Khaleesi Dogs ignite the imagination and the appetite

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Dragon Dawg “a hamburger hot dog” to be signature item

photo by Kim Cameron
Cesar and Kathryn Baez at the new hot dog stand, Khaleesi Dogs.

On the corner of 3rd Street and Main, a popular mainstay of American culture has arrived. Hot dogs signal summer and a simpler time, and the new hot dog stand, Khaleesi Dogs, captures all this while being trendy and chic.

The name Khaleesi gives a nod to the popular Game of Thrones series and cleverly plays off the dragon storyline for a creative play on words that captures the imagination.

For six years, Kathryn Baez worked in Ghostwood Interiors and the idea of a food vendor outside of Ghostwood began to form. She then continued to work in retail management at Natural Grocers and even did a stint as a hunting camp cook.

After these experiences, Kathryn began to more concretely plan her hot dog stand.

“I knew I could handle a hot dog stand after planning and cooking the meals at hunting camp, and after working retail, I knew I wanted to do something for myself,” Baez explains.

Over a period of several months, Baez ordered her hot dog stand from Detroit complete with hot water and three stainless steel sinks. She was then inspected by the Colorado Department of Health and met the town requirements of being licensed and being on private property. Baez was officially ready to open.

The Khaleesi Dog’s menu continues the theme of goddesses and queens with names like Artemis, Demeter, Parvati, Vesta, and Pomona. The menu offers a variety of hot dogs and bratwursts with toppings of chili, sauerkraut, cheese, onions, and even Fritos. The veggie dog ensures there is something for everyone. The signature menu item will be the Dragon Dawg. A fun food that combines the elements of a hot dog with a hamburger. It will be a hamburger shaped liked a hot dog in the traditional hot dog bun. It will then have Chicago toppings of tomatoes, relish, chopped onion, celery salt, and a spear shaped pickle.

Kathryn plans to get foot traffic along Main Street from the rafters and surrounding businesses and hopes to be a locals’ favorite. As a hot dog stand, she is very mobile and may travel to some events and populated locations.

She also hopes others follow her lead. “I want other food vendors set up along Main Street too. I could see us having a lot of variety like Leadville and other towns,” Kathryn comments.

Until then, Kathryn admits her first summer will be spent figuring out details. She hopes to be open until October and will experiment with the best days and hours to be open. Right now she is currently open from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will be open throughout Kremmling Days.

Kathryn also offers another creative niche at her stand by offering custom- made mugs and gifts created by her husband Cesar Baez, a graphic designer and the owner of Mongaru (www. mongaru.com).

“He is the creative mind behind our designs,” Kathryn admits with gratitude. Her husband, a native of Paraguay, may also influence her menu in the future as she experiments with a specialized quesadilla, called mbeju, that is made from tapioca flour and four different kinds of cheese.

Until then, Kathryn, Kremmling’s new Hot Dog Goddess, looks forward to feedback from her customers and meeting others in the community.