Hot dogs may well be a big thing at the moment but for many people (us included) the whole trend was started by Big Apple Hot Dogs, who remain the best. Their stall in Old Street and also at many food festivals has some of the greatest dogs in town. Now the man behind Big Apple Hot Dogs, Abiye Cole, is putting the finishing touches to his new deli, Cole and Sons on the Caledonian Road and we think it all sounds rather special.
Cole refers to the new deli as being a "hub of delicious home-made food" and sees it as an opportunity both to help people to sell their own products and help out nearby street food traders. To that end, there will be a kitchen in the basement that traders can use for preparation (something he really saw the need for during his own time as a street trader) as well as being a place that new traders can use too. "I want the kitchen to have all the equipment people need, so that If someone wants to make jam or soup then they can make it in the kitchen and we can then sell it for them." He sees the deli being an incubator for new ideas and he wants to fuel it with suggestions from visitors and from Twitter too.
The site he's taking over used to be an old butcher that had been there for 50 years - and he's stripping it back to how he imagines it would look back in the day. The space will also be the main base for Big Apple's operations (you'll have tried their hot dogs at many a London restaurant too). Cole is spending more of his time away from the cart, so he sees the as his opportunity to connect with people and get ideas for the deli. He'll always be open to new ideas - but the only caveat is that everything must be hand-made.
But this doesn't mean that you won't be able to get hot dogs too. The Big Apple Hot Dogs will be available to take away from the deli and he'll also be looking to expand to serving spit roast lamb on Sundays. They'll have sandwiches (salt beef is planned) coffee and much more besides. He's also looking to link up with chefs to let then do a lunch turn on the cart outside. There will be no rules for the chefs - but they have to use the griddle on the cart.
We think it all sounds really inventive and love the idea of a deli that can evolve based on continuous feedback and help from its customers - and from Twitter.
Cole and Sons will open in early March at 170 Caledonian Road, London N1 OSQ. However, while they're putting the place together, he's happy for people to visit with any ideas they may have.
For more information, follow Big Apple Hot Dogs on Twitter BigAppleHotDogs and @ColeANDsons.
