ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, March 7, 1996 TAG: 9603070070
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: off the clock
SOURCE: CHRIS HENSON
``I like what you do with food, baby,'' says Tom Waits, staring at a party platter in the movie ``Short Cuts.'' ``It's like a little show.''
Call it delicious, call it quick, call it the greatest show on a plate. Just don't call it fast food.
``We prefer gourmet food that's served in a flash,'' says co-owner and chef Terri Dickinson at Fast Freddy's in the food court of the Roanoke City Market Building.
And, by golly, it is.
Step up and tell them you want blackened chicken on red beans and rice, and you're eating it in less than five minutes. Same with the pastas, meatloaf and high-end sandwiches.
``We developed a cream sauce that we have complete confidence in,'' says co-owner Dan Malloy. Sauces have a habit of breaking down as they cool, losing effectiveness. It took a couple of months to perfect.
``In other words, if you're delivering 15 minutes away, it holds good,'' he said.
It's a wonder nobody thought of it sooner, really. Quick gourmet food for people on the go.
``It's happening in other areas,'' says Dickinson. ``We've read articles on it. And in big cities you can get quality food at the drive through.''
Along about 11 every weekday morning, Fast Freddy's is a blur of sauces, noodles, flames and skillets. A crowd of customers surrounds the counter and Dan Malloy is in ``show'' mode, whipping around with the orders and serving up lasagna, eggplant parmigiana and oven roasted potatoes.
``The market was the best place to get our feet wet in the Roanoke area,'' says Malloy.
In just over a year the business has grown enough to support a second location, this time in Salem. Fast Freddy's will open a full-fledged sit-down and drive-through gourmet restaurant on the corner of Fourth and Main in the next few weeks. ``We're right across from the duck pond,'' says Dickinson.
Drive-through is going to be tricky. The goal is to provide service in under 4 minutes.
``We know we can't compete with McDonald's or Wendy's or Burger King,'' says Malloy. ``But their burgers have normally been sitting out 5 or 6 minutes before you even think about pulling into the drive-through. We're going to be cooking to the order.
``And the secret is, there is no secret. Just diligent hard work. You've got to get the food cooking as the order is coming out of the customer's mouth. It's the urgency of the moment.
``And I think that's one of the things that turns the customer on about us. They don't know the dilemmas we face trying to get more of a gourmet product out to them. But they see that we're moving and hustling and trying the hardest that we can.''
Meanwhile, during the warmer months, Malloy operates a pushcart food stand on the Market every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. He's there serving up late-night munchies.
``It started out and it was a lot of fun,'' he says. ``And then it turned into business, you know. We say we'll be open until 3 a.m., but a lot of times I'm out there 'til 4.''
When the cart opens up again around the beginning of April, Malloy will have something new for his customers.
``Being from the New York area, and growing up at Shea Stadium, I fell in love with the Sabbrete Hot Dog,'' he says. ``We've found someone who's going to bring the Sabbrete in for us. It's a kosher, all-beef frank. If you have to sit through several seasons of the Mets losing, the only thing that'll get you through is a Sabbrete Hot Dog.
``The key, I think in the market today, is diversification of your menu,'' he says. ``We plan on having over 90 food items in Salem. We're putting in a line of Greek food.''
``We're going to do 100 percent ground chuck burgers,'' adds Dickinson.
``And, our seven cheeses are all real cheese,'' says Malloy.
You get the picture. Heck, you can probably smell the picture by now.
``We fax out our specials to 50 places every morning,'' says Malloy. That just adds to the business.
``I come in at 6 in the morning, sometimes 5. And the whole time I'm working, I'm thinking how much fun lunch is going to be.''
Dickinson and Malloy are obviously excited about the new Salem shop, as well as their growing catering business. And while the tiny counter in the Market Building may have gotten their ``feet wet,'' it's also grown on them.
``We love it,'' says Malloy. ``I like the people and the response. You know, every day at 11 o'clock it's like showtime.''
Last month I wrote about a little game called ``Makin' Bacon,'' wherein players try to connect any actor, through movie roles and co-stars, to the center of the acting universe...Kevin Bacon. I stated that Sam Giles and Mark Nelson, of the now eerily defunct WROV "Morning Show,'' had introduced the game to the Roanoke Valley.
Hold everything! Craig Wright of WFIR called me up to say he's been ``Makin' Bacon'' for years on a radio show, that I knew about it and that he has the tapes to prove it.
You see, I used to work at a movie theater. Craig interviewed me several times on his ``Movie Talk'' show. It was great fun. But apparently we talked openly about Kevin on the air one Sunday afternoon. I have not heard the tapes and there still seems to be some confusion about what I knew and when I knew it. I'll be very anxious if those tapes suddenly appear in my library.
Meanwhile, my father, an historian, was able to connect Kevin Bacon through his role in the movie "JFK" to subsequent political figures and ultimately to English philosopher, essayist and statesman Francis Bacon (1561-1626).
Game over. Pick up your toys and go home.
LENGTH: Long : 103 linesby CNB