As the South of the James Market moves to drive-thru service in response to the coronavirus pandemic, follow Brekkie on Instagram for updates on its food truck operations.
Photo by Jay Paul
Visit the South of the James Market on a Saturday morning, and you’ll most likely spot a white food truck stamped with a sun logo reading “Brekkie.” Aboard, 48-year-old Steven Schwartz dishes out sweet and savory Belgian waffles, including a South African sausage interpretation drizzled with Sriracha aioli, a nod to his native country. The father of four put in years of waffle R&D in his home kitchen to perfect the recipe for these fluffy creations, which are gluten-free and vegan, and now customers can find Brekkie waffle mix on store shelves around town.
Richmond magazine: How did the idea for Brekkie originate?
Steven Schwartz: I have always been fairly health-conscious and naturally fit, but about 10 years ago, I realized I was getting older, and I started reading more about health and nutrition and watching YouTube and understanding more. I made waffles every Sunday and began to make them gluten-free and tried different combinations and flours. Some of the kids liked them a lot, and it just sort of evolved from there.
RM: Any specific reason you chose waffles?
Schwartz: I’m not a big pancake fan — they are kind of boring — and we had a good waffle iron. [Laughs] It became more of a challenge to get them gluten-free and good.
RM: When did you first make your waffles for the community?
Schwartz: It really wasn't anything that I considered until moving to Richmond and seeing the pop-up scene. When [the Union Hill shop] Roaring Pines was open, I would go there all the time, and Drew [the owner] and I became friends. Nate’s Bagels would do pop-ups there a lot, and I made a comment to Drew that I had gluten-free waffles people would like, sort of joking, but he said, “We’ll do it.” Quite a few people came to the first one. I thought, “I’ll do buttermilk and fresh blueberries,” and they ended up caramelizing and stuck to the one machine I had, and there was a line of 10 people — it was awful. [Laughs]
RM: What made you decide to take Brekkie to the next step?
Schwartz: I realized [about pop-ups that] this is fun, but it’s not practical, I’m not getting anywhere. I figured I need to commit, either give it up or go all in, and I thought, “You know, I’ll do a waffle truck.” In January 2018, I found a guy who builds food trucks who lived a mile away from me, and by the end of March, the truck was ready. The truck is a lot of fun but really unpredictable. I thought, “I need to get into the retail side,” and it made sense as a growth opportunity, and I moved into Hatch Kitchen last summer.
RM: When did you move to the U.S.?
Schwartz: I had an opportunity to move to the states in my 20s. There were a lot of questions as to how things were going to turn out [in South Africa] … a lot of fear of the unknown. We grew up with American TV shows, and it felt kind of a natural to move here, and I always assumed this would be a good idea to come over. I was in Houston first; there was a huge South African community there, and I knew a lot of people, it was like having a family.
RM: What are some of the differences between South Africa and the U.S?
Schwartz: I was quite shocked by the differences — really the attitude, the outlook on life and the way you joke. I think mostly people take things more seriously here. South Africa is very laid-back. It took a while to adjust. The food is really kind of mixed diet there, a lot of influence from Europe and Asia and a lot of the old-Dutch influence with meat. In South Africa there’s great steak and a lot of sheep and lamb and beef. Barbecues there are like the thing, called a braai. The weather was so temperate, if you didn’t have one braai every weekend, it was unusual. It was very social, and every weekend there was swimming and braai-ing. Also a lot of natural food, not highly processed, and lots of good farming and great fruit — I miss things like lychee and guava.
RM: Are people shocked to find out your waffles are vegan and gluten-free?
Schwartz: I think people are definitely surprised. On the back side of the truck, it says, “Savory, sweet, gluten free and vegan,” but only on the back. I felt like people have been programmed, and if you promote gluten-free or vegan, they think something is missing. I used a blend of flour that is much nicer than all-purpose wheat flour and higher quality and tastes better — you won’t miss out on flavor or quality.
RM: What do you like to do in your spare time?
Schwartz: I’m learning French — my daughter Jenna started teaching me recently. I play tennis as well; my other daughter, Lala, really enjoys tennis, and now the boys do, too.
RM: Did you ever think you would have a food-related business?
Schwartz: No, it just sort of happened. I enjoyed the pop-ups, it was fun chatting with people and fun to get to know about food and nutrition. I found it really interesting, and it made a lot of sense. Then I realized I actually enjoyed this and decided to do the truck on a whim — it wasn’t seriously planned out. Looking back, I see it actually has kind of grown more than I thought it would.