FANOS’ GOOD TRUCK BRINGS UNIQUE FLAVORS TO DICKINSON WINERY

By Ruth Ann Ruiz

The Post Newspaper Features Editor

When was the last time you had a hand-patted sirloin burger, slightly seared on the outside and nicely cooked all the way through complete with cheese, and all the fixings and served with a smile? If you make one at home, it creates quite a splattering. Plus, you can’t see yourself smile.

Problem solved.

The Corner Coop, a new addition to the DUO Winery and Cider parking lot in Dickinson, serves up burgers just like “mom” used to make. Angela Fanos, owner of The Corner Coop has had a loving relationship with food since she was a child, and her customers are now the fortunate recipients of her love and culinary talents. 

“We adore her. The burgers are yummy, and the salads are undefinably good,” said Craig Jarmosco, owner of DUO. 

Born in Galveston and growing up mostly in Texas with some time in New Orleans, Fanos learned to enjoy the variety of cooking found in the Gulf Coast. Growing up in a bi-cultural home, she was immersed in food as a dietary experience and an expression of friendship, joy, and love. 

Fanos recalls the first time she walked into her grandparent’s home at Christmastime and saw a whole pig. “I freaked,” said Fanos. “My uncles, who are from the Philippines, assured me it was okay. We were going to cook and eat the pig,” she shared.

She watched as her family delighted in roasting the pig in the backyard for the holiday celebration. She learned to love food beyond her mother’s side of the family as she was presented with her father’s Greek heritage, and the flavors and aromas from Greece often filled her childhood home.

While just a child, she made up her mind one day she would have her own food establishment. 

She carried her childhood memories with her throughout her adult life and never wavered from her goal to one day have her own restaurant, although she did take a slight detour. Her first career in the airlines industry afforded many opportunities (such as free flying for the rest of her life), and she had time to open her own cupcake shop in Bacliff.

Then she was transferred to Chicago and had to shutter the Naked Cupcakes and head to the chilly shores of Lake Michigan. When COVID struck, she felt stuck and knew it was time to leave the skyways of Chicago and pursue her passion for food. So, she retired and came home to the Gulf Coast of Texas. 

To further develop her culinary skills, Fanos made a trip to Greece this past summer. She tasted and learned authentic recipes which she brought back to serve her customers. 

With 15 years of volunteering at Webster’s Greek Festival in a tight kitchen, Fanos felt confident that a food truck was the best way for her to develop her dream into a full-time career, so she opened her serving window to customers this past October.

Fanos serves up different options each week. She creates her menus around the ethnicities of her childhood and the Gulf Coast. One week she might serve up burritos and the next you might find paninis. Burgers and hot dogs are staples and always on the menu at The Corner Coop. Another staple is her friendly smile and cheerful sprit. 

“The owner is very friendly and has a passion for cooking and making you feel at home. My wife and I have been eating here for weeks because the food is delicious,” said one customer.

Another customer said, “Angela is so welcoming and is a fantastic chef.”

For the future, Fanos plans to open her serving window to breakfast patrons. Right now, she is serving Thursdays through Sundays with her grill ready to sear a burger or grill a panini starting at 5:00pm. 

While she does not roast pigs, she does still gather with her extended family for special events that often include pig roasting.