From all-American finance to all-American food, Josh Gatewood, owner of Yankee Doodle Dandy’s Food Truck, left his life on Wall Street behind to follow his culinary dream.
Josh’s journey to opening Yankee Doodle Dandy began in the corporate world. After graduating with his masters in International Business from the University of South Carolina, went to work at the Michelin headquarters doing quality control, and later moved on to work at Delta’s headquarters in Georgia. The allure of Wall Street called Josh to New York City in 2011, where he worked at John Thomas Financial on the trader floor.
Photo: Courtesy of Yankee Doodle Dandy’s Facebook
Wall Street’s siren song soon fell on deaf ears, and Josh found himself longing for a new direction. “I was looking for anything else to do,” he reminisced. Josh came up with the concept for Yankee Doodle Dandy’s after noticing the lack of authentic southern fried chicken restaurants in the northeast. “I went to school in Tennessee and graduate school in South Carolina, and there’s really good fried chicken restaurants that are just not here in the northeast,” said Josh.
Josh began doodling logo designs and pitching restaurant names to Wall Street suits, wavering between Yankee’s Chicken and Yankee Doodle Dandy’s. However, after living in New York City for eight months without income, Josh found himself strapped for cash and without capital for his new business. His solution? Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. There is money to be made in televised game shows, and Josh was ready to take his share. Josh took the 30 question application exam and crossed his fingers, hoping to hear his number called. At this point, he had quit the Wall Street firm and found himself working in a Western Store and living off food stamps with a mere $200 to his name. “I wouldn’t say I was depressed, but kind of. The only thing that kept me going was Tennessee Football….I was so discouraged at that point.”
After three heartbreaking rejections, Josh decided to leave the City behind and returned home to Tennessee. On Friday September 21, 2012 Josh packed up his Toyota Camry and drove straight through to Knoxville. Josh settled in back home, even attending a Tennessee v Florida football game at his alma matter with his sister, ready to leave his New York City life behind. However, New York was not ready to give up on Josh. On Monday morning, just three days after arriving home, Josh got the call he was waiting for. Josh made it into the contestant pool, bringing him one step closer to fulfilling his dream of opening a fried chicken restaurant. He had to be back in the City by Wednesday, just two days away. “I was freaking out,” Josh said, “I was all down. It was great to be back in Knoxville, but it was just the time I needed something like that.” One suitcase and two mega busses later, Josh was back in New York, determined to make his dream a reality.
Photo: Courtesy of http://yankeedoodledandys.wix.com/yankee#!about_us/c1se
After making it through countless interviews and test screenings, Josh was set to air on the show’s Halloween episode. With a little luck and a knack for obscure knowledge, Josh made it to the $100,000 question. “How did they make the sound of the boulder in Indiana Jones?” He had $43,600 in the bank and he was stumped. He had used up all of his lifelines, and after calling on his finance background to do a quick risk analysis, Josh decided he would flip a penny and guess. “I reached into my pocket to get a penny, but I couldn’t find one,” Josh said, “This is going to be really redneck, but I [had] a dip can. So I pulled out a can of Copenhagen and [said] if it lands on the top side, I guess, if it lands on the bottom I’ll walk away. So I flipped it, and it landed on the top, and I was wrong.” While he didn’t walk away a millionaire, Josh did walk away with $25,000 in his pocket, the capital to bring his idea to fruition.
Josh now had the money, what he needed was the skill. Josh once again returned home to Tennessee to work in an authentic southern fried chicken restaurant to learn the in’s and out’s of this southern delicacy.
The idea for the food truck came to Josh while visiting a girlfriend at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. Students flocked to the food trucks that lined the campus. Seeing the popular brick and mortar alternative, it occurred to Josh, “I could do my restaurant in a food truck.”
With his idea quickly shaping into a feasible endeavor, Josh moved back to New York City, where he found a food truck for sale on Craigslist. “When I saw it it was like Napoleon finding the perfect battlefield. It was like, this is perfect.” Without trying to look to eager, Josh negotiated a price and was soon the proud owner of Yankee Doodle Dandy’s first food truck. “Next thing you know I’m on the streets.” In November 2013, Yankee Doodle Dandy officially opened for business, bringing authentic southern inspired cuisine to the Big Apple.
Today Josh has made quite the name for himself in the culinary industry. His attention to detail and devotion to traditional southern cooking techniques elevates his food far above his competitors, transporting you to the old south with every bite. Specializing in friend chicken tenders, Josh cooks up the juiciest, most delectable chicken you will find Downtown.
Photo: Courtesy of http://yankeedoodledandys.wix.com/yankee
His signature dish, the Winner Winner, epitomizes southern cooking. With four perfectly cooked tenders, Texas toast, crispy fries, and their incredible Spirit of 76 sauce, this classic dish will have you coming back for more. Josh, who develops recipes and cooks, recommends dipping the fries in the Spirit of 76 sauce for a delicious bite.
Yankee Doodle Dandy’s can usually be found in the South Street Seaport area, but you can also track the truck’s location on their Facebook. For more information on Yankee Doodle Dandy’s or to book for catering, visit their website.
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