The owners of the Tiki Taka food truck are hopeful they can rebuild after an explosion destroyed their food truck last Sunday in Gravenhurst, Ont.
For Melissa Dowling and David Mauti, who co-own the food truck, the loss of their business is heartbreaking, but they are determined to rebuild.
“We are not quitting,” Mauti says.
He says they are hoping to be back up and running by the May long weekend next year, depending on how things go.
Muskoka fire says the Tika Taka food truck exploded in Muskoka Bay Park in Gravenhurst around 11 a.m. on Sunday.
The cause of the explosion is still unknown. Gravenhurst fire says the Ontario fire marshal is currently investigating the incident.
Dowling says both their generator and propane tanks were not damaged so she is unsure how the explosion happened.
“That Sunday, we were supposed to be there at that time — thankfully, we weren’t. We had to go get some prime rib steak sandwiches that we normally make, so that’s another reason to love prime rib,” Dowling says.
Both Mauti and Dowling are grateful no one else was hurt either.
“It’s amazing that when it exploded, it didn’t hit anything that would either hurt somebody or blow up the tanks and make it worse,” Mauti says.
The two opened the business at the end of June. In only three months, the couple racked up a long list of five-star reviews online, serving what two describe as “homemade deliciousness.”
“Everything was homemade there. We didn’t buy anything frozen. We didn’t have big suppliers. We sourced everything ourselves and dealt with local growers,” Mauti says.
While they say they are “heartbroken” to see their business in pieces, the two say they are grateful for the time they did have this summer to meet people and start to get established.
While they look at how to rebuild and wait to find out details about insurance, the two have started a GoFundMe to help with initial expenses, having lost their sole source of income.
The two say they are grateful for the quick response from Gravenhurst fire and for the support the community has shown them during this difficult time.