WILMINGTON — A food truck has launched in town that centers on a Southern delicacy but also shares in lifelong memories. Cousins Jesse Canady and Josh Hinson opened Fitz’s Biscuits over the weekend.
“We are carrying on our family tradition,” Canady told Port City Daily only hours before the two unveiled the new operation.
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Fitz’s hosted a soft launch at The Brewer’s Kettle, with a small, but simple menu — a burger biscuit (Cock-a-Doodle Moo) chicken biscuit (Birdie) or build-your-own, from egg, bacon, cheese, peanut butter, cream cheese and strawberry jelly. The food truck also serves home fries, coffee and water; a combo is $13 while individual biscuits are priced $9.
The Birdie and Cock-a-Doodle Moo were inspired by Hinson and Canady’s grandparents — Conrad Fitzhue and Birdie Marlene Hinson. A close family, the Hinsons hosted frequent food gatherings at their Wilmington home.
“After we would make burgers and grill them out, the next morning grandpa would make a pan of biscuits and throw a leftover burger, egg and cheese on them and call it a ‘Cock-a-doodle Moo,’” Canady recounted.
The chicken biscuit is an homage to traditional Southern Sunday dinners, which included Birdie’s famous fried chicken. On the biscuit, the chicken is topped with a tangy sauce, egg and cheese.
Aside from the Birdie and Cock-a-doodle Moo, a secret menu item also can be ordered: “The Sweetie.” The biscuit is stuffed with cream cheese and strawberry jelly.
The food truck owners also are toying with specials, but only after they master their baseline menu. Canady said a “Shrimp Dough Boy” has been discussed — essentially a shrimp po’ boy on a biscuit.
Hinson is the chef devising the recipes.
“I think grandma taught him,” Canady said of the biscuits — ”basic, but golden and fluffy.”
A graduate from Cape Fear Community College’s culinary program, Hinson has worked in varied restaurants across the region and also done catering gigs in the film industry. Canady operates his own real-estate business, Salt and Stone Property.
The idea to pair up on Fitz’s came to Canady a year ago, as he was sitting in Jimbo’s Breakfast House. It was 7 a.m. and a nearby diner was getting off from the third shift and asked the server for a burger.
“It took me back to the Cock-a-doodle Moo,” Canady said, noting he hadn’t eaten one in a while. “So I ordered a burger patty, biscuit and egg to make one. Then I thought: ‘Wouldn’t it be great to offer this to others?’”
He called Hinson about venturing into the food truck business.
Over the last year, the two outfitted the mobile unit and put it through proper permitting and inspections.
“It’s actually been a family affair,” Canady said, noting his sister devised the menu design, which also gives insight into their grandparents’ influence and backstory.
Hinson mans the grill, and his sister, DeNae, helps with front-of-the-house operations on the truck.
Canady oversees the finances and scheduling. He plans for Fitz’s to be parked at local breweries and bottle shops at night. Daytime hours, especially mornings, also are in the cards, though the team is still figuring out the best place to park to attract early risers.
“We’ve talked to Eagle Island, some local markets,” Canady said, noting he and Hinson think Fitz’s Biscuits will be rolling out five or six times a week. “We would like to set up as a mobile drive-through on a route to school — where you pop out to order and eat your biscuit on the way. We are going to try and get creative with how to tackle breakfast options.”
The restaurateurs are also open to catering for late-night wedding snacks or as part of a special party or event.
The goal for Canady is to “not recreate the wheel” but shine a light on good food and family.
“They were just the classic Wilmington couple,” he said of Birdie and Fitz. “They lived here starting in the Sixties and would sell peaches on the side of the road and even had a sandwich truck. Carrying on a truck in their honor is a cool legacy.”
To follow Fitz’s biscuits, check them out on social media here.
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