all,” he says.

“Eventually, I know the time will come to call it quits, but I still have a few more years in me,” he says. “I want to pass this truck down to someone.”

Locals love his food, but Angelone maintains a disciplined diet and an eye on his inventory. “Maybe if I make a mistake here or there, I will eat one,” he says. “But my days of eating my own dogs are long gone.”