Meet the woman bringing some New York City flavor to the Fashion District Mall in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A female chef is serving up some New York City flavor at the Fashion District Mall in Center City.
At Dawn Demry's restaurant, The Little Hot Dog Wagon at the Fashion District Mall, she's serving up beef and vegan links straight off the grill topped with her famous homemade all-natural kraut.
"It's a topping, it's a side dish, it's an appetizer, it's a marinade," Demry said.
As you'd imagine from the name, The Little Hot Dog wagon started as just that – a wagon.
Demry says after being laid off from her job in 2018, she hit the pavement with her hot dog cart in New York City.
She's popped up on college campuses, street fairs and her most prominent location on 123rd Street and Lenox Avenue in Harlem – attracting notable customers like Dapper Dan.
And it was her customers who encouraged her to open a restaurant.
"Listening to my community, my Harlem community [who said], 'Girl, Dawn, you need to have a restaurant, you need to expand,' so, I listened," Demry said.
Kendra James, the marketing manager of the Fashion District Mall, said The Little Hot Dog Wagon is currently the only Black woman-owned restaurant in Center City.
"She's really making a statement and I think it's going to be a launching pad for other people to see they can also establish businesses in Center City, which is a thriving part of the city," James said.
"People are saying, 'Dawn you inspire me,' and ironically it's a lot of women," Demry said.
Demry is indeed an inspiration – she's a mother, a breast cancer survivor and a successful entrepreneur.
"I just go for it. I don't let anything stop me," Demry said. "I say no to nothing, and I feel like there's nothing I can't do."