So what do two natives of Brooklyn, New York, one of whom is a chef trained in vegan cooking, who are looking for a change of scenery and lifestyle, and want to open a food cart do to realize their vision? Of course you move 3000 miles to Portland, OR and open two food carts. Within a year of arriving in Portland, Debra Lambertson-Erbacher and Kevin Erbacher have become the proprietors of Devin’s Dive and Frank & Stein.

Debra Lambertson-Erbacher in the window of the Devin’s Dive food cart.

Frank & Stein was the first cart Kevin and Debra purchased. A ’63 Shasta travel trailer that had been converted to a food cart, the trailer was in such a condition, hence the moniker ‘dive,’ that it required a complete reconstruction to once again serve as a food cart. Much in the same way that its ‘namesake’ came to be. Frank & Stein is now the beer cart at the Piknik Park food cart pod.

The Devin’s Dive food cart.

Right next door to Frank & Stein at Piknik Park is where you’ll find the Devin’s Dive food cart. Debra and Kevin (hence Devin, a combination of their names) decided to re-purpose the original label they had given to Frank & Stein and formally title their second cart Devin’s Dive. So within a year of moving from Brooklyn to Portland, the Erbachers and their partner Matt have opened two food carts and have helped establish a new food cart pod.

The Frank & Stein beer cart.

Vegan food is the specialty of Devin’s Dive. They refer to their menu as plant-based grub ‘for the herbivore in all of us.’ Devin’s Dive offers four sandwiches with vegan ingredients. The most popular sandwich is The Buffalo. Soy curls infused with a buffalo sauce, guacamole, lettuce, tomato, onion, and a vegan ranch dressing served in a whole-wheat wrap.

The Steak & Egg and Buffalo sandwiches from the Devin's Dive food cart.

Another popular sandwich is the Steak & Egg. The ‘steak’ is a portobello mushroom marinated in balsamic vinegar, olive oil, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. The ‘egg’ is scrambled tofu with guacamole, greens, tomato, onions, peppers, and spicy aioli, again served in a whole-wheat wrap. Any of the sandwiches can be served minus the wrap over brown rice for those who wish to be gluten free.

The Steak & Egg sandwich from the Devin's Dive food cart.

Devin’s Dive and Frank & Stein are located at 1112 SE Tacoma Street in the Sellwood district. They are part of the Piknik Park Food Cart Pod and Beer Garden. The pod can be found just west of, and adjacent to, of the New Seasons parking lot. Devin’s Dive is open 11–5 Tuesday and Wednesday, 11–8 Thursday through Saturday and 11–7 on Sundays. The cart is closed on Mondays.

The Buffalo sandwich from the Devin's Dive food cart.

Listen now as Steven Shomler and Ken Wilson talk with Kevin and Debra Erbacher about leaving Brooklyn and moving to Portland to open both a food cart and a beer cart.

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