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After tragedy, Kenai chef gives food truck a second life

Courtesy of Diluvium Culinaire

When Keith Huss died in September, he left behind both good friends and good food in his food truck business. One of those friends, Brant Feather, of Soldotna, wants to keep Huss’s food truck aspirations alive.

“To be able to have that trailer as something that I had helped out with, to know that it’s going to me and that I’m going to be able to provide the public with a service just the same as he was, was what inspired me to go ahead and buy his trailer from his family," Feather said. "I can continue on what he was doing. Maybe not in the same style of food but in the same manner that he was.”

Huss, an accomplished fisherman who grew up on the Kenai Peninsula, was killed in September. Sarah Dayan, of Homer, was charged for his murder.

Huss had only recently moved back to Alaska from Las Vegas when he died. Feather helped him get his food truck, Uncle Buck’s Rollin’ Alaska Smokehouse, set up in April — first in Homer, then in Anchorage.

When Huss died, Feather decided to buy the truck and expand his own business. Feather served breakfast food and sandwiches for years as Diluvium Culinaire catering. Two months ago, he bought his first food truck, stationed next to Shorty’s Coffee off the Kenai Spur.

He’s calling his second truck D.C. Big Boi’s, and it’s opening Friday. The menu and hours will be different from his Diluvium truck. He decided to base it in Nikiski.

“So, ultimately, it came down to somewhere we found where we could hook up to power so we’re not running off of a generator all winter long," he said. "And we found Kassik’s Brewery.”

They’ll use Kassik’s beer in some recipes and will deliver to Nikiski and Kenai. Feather thinks delivery will be popular in the area, since there are few eateries in Nikiski.

Huss was known for his king crab sandwiches and incorporated beer from Kenai River Brewing into his recipes. Though Feather will be selling hamburgers, hot dogs and wings — not seafood — he says they’ll keep the current blue-green naval design on the truck.

“We changed the name, we changed the menu, but we don’t want to change the look of the truck," he said. "That was the way that Keith wanted the truck to look and so we’re going to keep that until we can’t anymore.”

D.C.’s Big Boi’s will have a soft opening Friday, New Year’s Day, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Feather says they won’t have a full menu then but hopes to fully open soon.

Sabine Poux is a producer and reporter for the Brave Little State podcast of Vermont Public. She was formerly news director and evening news host at KDLL in Kenai.

Originally from New York, Sabine has lived and reported in Argentina and Vermont and Kenai.
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