Gordon Woodworth (2021)
Pete Casertino and his sister Rita Young will turn their cousin's Graffoodi food trailer it into Pete's Paddy Wagon.
Former Glens Falls Police detective Pete Casertino is finally fulfilling what he calls his lifelong dream: he bought a food trailer.
Casertino partnered with his sister, Saratoga Springs attorney Rita Young, to buy their cousin’s Graffoodi food trailer, and plans to open this spring with a new name, Pete’s Paddy Wagon, a nod to Casertino’s longtime occupation.
“Our mother was in the food service business [the Elderly Nutrition Program in Saratoga] and both Rita and I started in the restaurant business before we started our careers,” Casertino told FoothillsBusinessDaily.com.
They both worked for their mother and also at Professor Moriarty’s on Broadway in Saratoga Springs. Casertino worked at Massie’s in South Glens Falls for eight years.
He retired from the Glens Falls Police Department in August of 2019 after 23 years as Detective Lieutenant. He now works as a school resource officer for the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in the Whitehall School District. Young owns Rita M. Young & Associates, LLC.
She said her brother has been eager to start.
“We are very much looking forward to it,” Young said.
Casertino said they will repaint the trailer and get a bigger truck to tow it.
In the meantime, Young is creating an LLC and handling the legal requirements, which can be time consuming.
Jack Celeste, who owns and operates Coach’s Corner Food Truck locally, said most local municipalities require a permit if you sell to the public. Glens Falls, for instance, charges $700 a year. But truck vendors who provide a service to a private business, as Celeste does, do not need the permit, he said.
During organized events such as food truck round-ups at the Shirt Factory this summer, the organizer pays for permits, and owners of the “Mobile Food Units,” as Glens Falls calls the trucks and trailers, pay the organizer to be a part of the event.
Celeste said the biggest obstacle is getting certified by the state Department of Health. He said he filled out the required paperwork, paid a $30 fee, and then a DOH inspector came to check his vehicle. They also check for insurance on the truck and trailer, and vendors need to have working fire extinguishers inspected every six months, Celeste said.
Stories in a number of websites say the DOH permissions can be lengthy. After a year, you need to apply again, Celeste said.
“They can come check on you at any time to make sure you’re doing things properly,” Celeste said.
While Casertino said Young is handling the legal side, and he breathed a sigh of relief when she agreed to partner, he added, they are also planning menus.
They will likely offer classic American comfort food and healthy vegetarian options, and probably some Italian food items in a nod to their heritage.
“I’ve already gotten calls for graduation parties,” Casertino said, adding “I have some of our Mom’s old cookbooks that I’m going through.”
But he said they would be flexible. If a customer wants Tex-Mex, they will do Tex-Mex.
“We plan to do private parties, festivals and some car shows that my cousin did when he had the trailer,” he said.