Battle Ground graduate is ‘going to the dogs’

Nine years ago, Battle Ground High School graduate Gabriel Woodhead headed off to Gonzaga University, where he received a degree in marketing and management.

Woodhead then got a “dream job” working at Amazon.com, in the customer service department of their Kindle division for two and a half years. He said he loved the job, loved the people he worked with and loved living in Kennewick, WA. But then his wanderlust took over – his entrepreneurial spirit – that he says is passed down from his dad, who owns Woody’s Custom Landscaping in Battle Ground. That spirit led him to his present job, an unlikely profession considering his college education and first job.

Woodhead packed up his bags and headed back to Vancouver, where he recently opened a hot dog stand. Of course, a degree in marketing and management and a stint at one of America’s premier internet companies is a perfect background for selling dogs on street corners, right?

“I guess my entrepreneurial side took over, I just wanted to do something different, un-corporate, where I could be my own boss, and work with people face to face, and I have always loved food,” Woodhead said.

So, Woodhead can currently be found with a hot dog cart parked in the lot of Haven Pool & Spa, on the corner of Highway 99 and Northeast 117th Street, right across the street from the new Chuck’s Produce market in Vancouver. The hot dog stand is called The Nomad: Weird and Worldy Wieners – the “worldy” because of Woodhead’s love of travel and his desire to get people to try foods and flavors from other countries.

Cars rolled up to the stand recently packed with visitors such as the two teachers from nearby Sacajawea Elementary School, to hungry young men on their way to work, the owner of a commercial kitchen, a mother and daughter who “just saw the sign,” and all were there to eagerly order Woodhead’s hot dogs.

To be accurate, Woodhead’s hot dogs are actually premium sausages, which go for a price of $5 and include a bag of chips ($6 for the Sauce of the Week). Drinks include water and Mexican bottled Coca Cola (no corn syrup here, cane sugar is the only sweetener). Customers can hungrily watch as Woodhead ladles the Flavor of the Day sauce on top of the dogs, which are nestled in their ciabatta hot dog buns.

The scent is pure Thailand, the thick gold sauce covering the generous-sized dogs.

“Most people want to add onions and Sriracha sauce,” he says to the customers. “But a lot add cream cheese and barbecue sauce.”

Of course the normal dog condiments of ketchup, mustard, chopped onions, sauerkraut and relish are also handy. But, after all, these are promoted as “gourmet dogs” – and most who sample them attest that they are just that.

Juicy, with a tang of spice, and a skin that snaps happily when bitten into, are the elements of the Panang Curry Dog. This reporter opted for just the sauce with a bit of minced onion, and like a stray dog, the lunch seemed to vanish quickly. Woodhead only serves one variety of hot dog because, as he puts it, “I learned at Amazon about being a minimalist, and love simplicity. I’d rather do one thing really, really well instead of have a whole variety of dogs to offer. These are great hot dogs, my customers love them, so that’s what I serve.”

When asked why he opted for a simple cart instead of a food truck, Woodhead said, “First, there’s less things to go wrong, all I need for the cart is propane and water. On a food truck, there are tons of things that can go wrong, plus a ton of regulations. Again I like things simple.”

Woodhead also likes to buy locally, getting his meat from Vancouver’s Top Choice Meat Market, his ciabatta rolls from Sugar and Salt bakery, and his curry sauces, kimchi and Indian condiments from area restaurants.

“I believe in buying locally so I can help local places,” he said.

The main variety he offers is in the weekly “special sauces” – beyond the tangy and sweet curry he also has specials featuring hummus, kimchi, bleu cheese crumbles, and soon, marinara sauce and pizza cheese.

Woodhead’s cart is perched on Highway 99 at 117th Street on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, he’s located at 13th and Kauffman in downtown Vancouver. Hours at both locations are from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. “I’ll stay open as long as customers are in line,” he said.

Those interested can keep track of Woodhead’s comings and goings (he plans to do a bunch of charity work), ribbon cuttings and other special events by going to his Facebook page – thenomadhotdogs, which is also his Twitter address.