SOLEDAD — For most car enthusiasts, it takes about three to four years to transform a classic stock vehicle into a gorgeous sparkling lowrider.
Salinas native Rick Marquez needed just half of that time to have his 1969 Chevrolet El Camino ready to hit the showroom floor, including at last Saturday’s Soledad Hot Summer Days downtown street festival.
“Which is not common,” he said. “Well, the budget has a lot to do with it.”
Marquez was just one of several dozen cars on display at the fifth annual running of the car show and street fair that drew hundreds of guests to the July 11 event.
Marquez was in attendance with his son, Ricky, who helped his dad swap out the motor in 21 days, replacing the older one with a shiny chrome crate engine.
The only obstacle that came in the way of the father-son duo was deciding on one color. So, they went with a triple fade going from a glowing candy apple red on top, to a warm tangerine in the middle, and finally a dark brandy wine at the bottom.
As for the step shade, gold leafing and pinstripes, they chose Alan Signs based in Salinas to do the artwork.
In the end, the Marquez’s named the El Camino after Carlos Santana’s album “Supernatural,” matching the magical aura of the car.
“We were like ‘Cherry ’69,’ ‘Sexy ’69’?,” said Rick Marquez while shaking his head side to side. “The music is part of our life, so how about ‘Supernatural ’69’ because the paint just fades in.”
Apart from the car show, Hot Summer Days also featured an array of local vendors, such as Crey’s BBQ and Soulfood, Tacos ‘n Madre y Sazon, Lolita’s Antojitos Mexicanos and newcomer Berry Blissed Delight.
Berry Blissed Delight owner Darlene Aguayo offers a variety of specialty sweet treats made with Dubai chocolate and strawberries. She said the event was a great opportunity for exposure, but admitted it was a tad bit slower on the business side.
Aguayo sold a total of 10 Dubai chocolate and strawberry cups, or two boxes, which is nowhere near the five boxes she sells during the Soledad Farmers Market on Thursdays.
“I know we need more exposure and that’s our main goal,” said Aguayo, who in the past attended the event as a guest. “But being a vendor, it was a completely different experience.”
Aguayo added she’ll be more prepared for next year’s event, including making more of an effort to arrive early in order to reserve a spot where there’s higher foot traffic.
The 42-year-old Soledad native began her business one year ago, however, she did not expect it to last this long.
“When you say Dubai, we attract people,” Aguayo said. “It’s the pistachio flavor and the crunchiness.”
Aguayo is in the process of applying for a cottage food license, which allows her to legally prepare and sell non-perishable, low-risk foods such as baked goods, jams and granola from her home kitchen.
That’s because next on her radar is the latest fad out of Paris featuring hyper-realistic, fruit-shaped desserts called trompe-l’œil pastries, which means “deceives the eye.”
The French pastry is a thin chocolate or glaze shell shaped into fruit, filled with mousse and a fruit puree in the center.
“I love making cookies and cakes, but I also want to offer trending desserts,” she said. “Different ones, not just stick with the traditional. Ones that people will be attracted to.”
