A new food truck serving up Southern specialties is about to hit the streets.
Business partners Justin Fitzgerald and Nicoletta Cardilli have spent the last year gearing up to launch The Coop Chicken and Waffles truck, a mobile truck serving fresh fried chicken and Belgian waffles.
Fitzgerald tells us that the idea for The Coop came to him after a visit home to his native Houston, and a taste of his mother’s homemade fried chicken and waffles.
“When I got back to Pittsburgh, my mom sent me her recipe, and we tried to make them,” Fitzgerald says. “We loved the combination, and we decided to get a food truck and make it happen.”
After some time spent tweaking his mom’s fried chicken recipe (Fitzgerald says it was a little too spicy for Northern palates), the duo purchased an out-of-commission school bus, and spent the next few months outfitting it into a kitchen on wheels.
The menu will feature fried chicken wings, fried chicken tenders, and classic Belgian waffles, along with waffle fries that have been hand-cut and fried twice.
“We have one rule in the truck,” Fitzgerald says. “Nothing frozen. We’re only using fresh chicken that’s been marinating in buttermilk for 24 hours, then coated with our special flour mixture, and fried to order.”
And he’s especially excited to introduce a Chicken Waffle dish, with fried chicken tenders baked directly inside a Belgian waffle.
The Coop will also feature a rotating dessert menu, featuring sweet waffles that change with the seasons, from pumpkin waffles and stuffed apple waffles to red velvet waffles with cream cheese icing.
Fitzgerald says that the truck is days away from opening, and will be a fixture at the city’s festivals and food truck roundups. They’re also making plans to have a regular rotation on McKnight Road along Route 19.
For updates, keep an eye on their Facebook page.
The Chicken Waffle at The Coop
Congratulations honey so happy for you.