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Owner and Chef Smith St. Juste of Stamford has wanted to own his own restaurant since he was a child. He helped his mother, a former pastry chef, prepare food and fell in love with the art of being a chef. But due to the large overhead costs of opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant, he found a less expensive way to make his dream come true.
“This is definitely step one, it’s the means to an end,” St. Juste said, adding that he was recently in Miami and saw a food truck. “I was like, ‘Oh, that would be a good thing to bring to Stamford.'”
He would still like to open a restaurant but says he could always take his food to his customers in Maddy’s Food Truck.
Maddy’s, named after St. Juste’s 18-month-old son Madan, will serve a mix of Haitian specialties — including tassot boef (a beef dish), conch, and griot (pork) and plantains — and American dishes such as macaroni and cheese, hamburgers and hot dogs. He is also willing to mix up the menu.
“I know it will be a great success,” said St. Juste, who moved to Stamford from Haiti more than 20 years ago.
Maddy’s will have its grand opening April 2 in Veterans Park on Atlantic Street in downtown Stamford. It will travel throughout the city, but St. Juste won’t park the truck in front of another restaurant, he said.
“That’s not what I want to do. I just want to add something to the community,” he said.
To find out where the food truck will be and to view its menu, follow it on Facebook and Twitter or call 203-550-2464.
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