The Best New Jersey Food Trucks: Ohana Food Truck

Dana Costello is a Jersey Shore native, where she’s spent most of her life. While teaching full time in Toms River, she also worked at a popular Lavallette restaurant. When the owners planned on selling, Dana didn’t hesitate to be the first bidder. Since then, her and her husband’s restaurant Ohana has also gone mobile with the Ohana Food Truck.

Ohana Food Truck is a five-person operation grounded in the love of the Jersey Shore. In addition to Dana and her husband James, the couple recruited three other teachers to join the truck. Now retired from teaching, Candy Blake, Gavin DeCapua, and Matthew Smith devote their time to the truck. Much like the restaurant itself, Ohana Food Truck brings James’s Hawaiian-inspired cuisine to the streets of New Jersey.

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Best of NJ spoke with the Ohana Food Truck team about their experiences and mutual love of food trucking.

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The Best New Jersey Food Trucks Interview: Ohana Food Truck

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Best of NJ: Tell us about yourselves.

Matthew Smith: I grew up in Lavallette, and I worked as a teacher; which was how I was able to get some information about becoming a server here at the restaurant (Ohana Grill). And then working here for about eight years, I became very friendly with James and Dana who own it.

Gavin DeCapua: I was a teacher for 32 years. But I also ran summer concession food stands in Monmouth County at private beach clubs for about 25 years. I was getting ready to retire from teaching. There was a little overlap with the truck; I had to make sure it was going to be a success first [laughs].

Candy Blake: I grew up in Manville. So I’m a transplant [laughs]. I moved to the area from Manville in 1986 and have been down here ever since. I’ve always been involved in food service ever since I was 13. Dana offered me a job here at Ohana six or seven years ago. I was afforded the opportunity to go in on the truck as a partner, so I joined, too.

Dana Costello: I was born in Paterson but grew up in Manchester. I worked here when it was Blue Water Grill as a server. The guy was looking to sell, and I called my husband and said, “Hi, we’re buying a restaurant” [laughs]. And we bought the restaurant but wanted to do a little bit more. We always thought about doing a food truck, but it was always too much for the two of us. So we talked with Candy and Gavin and Matt and decided to go all in.

James Costello: I grew up in Jersey City and moved down the shore in 1984. Always worked on the boardwalk, that’s where me and Dana met. But I was in the bar business most of my life. Then Dana called about this proposition, and I quit my corporate job and bought Ohana. I have pretty much been the head chef since the first year.

BONJ: Is there a learning curve adjusting to the truck after years of working in an established restaurant?

Candy: I think there’s a big learning curve being a truck owner. I think we learned a lot in three years. We are so improved from where we started.

Dana: The first night on the truck, we ran out of water washing our dishes. So you have to learn to conserve. You have to learn differently than you would in a restaurant setting.

Gavin: I always worked with grills and fryers at the beach front. So it wasn’t that much of a problem for me in the food truck with that respect. I was good with the fast food, but with the higher end food, I just watched and learned.

Matt: The first year was a lot of working through everything. What did we need to work on, what foods, what didn’t work on the truck? Not everything translates well from the restaurant to the truck.

BONJ: How do you describe your cuisine?

Dana: People ask a lot, and it’s difficult to exactly pin down. We often say Asian fusion. But we almost have American-Asian fusion.

James: American-Asian-Hawaiian fusion [laughs]. Hawaiian itself is Asian fusion, because most Hawaiian food comes from about four different Asian islands. But we also try to Americanize it and put our own spins on it.

Matt: That’s what makes us popular for birthdays and parties, because we can always adapt to whatever someone’s looking for. We can do anything from burgers and fries to surf and turf.

BONJ: So that carries over into catering, right?

Matt: Right. It really depends on what a person wants. We can go to all price points. If you want to stay on the lower end, we have fish tacos, pulled pork, chicken fingers, and fries. Or you could move up to short ribs. Then you could go up to shrimp. If you want to go toward the high end, we offer crab cakes and lobster.

We always cater with the truck, too. A lot of people like the fact that the truck pulls up, we cook everything, we serve everything; then we clean it up, we take the garbage, and then we’re gone.

BONJ: What are some fan-favorite options from the Ohana Food Truck?

Dana: Definitely the lobster roll. We do a warm lobster roll.

Candy: Our short rib tacos are a big seller. They’re huge.

Dana: There’s a chili slaw with a chipotle aioli on it—with the short ribs.

Gavin: I like doing the blackened shrimp tacos. We do a black bean corn salsa on top, and then you put the shrimp with the aioli sauce. It’s a great seller. And we mix it up a little bit—so we don’t do the exact same menu every event. But we do try to stick with some main items.

BONJ: What does the restaurant’s menu look like?

James: It’s a seafood-heavy menu. We do lobster tails, scallops and risotto, ahi tuna, pecan-crusted salmon. And we do steaks and a pork chop that is a top seller. We always have specials, too. We try to change the menu a little bit a couple times a year; and try to bring in seafood from all around the world. We’re always trying to get Hawaiian fish.

BONJ: What kind of desserts can guests get from Ohana Grill?

Candy: We’ve done a cookie skillet that was a big seller. The desserts, everything’s made here. Dana makes a cheesecake for dessert—people love the homemade cheesecake.

BONJ: What is the restaurant’s schedule like through the year?

Dana: Year round we’re open Thursday through Saturday, but during the summer we’re open seven days a week. That’s June until Labor Day.

BONJ: What does the future look like for Ohana Food Truck?

Gavin: Just keep rolling along.

Dana: Maybe a fleet of trucks [laughs].

James: I have no plans to retire anytime soon, so I’m going to work this until…

Gavin: Until we physically can’t do it anymore [laughs].

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All Photos: © Patrick Lombardi / Best of NJ