Meet Chris Van Jura | Owner/Operator/Lead Hot Dog Slinger

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chris Van Jura and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chris, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I know that there should be a long thought out answer here but I think it’s pretty small. When covid hit in 2020 I had devoted nearly half of my life to the hospitality industry. So many of my peers were choosing to leave the industry and I understand why — it is an extremely challenging profession. I simply wasn’t interested in giving up on it.

Many of us who have been in restaurants as long as I have can tell you exactly what their restaurant would look like — mine was always a hot dog joint. Having grown up in Northern New Jersey, hot dogs were a big part of my life. As early as I can remember we would the ride up 46 to The Hot Grill or hanks Franks (just to name a couple). It felt right — my heart and my soul is in every bit of this.

Now — to summarize; I have an obligation to provide for my family and create something for us to be proud of. That’s what we’re doing.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
From a young age I always had a flair for the dramatic (insert joke here). Some would say I still have a flair for the dramatics (insert another joke here!). I did plays in high school and was a member of the choir while also being a three sport varsity athlete. Raised in a big immediate family (one of 4 siblings) and large extended family over over 20 aunts & uncles with many cousins — we always hosted, always had company. I knew the act of hospitality before being a member of the hospitality field.

I entered college without a direction and by the Spring semester of my freshmen year I has auditioned for and been cast as a lead in a production of ‘Stuart Little’. This set the tone for the next 4 years. Yes, I was in college for 5 years — who leaves a party at 10 o’clock anyways? I was fortunate to find some success after college in commercials and off off broadway productions. On the way I earned my SAG card and, like so many others, came very close to a “break”.

My years of training and performance have laid the bricks for my path — and I’m now in the role of a lifetime. One which I hope to play for years to come.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Since moving to Silver Spring, MD, I have been fortunate to learn jsut how diverse this area is — to be fair, there are so many places I have yet to even try! Ethiopian, Indian, Korean, El Salvadorian — just so many.

We would do a small food truck tour for sure including trips to Pho Wheels & Kuks Tribute. Swing by our favorite breweries like Denizens Brewing, Pherm, Waredaca. Can’t forget about spending time in the nations capital which would require a stop at Bens Chili Bowl, Horace & Dickies and get fancy at Le Diplomate. And to wrap up every day, if we could, we would go to Ivy & Coney for a chili dog and a shot of Malort — you can’t miss!

The monuments at night are a can’t miss and Bishops Garden at National Cathedral is one of my favorite places i’ve ever been in my life– but up by is in Silver Spring we love spending time at Brookside Gardens or Butlers Orchard.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There have been so many people that have been part of this — and I’m sure that as we grow that their will be may more — and they are all parts of this little puzzle. I’m answering this question while sitting at a table and imagining an array of puzzle pieces in front of me that would make up the image of our logo — SO MANY PIECES!

Directly there are other vendors like the team behind Pho Wheels, Tuan & Danny. They are icons in the food truck scene in the DC/MD/VA world — and I can’t thank them enough for all of the time they have provided me. We have built relationships with local breweries and their guests — of which has been the lifeblood of our growth — but none more than Pherm Brewing Co in Gambrills. They were the first brewery that gave us a go — and are such a big piece of the puzzle, our sincere thanks to Billy, Henry and everyone at Pherm.

With all of this being said, nothing would have come to be had it not been for my family. My parents dove right in from the start and continue to be our biggest supporters — and in the history of my family, my grandparents owned a deli/liquor store for many years – we’ve always wanted to get back to this. My brother has shared IP with me and many marketing ideas. My sister has been integral in our marketing/social media/graphic design.

I could go on — but the people most important are my partner Marlena and our son Theodore — without them, none of this would be worthwhile.

Website: catalysthotdogs.com

Instagram: @catalyst_hotdogs

Twitter: @catalysthotdogs

Facebook: Catalyst Hot Dogs

Yelp: Catalyst Hot Dogs

Youtube: Catalyst Hot Dogs

Other: We’ve amassed over 30k followers on TikTok — with a couple videos over 1m views — we’re @catalysthotdogs on there

Image Credits
Laura Chase Formigny Michelle Katz