Wineries on 4th Say “So Long,” as Stephon’s Mobile Bistro Heads Home to New York
Reno wine lovers have come to know Stephon Van Dyke’s Mobile Bistro as the informal kitchen for the Wineries on 4th. Stephon is almost as popular as the wine.
Now, the Covid-19 pandemic has him seeking closer ties with family back home. Stephon will hit the road next month, driving his food truck across the nation to resettle in New York, where he learned to cook, “from mom and grandma,” he says. It’s also where cut his teeth in the restaurant trade. Story continues below.
Stephon Van Dyke in front of his Mobile Bistro at the Nevada Sunset Winery on Thursday, July 20, 2020. Photo: @GrapeBasinNews
Nevada Sunset Winery hosted a Covid-safe sendoff in the parking lot on Thursday to help finance Stephon’s move. The winery donated 25 percent of sales — parking lot and online only — to a “Get Stephon Across America” fund.
Stephon takes a break with customers who’ve sampled his chicken marsala, on Thursday July 24, 2020.
“He’s like family, we love him,” said Nevada Sunset proprietor Mike Steedman. Their friendship goes back to the launch of the Mobile Bistro 14 years ago.
The Mobile Bistro was serving burgers, hot links, and barbecued chicken before food trucks were cool, Stephon says. He cooked regularly for customers at Steedman’s previous establishment, the Studio on 4th. But the Mobile Bistro didn’t have a favorite corner. It’s turned up everywhere.
“I just moved all over Reno like I do now,” Stephon told Grape Basin News.
He’ll be back, but only to visit his kids. The plan is to keep cooking a few more years in New York, and then retire. So far, no other food truck operator has stepped up to fill the void, Steedman told Grape Basin News.
