Almost every major U.S. city has its version of a hot dog. Chicago style is filled with more veggies than a side salad, while New York style hot dogs are typically slathered with sauerkraut and decorated with a generous serving of mustard. But in small town Milton, there is a topping used at a local hot dog shack that may put Milton on the map. That topping is yellow coleslaw, and it’s a condiment offered at Hot Dog Hut on the corner of Stewart Street and Munson Highway in Milton. The hot dog eatery opened up amidst Milton High School’s homecoming parade, and so far, co owner Cristina Pack said the response has been overwhelming. Part of the response, she said, could be due to her secret topping. She said that she isn’t even allowed to know how to make the topping, even though it’s made from scratch at Hot Dog Hut. She also said that the recipe is not found anywhere in the south, that she knows of. Her husband, Roger, stumbled across the find in West Virginia. “He went there to visit in March, and ran across a place just like this,” Pack said. “When he went there, he said he saw people coming in and out of the place just like here.” And somewhere along his travels, Roger ran across yellow coleslaw, and snagged the recipe. And that recipe is whipped up every Sunday by Roger, who still won’t let his wife peak at the ingredients. “He won’t even let me know how to make it,” Pack said. “That’s something he does himself.” On his way back from West Virginia in March, Cristina said Roger passed by the building that sits just across from the Shell Station and Milton High School on Stewart Street and thought it would be the perfect location for Milton’s own hot dog eatery. “This is my husband’s dream,” Cristina said. “He said he saw that building in West Virginia and fell in love with the concept.” Roger also owns Emerald Coast Automotive off of Avalon Boulevard in Milton. Although the hot dog concept is far off from an automotive shop, Cristina said it’s been fun to run. “When he told me about his idea, I told him he was crazy,” Pack said. “But when he got back from West Virginia, he’s been working on it ever since.” Pack said the building, which has sat vacant for months needed extensive renovations to it. She said inspectors gave her and Roger the thumbs up only a week before opening. The hot dog eatery uses Nathan’s all beef hot dogs, and also serves barbecue sandwiches and pretzels Pack said that the eatery should be getting a deep fryer soon so they can make deep fried hot dogs and chili cheese fries. Roger has owned Emerald Coast Automotive off of Avalon Boulevard now for 9 years. Cristina has worked alongside the mechanic for four years now. And despite working at The Hot Dog Hut, she said she’s not quitting her other job any time soon. “I still work there (Emerald Coast Automotive) in the mornings and then come over here to work,” Pack said. Both Roger and Cristina have lived in the area for over 20 years.
Hot dog condiments at Hot Dog Hut: Barbecue sauce Mayonnaise Ketchup Mustard Sweet relish Jalapenos Sport peppers Hot sauce Sauerkraut Tomatoes And of course, Yellow coleslaw
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: One Hot Dawg