Great tasting food, community connection and the chance to continue a tradition started by his late friend, Jake Berman, is fueling Patrick Keogh’s effort to bring the Shreddies food truck back to Steamboat Springs.

“I want to offer food that people can take on the go, so they can enjoy their adventuring and Steamboat,” Keogh said as he prepared the food truck for a summer season set to begin in the Cook Chevrolet parking lot at 11 a.m. Tuesday.  

His approach is to offer customers a variety of sandwiches — including a Philly cheesesteak sandwich created with shaved ribeye, peppers and onions and topped with American cheese or “wiz wit” that he calls the “Philly Jake” in tribute to Shreddies’ founder.

The menu will also include a chicken parm club, Cuban, Reuben and a hot Italian. There will also be a French dip, a Bahn Mi and a hot ham sandwich — just like the one Keogh’s Grandma Buckbee made.

Keogh purchased Shreddies from the family of Berman, who passed away in June 2024. Berman had owned and operated Shreddies for about a year before his death. Keogh and many others in Steamboat will tell you that Berman left a mark on this community that still is felt today.

The two shared a love for the river, playing in the whitewater, and the outdoor lifestyle prevalent in Steamboat Springs and the surrounding mountains. Keogh recalls a trip he took with Berman to Westwater Canyon on the Colorado River in Utah.

“We started going on river trips together and ran Westwater Canyon just about a month before he passed — there were 30-mile-an-hour winds with 50 mile-an-hour gusts,” Keogh said. “It was miserable during the flat-water paddle out, but Jake kept a positive attitude the whole time and he helped me make some Italian hoagies for lunch. The lettuce was blown away, his kayak was blown away and there was just sand in everybody’s lunch, but Jake just kept a positive attitude the whole time.”

Their relationship went beyond the river to Keogh’s personal struggles and the love they shared for food.

“Jake helped me get sober six years ago and changed the course of my life,” Keogh said. “He gave me hope that as a fellow chef that I could make a change, and someday start my own business.”

Keogh said he is grateful to have the opportunity to purchase the Shreddies food truck from Berman’s family. He wants to use the truck and his food as a way of sharing Jake’s message of hope and recovery.

Keogh will be collaborating with Culinary Hospitality Outreach and Wellness, or CHOW, a nonprofit mental health and wellness support group for people who work in the food, beverage and hospitality industry.

“I’ll be collaborating with CHOW to combat and raise awareness about issues like substance abuse and mental health struggles that plague the food service industry and take our friends and family,” Keogh said. “It’s been an honor taking over Shreddies and bringing it back, collaborating with his friends and family and local businesses and organizations to keep it going.”

Customers can go to ShreddiesFood.com to confirm the food truck’s location, hours and check out the menu. Keogh said the plan is to be open 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at Cook Chevrolet on Tuesdays, Billo Dispensary on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and Elk River Pet and Ranch on Fridays.

Keogh said he also plans to be at special events, such as Steamboat’s annual river festival, throughout the summer.