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New vendor puts the snap in hot dogs downtown

Jonathan Ferrell, owner of the Hoggogs hot dog stand, puts together one of his signature sausage sandwiches at his stand in Governor's Square in Middletown, Ohio Friday June 9, 2011. Staff photo by Pat Auckerman

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By Jessica Heffner, Staff Writer 8:46 PM Sunday, June 12, 2011

MIDDLETOWN — A new food vendor downtown may have you proclaiming “hot dog!”

Resident Jonathan Ferrell was a teacher until he found himself laid off after the latest round of cuts at Lakota. He decided to use it as an opportunity to pursue his dream of owning a restaurant.

Like most dreams, his started small — hot dog cart small. The stainless steel push cart and yellow umbrella were a Craigslist find. His 4-year-old-son Jackson helped come up with the name, proclaiming “Daddy, I want a hoggog.”

From there, Ferrell said he used his love of food to feed his creativity.

“You have to ask the question who doesn’t like a hot dog? Most people who don’t just don’t know what a good hot dog is,” Ferrell said.

Americans eat 20 billion hot dogs a year, according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council. Five minutes standing outside of Ferrell’s cart, you’ll know why.

It’s the savory aroma and snap of his deli-fresh New Jersey snappy dogs — a natural casing dog that comes in links he specially orders. Those craving beef can get the pure-beef dog and or savor Ferrell’s answer to big appetites — a quarter-pound pork bratwurst.

And toppings? Forget about it. From Chicago to North Carolina-style dogs, from the traditional mustard, chili and cheese to tomatoes, pickles, slaw and sport peppers, Ferrell has it all.

“You can put the kitchen sink on it,” he said.

“When you bite into it and you get hit with the snap and the flavor of this hot dog you’ll say this is the hot dog I’ve been missing out on.”

Thanks to the new iPhone app, those short on cash can use a credit card and receive a receipt via text message or email. But either way, you won’t need much money: prices start at just $2 and top out at $5 for a combo meal.

“I keep my prices low because I don’t want customers to worry about spending a lot of money to get a good dog,” Ferrell said.

You’ll find the Hoggog cart at Governor’s Square Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

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