Dexter Olejarka of Four Marks talks about cooking on his food truck

A 14-year-old boy from Four Marks is still cooking on his food truck while Hampshire County Council decides whether this is legal.
Dexter Olejarka is the driving force behind the Crane Feasts food truck which his chef dad Greg and mum Karen have rented since the beginning of May 2025.
He said: “I’ve always loved cooking since the age of nine and I wanted to take it to a bigger scale.
“So we started doing festivals and we saved up a lot of money, and then I decided the trailer should come into the picture, so I started doing all of this.”
Dexter’s Texas-style barbecue menu features brisket, ribs, chuck burgers and steak.
Asked what he enjoyed most, he said: “Hospitality - I love making people happy with food.”
Dexter and Greg visit Four Marks, Alton, Farnham, Bordon, Medstead and Winchester, with Dexter charging to pay for ingredients.
But the council said that makes it a “commercial kitchen”, in which under-16s are banned from working by the Children and Young Persons Act 1933.
Karen refused to sign a county council form stating Dexter was no longer involved with the food truck.
She said: “Cooking is Dexter's hobby, He loves food and feeding people. He came to us and asked for the truck. It is not our business, it's his passion.
“I argued a few points that a complete stranger brought to my attention, and now the council wants to talk. Too little, too late. Dexter has been out and plans to continue until this matter is resolved.”
The Olejarkas are also backing the family behind The Little Dreamers, a toy vending machine project run by sisters aged nine and seven, who want a Young Innovators Act to support child entrepreneurs.
Karen said: “We are going to help them fight for this Act to give our children a better future.”