The hotdog guy who cares

Becoming one of Port Washington’s most recognizable and beloved personalities wasn’t the plan for Fred Pugh.

But when his girlfriend Courtney Tomaszewski left Milwaukee for the sake of her two children four years ago, Pugh went with her, and his plans to run a hot dog cart joined them.

“Thank God for Courtney Tomaszewski. She brought me out here. I do appreciate her,” Pugh said.

As he tries to balance managing his business with his relationship, Pugh’s appreciation doesn’t stop with Tomaszewski.

The man from the inner city of Milwaukee whose mother is 

a retired police officer is grateful to be living and working in Port, selling hot dogs and Polish sausages for several months of the year at his One of a Kind hot dog cart.

“All I can say is I need everybody in Ozaukee County to know that Fredrick Pugh, One of a Kind Hot Dog guy — there’s no words to explain how honored and how thankful and how grateful I am for you guys accepting a black guy from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to come to the community and have a dream, and for all the love and support that you all gave me and are still giving me and are still going to give me hopefully,” he said.

“Everyday when I say my prayers I thank you guys. You didn’t have to do it but you did, and all you did is give me an opportunity. There’s nothing I can say but thank you and hopefully we keep it going and get better and bigger.”

Pugh grew up on 52nd and Capitol Drive in Milwaukee and was part of the Chapter 220 program that bused city students to suburban districts to promote racial integration. Pugh graduated from Menomonee Falls High School in 1998.

“Imagine getting picked up from inner-city Milwaukee where garbage is around and everything and nobody cares what’s going on. How can I go from bad to good and go back to bad? We can’t afford to live in Menomonee Falls. I’m around rich white kids but I’ve got to live around poor black kids,” he said.

“I’m around money, but I’m not good enough to have any. That don’t make no sense. You tell me what would that do to a person’s mental (state).”

Pugh has devoted his life to taking care of others. He was a caregiver for 25 years, most recently at the Harbor Campus senior living facility in Port during winters when selling hot dogs outside isn’t feasible. Last year, he worked at Meijer in Grafton. He would like to land a job at Charter Steel.

“More than half my life I’ve been taking care of the elderly and giving to others. Now it’s time to take care of myself,” he said.

Pugh sells his hot dogs and Polish sausages from around the first week of April into the first week of November. 

“I very much enjoy working for myself. If I lived in Florida or Arizona or somewhere, I’d be a millionaire by now,” he said.

Weather still plays a part in his sales during the nicer times. Wind can blow out the fire on his propane grill, and wind can do more damage.

“I’ve lost two umbrellas. Those umbrellas are $250 apiece,” he said.

Pugh hopes to buy a concession trailer to be able to sell year round, but those are $30,000 and he only has a couple of thousands of dollars saved so far. It will happen, he said, when God is ready.

“It’s up there, and it’s stuck there,” he said of his dream. “I don’t want to take a loan out. I’ve been in debt before, and I just really don’t want to be in debt.”

He saved money to buy his cart for $13,000. Then he put $2,500 of stickers on it, one that reads “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

“That’s one of the favorite quotes I have on my stand,” he said.

Pugh tries to live that sticker’s message.

“I never turn anybody away. If you’re hungry, I’m going to feed you. I know where I came from a meal means everything,” he said. “I lose hundreds of dollars a month because I feed people. If you pull up on me and don’t have cash, I’m going to feed you. Just come back and get me later.

“I’ve been poor all my life. So guess what? It don’t matter. As long as I’m doing the right thing, as long as I’m a good person, that’s all that matters to me. I’m doing God’s work.”

Pugh uses his cart as a way to reach people.

“I speak to everybody. Tell me something about you. I’m a people person. I wanna dig in your mind, in your brain and find out how you’re feeling today. Just something as simple as saying, ‘How are you today?’ — it can switch somebody’s switch,” he said.

Pugh said he notices the lack of interaction at stores where everybody is buried in their phones.

“That’s why we’re so disconnected. We’re so wrapped up in ourselves; we’re so wrapped up in things that don’t matter. You don’t know what somebody’s going through. The good breath that God gave you — ‘Hello, how are you today?’ That may make them wake back up,” he said.

“If you just take a step back and be thankful for life, that’s the kinda person I am. I’m a spiritual person. We’re trying to live. We’re trying to avoid crazy. That’s all we want to do is live. So guess what, just be kind.”

Now in his fourth year, Pugh’s combo meals and mindset have kept customers, some from the start.

“I call them my day ones. They never gave up on me. Same product, nothing has changed, same good energy,” he said.

“Everybody’s good with me. As far as I know, everybody loves One of a Kind Hot Dog guy. I show up, I present myself in a professional manner. Clean up after myself.”

Pugh tries to differentiate his menu from others, offering beverages such as Hawaiian Punch and Tahitian Treat. His combo meals offer a hot dog or Polish sausage with a variety of condiments, choice of chips and beverage. Children also get a dessert, but he often throws one in for adults too.

He can usually be found Mondays through Fridays at Drew’s True Value. On Saturdays, he’s in front of the former Harbor Cleaners at North Franklin Street and East Grand Avenue. If weather permits, he’s at South Beach on Sundays.

“Never had one complaint,” he said.

“The community didn’t have to do it. It ain’t about race or anything. They didn’t have to give me an opportunity to make a name for myself, and they did. They didn’t hesitate. That’s change. They changed the narrative. They could have said get your black ass out of here,” he said.

“I cry every night. They gave me a chance and I never look back. And we’re going to do better when the good Lord lets me do big and better. My dream ain’t gonna stop. I ain’t happy yet. I’m thankful.”