Angel Rutkowski, owner of Sausage Fest Hawaiʻi, recalls when he first got the idea to start a gourmet hot dog business.
“For almost two years, I worked security at a gay nightclub,” he recalls. “That’s where I got the idea of making a hot dog business with a catchy theme that was meant for fun, and not to be offensive. The idea (for) ‘Sausage Fest Hawaiʻi’ was born around 2015.”
Rutkowski started brainstorming potential business names, logos and custom hot dog creations, but his ideas were “put on the backburner” due to other priorities.
“I had my second child in 2018 and got caught up with life,” he says.
“I joined the army at 18 (years old),” he adds. “I also was a bouncer for 15 years, until the Covid-19 pandemic. I worked at various locations over the years, and I would always see a hot dog vendor. The business is a low investment, and you could fill bellies and put smiles on faces.”
Fast-forward to 2020. During October of that year, Rutkowski had a spine injury that led to him being paralyzed from the waist down for two months. The following January, he started going to physical rehab to learn how to walk again.
“During those months was one of the darkest times of my life,” he recalls. “Coming from a background of being Army Infantry and deployed, and involved in martial arts … it was the most humbling experience in my life, from (being) physically active to partially paralyzed.”
During that time, Rutkowski learned a lot about himself and had “a different outlook on life.”
“While going to physical therapy, I enrolled in a massage school,” he says. “I’ve strengthened my core and legs from rehab and proper massage techniques. I would tell everyone that going through massage school was one of the most spiritual things I’ve ever done.”
Rutkowski graduated from massage school in March 2022 and was contemplating his next move. He came across a small, standard hot dog cart on Facebook Marketplace and took that as a sign.
“I was like, ‘Let’s do this!’” he says. “The next two months, I got everything finalized and printed, and by May, Sausage Fest Hawaiʻi officially launched.”
Sausage Fest Hawaiʻi’s menu is centered on gourmet 100% all-beef hot dogs ($8 each), which Rutkowski refers to as Glizzys.
“Glizzys is a term used on the Mainland for hot dogs,” he explains.
The menu usually includes options like hot dogs topped with grilled Cola onions drizzled with Angel’s sauce; hot dogs wrapped in bacon and topped with ground beef and avocado, drizzled with barbecue sauce; and hot dogs topped with kalua pig and lomi lomi salmon, drizzled with Angel’s sauce.
“The most popular (order) are our combos, where they can choose from any of our five Glizzys and it will come with two birria tacos with consommé, onions and cilantro,” Rutkowski says.
From now until March, customers can find Sausage Fest Hawaiʻi at the upcoming University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s men’s volleyball and basketball games at Stan Sheriff Center. The business is switching up its offerings at the games, though, and will be featuring a birria-centric menu, complete with birria tacos ($15), birria bowls ($18) — birria meat, corn, salsa, avocado, cheese, diced onions, cilantro and lime over white rice — birria sliders ($12) and birria grilled cheese sandwiches ($15).
For updates about Sausage Fest Hawaiʻi’s location and upcoming events, follow the biz on social media.
“Our long-term goal for Sausage Fest Hawaiʻi is to become a franchise and to have multiple hot dog carts and locations in different states, as well as countries,” Rutkowski says.
CONTACT
Sausage Fest Hawaiʻi
Instagram: @sausagefesthawaii
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Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
