After years of being a plumber, when Paul Faraone’s knees couldn’t take it anymore he decided to pivot on his professional path. He not only co-founded a startup company aimed at preventing future wildfires, he also dove into the food industry and opened River Dogs with his business partner, Chris.
Located behind Joe’s Bar in Boulder Creek, River Dogs offers ample patio seating amid an ambiance of live music, redwood mountain redolence and laid-back, welcoming feels. They take hot dogs seriously, featuring diverse authentic selections. The true Chicago Dog is their signature, as real as it gets outside the Windy City. A steamed poppy seed bun cradles all the things: a natural casing Vienna beef hot dog combined with yellow mustard, fluorescent green sweet relish, onions, pickle spear, tomato, sport pepper and a dash of celery salt.
Further hot dog hits include Polish, chili cheese and classic, and they also have Italian sausages, the chicken Bacon Cheddar Explosion and the hot sauce-infused Mega Shred with pineapple and pork.
What is River Dogs’ lore?
PAUL FARAONE: My son and I used to enjoy going to a local Boulder Creek hot dog stand owned by a retired couple. We got to know them pretty well, and then one day the previous owner, in the midst of chopping onions, set his knife down and went AWOL for a couple weeks. During this time, my son and I helped his wife out, and when the husband returned, they decided to offer me ownership. I approached my neighbor, Chris, asking if he would like to be a partner. He said yes, and here we are five years later with the business continuing to grow.
Tell me about the catering side.
We do many large events here in the Santa Cruz Mountains, such as the Redwood Mountain Faire, Mountain Sol and the Locomotion Festival, as well as school events like open houses, back-to-school nights and sports games. We do corporate events in the Bay Area and private events like birthdays, anniversaries and weddings. We are very community-based and focused; we have a lot of passion for the beautiful Santa Cruz area that we are lucky enough to call home.
123 Forest St., Boulder Creek, 831-400-7025; riverdogsofbc.com.
