Next to music, there's practically nothing better – during this pandemic – than to eat comfort foods with friends and family, so one couple in Bay Point, CA is doing their best to satisfy their customer's food cravings.
Meet Gina and Andre "Dre" Wade, who started Wade A Minute Street Eats in May of 2019. The husband-wife duo love to cook and are passionate about serving others as their side hustle, since both of them work day jobs.
They set up a pop-up in their driveway on various weekends, post the dates on their Facebook pages and begin serving mouth-watering specials, such as chicken and shrimp, Teriyaki pasta, New York-inspired chopped cheese (similar to a Philly Cheese steak made with a hamburger patty), deep fried cinnamon rolls and more.
One loyal customer drives miles just for their food.
"I live all the way in Stockton, but as a testament to the food, I have traveled from farther distances and will go even further for this food," said Michael Williams.
Williams met Dre and Gina in a Facebook group.
"One of the first things you notice when you meet them (and find out they are a couple) is the chemistry that those two have," he said. "The way they pour into one another so openly and communicate, you begin to understand WHY they work well together. They are truly the iron fist covered by the velvet glove, and it's a beautiful thing!"
Williams can't stop raving over their food.
"The food is definitely creative – it's art that you can taste," added Williams. "I always bug Dre about the hot links (they are no longer on the menu), man it was the RIGHT amount of heat and a ton of flavor."
A loyal customer for the last three years, Williams talks about his all-time favorite dish the couple serves.
"It's the chopped cheese,” said Williams. "It brings a flavor that a lot of people – not only in the area – but on the West Coast aren't used to. I give them credit for thinking outside the box and nailing it."
"I try so hard to get there (Bay Point) early, because I know there are others like me that love the chopped cheese," said Williams. "These two will forever have my support, and I am almost sure this brand will be HUGE. I always recommend them if someone wants food that's different, unlike anything they have had, AND you get the vibe of good people."
Located at 230 Cleveland Avenue, Bay Point, their pop-up takes place usually on a Saturday, one to two times a month from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
"We post our openings on our social media pages three days before we open," said Gina.
When it came to naming their food company, Gina said it was her husband’s idea.
"We wanted to come up with something catchy," said Gina. "So Andre came up with the stop sign logo, and used our last name to tell folks to basically 'Wade A Minute,' stop what they are doing and come check us out for some great street eats."
Oakley resident, Olumiji Rucker, is another one of their loyal customers.
"What I love about their food is that it's flavorful and awesome," said Rucker. “I'm never disappointed when I order from the Wades."
He met the couple through a Facebook group where Dre shared about his cooking and opening up a pop-up. He followed the group and kept in contact ever since.
"My two favorite dishes are the chopped cheese and the shrimp and chicken noodles," he said. "My daughters love their wings with the W.A.M. sauce. My girls order them every time. I've been eating their amazing food ever since they started and I don't plan on stopping! The Wades are awesome, extremely friendly, customer service is out of this world, and I love how they make sure my girls' food is taken care of with extra love."
Born in Miami, Florida and grew up in Vallejo, CA, Dre, who is currently a Garage Doors Tech, lived in Virginia for about 12 years and his love for cooking sparked his dreams to do more. He pursued culinary arts school, however financial challenges forced him to leave school and secure full-time work.
In 2016, Andre moved to Oklahoma with his partner at the time and operated a food truck named Sinfully Simple Foods, however, in 2017, his mother, who lived in California, became very sick.
Dre made the decision to leave it all to help take care of his mother, along with his sister, yet his love and dream of running his own food business never left him.
Soon afterwards, Dre met Gina, an Executive Administrative Assistant.
"We met later in the year and quickly fell in love," said Gina. "We both love cooking and we also were both helping to take care of our elderly mothers, who both passed away in 2020."
Gina added, "We also share the same experience of having a special needs child. I have an autistic daughter and he has a Down syndrome adult son."
The Wades love to share their food with others and at the same time, meet those in their neighborhood and beyond.
Gina said, "We have met other small business owners and parents with special needs children through our business, which allows us to get to know our community and neighbors – and that has been a priceless experience."
Wade-A-Minute Street Eats
230 Cleveland Ave
Bay Point, CA 94565
Follow their Facebook for more information: https://www.facebook.com/wadeaminutestreeteats/
Wade A Minute Street Eats is also on Instagram: @WadeAMinuteStreetEats (on Instagram)
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