BOCA RATON, Fla. — A South Florida family’s floating food business was flipped after a wave of reckless wakes — trapping two of them underwater.
They’re now asking for help to stay afloat.
Big Papi Cheesesteak has been a staple on South Florida waters since the 1990s.
But on Saturday in Boca Raton, as their boat floated down the Intracoastal Waterway in a slow wake zone, “disaster struck,” Charles Schwartz, the son of Big Papi’s owner, said.
“We were waked out by a boat,” Schwartz said.
Several waves came on fast and the food boat took on water. It was sinking, and Schwartz’s mother and sister couldn’t move.
“I found out my daughter’s arm was pinned and that the boat was still going down,” co-owner Cynthia Schwartz said.
But by some miracle, Cynthia Schwartz and her daughter made it out.
“They glued my eye back together and gave me some stitches,” Cynthia Schwartz said.
The damage was not only physical, but also financial.
“Everything was lost,” Charles Schwartz said.
The family estimates that the total damage reaches five figures.
“There’s an engine on there that’s completely destroyed,” Charles Schwartz said. “Coolers that are thousands of dollars each and the whole structure of the boat has to be rebuilt.”
Now, the family that’s spent 28 years serving others is hoping the community can return the favor.
“We’ve helped little kids having ice cream for years and mom and dad having a cold drink, a cold soda and we’ve been around for a while,” Cynthia Schwartz said. “We know a lot of people and it’s our business, so we have to get back out there.”
The family has set up a GoFundMe page to help get their business back on the water.
Copyright 2025 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.
