STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Skippy’s hot dog truck disappeared from its usual spot on the Dongan Hills food-scape in September. Dawn LaVigne had pulled the Staten Island staple from its home of 58 years because of a massive DEP project near Jefferson Avenue. Now, she’s found a new, albeit temporary, spot from which to vend — at the corner of Hunter Avenue and Hylan Boulevard, across the street from Signature Bank.
Skippy's is now on Hunter Avenue at Hylan. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)
Monday was her first day back in frank-action.
“People have been very nice,” she said. The Nissan dealership offered her room in their lot. The landlord of an out-of-business bank at Lincoln and Hylan also encouraged her to set up shop on his property. The Advance extended an invitation to work out of the building’s parking lot.
“I’m so happy to see my customers!” enthused a smiling LaVigne. She showed off hot sauces parked on the center console neatly displayed in a new rack. As the name of the truck suggests, Skippy’s is known for its hot dogs. Fixin’s can include kraut, onion, relish, cheese and/or chili, the latter which also is sold separately by the cup. LaVigne sells knishes and soft drinks as well.
Hot sauces in a new rack (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)
And, then there’s the Wally Dog.
The story behind that headliner is a true Staten Island one that an East Shore native such as seventh generation, Midland Beach native LaVigne might relish in the retelling.
The Wally Dog takes its name from Walter “Wally” Curo, the owner of Supercycles at 2190 Hylan Boulevard in Grant City. Wally was at the truck one day in the ’90s buying his usual — a dog with chili and cheese — when suddenly fire engines thundered past.
Inside the food truck (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)
“It was very windy that day,” LaVigne recalls. “Well, it seemed they were going to my house!”
Her grandfather was at home at the time, alone to battle a brush fire that came dangerously close to LaVigne’s house. Wally tended to the truck while its chef ran to check on things. It all turned out OK but LaVigne never forgot the favor.
The Skippy's menu (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)
Another loyalist, “Electric” Eddie DeGorter of Oakwood, directed friends to the new Skippy’s location by explaining that it was currently on the "opposite side of the Boulevard on the right side of the street where Inn By The Wayside was, 10 feet off the corner.” That former bar is another borough institution familiar to long-time residents and natives of the borough who might have grown up with Skippy’s
From the kitchen of her shiny, stainless steel lined 1996 Grumman, LaVigne said she’s been busy these past two days. The Indian summer has been good for customers' appetites.
Skippy’s started on Staten Island in 1962, a Metro International with rounded edges that did not survive Hurricane Sandy in 2012. It was a venture established by LaVigne’s grandparents, Jane and Robert Bellach. The shiny new truck operates from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily except for Sunday and very rainy days.
Pamela Silvestri is Advance Food Editor. She can be reached at silvestri@siadvance.com.
A seat with the Skippy inscription (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)
November 11, 2020 at 06:00PM
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Hey, get your hot dogs — chili, cheese and onions, $2.75 . . . Skippy is back on the Boulevard! - SILive.com
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