Owner of Both Food Trucks and Restaurants
Preston Russell is the owner of two renowned food trucks called, “Changing Mains,” and two amazing restaurants, called “Zava Café.” Zava boasts healthy breakfast and lunch options, while his food trucks offer custom, flavorful lunch and dinner entrees. “Food makes people happy,” Preston said. “It helps them learn, grow, and brings them together…I love to be a part of that,” he beams. Which is why, between his two types of food businesses, he offers everything from early morning coffee, three square meals, snacks and late night eats. Most of his food is sourced locally and they also offer Gluten-Free and Vegan options at all locations.
Keeping the Proverbial and Literal Plates in the Air
Originally from New York City but raised in Maryland, Preston has been a Delaware resident for over 13 years. He is a proud alumnus of Goldey-Beacom College in Wilmington Delaware, and the school emblem adorned the back of his laptop during our interview. “I have an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration, a Bachelor’s in Finance, and dual Master’s Degrees; a Master’s in Marketing and a Master’s in Management, all from Goldey-Beacom,” he said. During those 6.5 years of higher education, he not only accumulated impressive degrees, but also played on the Goldey-Beacom Basketball Team (GO # 12) and obtained his Real Estate License in both Delaware and Maryland. He’s been practicing Real Estate for 17 years. Preston even spent two years living in Southeast Asia working with Keller Williams International in Thailand and Vietman. He has currently spent the last 10 years carving out his place in the food industry. “My time abroad has influenced how I view culture and cuisine… so I love to incorporate amazing spices and seasonings,” he explains. Starting with food trucks and then expanding to the two restaurants, he effortlessly seems to be able to keep the proverbial and literal plates in the air.
Small but Mighty
“My vibe is small but mighty,” he humbly says, while he manages a staff of 40 people between all locations. “I don’t want to get too big, though. We want to make sure when we serve something people can feel the love” he states. His restaurants, “Zava Café,” have two locations: The Avenue Inn & Spa on Wilmington Avenue in downtown Rehoboth and on Federal Street in the heart of Milton. “We have no freezer, no fryer and everything is baked fresh in house,” Preston boasts. “We wanted to go from morning fresh coffee, to expand to dinner, and we’re working on offering dinner options at our Reho location soon,” he leaked. Of his two Changing Mains Food Trucks, one is mobile, offering food and catering services for private events, concerts, weddings and parties. The other is parked at 19406 Coastal Highway, aka, Chillaware Island (Next to Big Chill Surf Cantina) and is open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week: Sunday-Thursday, Noon-11 p.m., Friday-Saturday, Noon-midnight. The name Changing Mains teases the concept of his menu. “I always wanted a menu that was constantly rotating, so my head chef, Michael Rodowicz, and I, customized our main menu to change monthly,” he said. The left-side of his menu contains five custom entrees that stay the same, and the right-side houses 5 customs entrees that change monthly to “fit the theme, time, and season of the year,” he says. In June, you could order a Summer Fajita Burger or a Honey Mustard Fried Chicken Sandwich with BBQ pickles. But, now it’s July, and the menu’s already “changed mains” (see what we did there)? So, check out the website (changingmains.com) or head over to the truck to grab the new monthly tasty options, before summer marches on and August entrees move in.
