HOMER, Alaska — Mike Hiller has been in the food service industry for more than 25 years. He's cooked in the Aleutians and on the North Slope, in fast-food stops and five-star restaurants, ski slopes, mom and pop diners, even in prison. He appears as a cook in the 2009 Greek movie "Forget Me Not," by Two Stroke Films, part of which was shot in Homer in 2008.
He's just about done it all, but last fall, he found a new venue.
With Jim Nardelli and Jessica Knox, Hiller started a taco truck.
"I've worked in open kitchens before but not in an open parking lot," Hiller said.
"Sometimes I've only been able to cook for a limited audience. ... I really wanted to get on the street."
His absolute favorite aspect of the new gig is dealing with the people.
"People are happy when they're eating and I like feeding them. That is what I have the passion about. That's why I can't work in a closed kitchen anymore ... no matter how much they pay me," he said.
"Someone asked me the other night if they could help make their taco. I was like, 'of course,'" he said.
Hiller said he never intended on having a taco truck, but it was a natural decision when he was getting a new cell phone in early September. The last of his 25 choices of numbers happened to spell "taco."
"Of course, I could cook tacos," Hiller said.
He and Knox, the "fellow spearheader" of 299-TACO, went to Nardelli, who owns the truck. With their combined talents, the three are delivering gourmet fast food, day and night.
Hiller said the idea is to make good, simple food that's accessible to every person in Homer. The most expensive menu item is $6.
The truck contains pans of expertly prepared meats and beans, as well as other essentials for a delectable taco. Local, whole and fresh ingredients take precedence. Burritos, nachos, pizza and sandwiches also come out of the truck, which features a nicely dressed hot dog on the cab doors. Hiller makes nearly everything from scratch, and every meal to order.
"I think people feel good after they're done with my food. It's as healthy as I can make it," Hiller said.
While the 299-TACO schedule is still evolving, the truck currently does both a lunch and dinner run Thursday through Saturday. During lunchtime, the truck often drives Kachemak Drive, with a major stop in the Redden Marine parking lot. The "dinner" route, operating between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m., follows demand at bars from East End to downtown. Hiller, Knox and Nardelli plan on adding a shift, either lunch or dinner, every few weeks until they're running full time for summer.
In the meantime, they try to be there fore hungry athletes and sports fans at hockey games and ski races. They also do catering and will respond to house calls.
"The only other cooking job I think I'll ever do is maybe a stint on Antarctica, then I can write a book called the 'Bipolar Cook,'" he said.
"My end result is to make people happy and enjoy my food. I like to make people feel good and put good, healthy food in their mouths," Hiller said.