Jumping out of a Cessna Grand Caravan at 14,000 feet above Orange might be a bit hair-raising for most. But with the right timing, a dragonfruit lime agua fresca and a ham and cheddar crepe await on solid ground.
Greenfield resident Richard Creque has opened Omninom, an eatery in the food trailer located outside Jumptown Skydiving, serving an array of options ranging from iced coffee to milkshakes and sandwiches.
“I’ve thought about doing my own thing for a little while,” the 33-year-old said.
Creque gained some recognition a year ago as one of the winners of the “Take the Floor” pitch competition, which is part of the Franklin County Community Development Corporation’s UPstart Program. He proposed the H.B.D. Skate Shop, a combination ice cream shop and skate shop near the Greenfield Skate Park. He had a whole plan to bring his dream to fruition until a massive veterinary bill drained his savings. He intended to resume his plan next summer but saw the food trailer posted on Craigslist for $150 a month.
“I figured, ‘That is a hell of a deal,'” he recalled. “So we’ve been in here about a month, doing a soft open. Still trying to figure things out a little bit, seeing what works, what doesn’t.”
Billy delGiudice, president of Jumptown, said Creque has been a joy to work with.
“The food trailer hadn’t been operated in a few years, so we interviewed candidates eager to revive it. Richard was an easy choice,” he said in an email. “He is passionate about his craft and his fresh menu continues to wow our staff, customers, and even patrons from the surrounding areas.”
The food trailer had previously been the Spankin’ Otter Grill, operated by a Jumptown employee. The name of Creque’s business partially represents a combination of omni, meaning “all” or “every,” and nom-nom, meaning tasty food.
“It’s fun to say,” he explained while whipping up a sausage breakfast sandwich. “We try pretty hard to make sure we have vegan options available … and the same for gluten-free.”
He mentioned that his pulled pork tacos did well as a special and will likely become a regular on the menu. His best-seller is probably the smoky turkey grilled cheese, which Creque elevates with a cranberry-chipotle aioli and some Parmigiano Reggiano to the outside to give the bread a crunch.
He has been working with food since high school, starting at the former joint-Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut location at 242 Mohawk Trail in Greenfield before moving on to The Iron Horse in Northampton and The Gill Tavern. He is now a baker at Green Fields Market and uses those baked goods at Omninom.
Creque said he loves food because of how simple it is to take something unremarkable and turn it into the spectacular. An example is onions, which can sell for less than a dollar per pound.
“But you throw it in a pan, wait a couple hours, stir it every now and then, and you get caramelized onions, which are just a huge boost of flavor on anything,” he said.
Omninom had been open seven days a week; however, Creque is scaling back. More information about the eatery’s hours is available on Instagram @getomninom and on its Facebook page.
