MANSFIELD ─ The smell of Darrell Smith’s deep-fried food easily attracts groups of customers.
His food truck, Smitty’s & Co., has been in operation since 2018, according to the owner. Popular items include buffalo fry, Smitty fry, Smitty chicken sandwich and deep-fried salmon.
Smith said he had the buffalo fry at a restaurant in San Diego years ago. He brought the idea back to Ohio, tweaked it and created his own dish comprising a bed of fries topped with chicken, cheese and homemade buffalo sauce.
The sauce was so popular customers asked him to bottle and sell it separately, Smith said.
Customer Sheri Bailey said she rarely bought food from a food truck before trying Smith’s food. She became a fan of Smitty fry, which has everything in buffalo fry plus BBQ sauce, after the first time trying it.
Bailey also said she has heard nothing but good things about the number of deep-fried mushrooms people can get for only $5.
Smith, known as “Dee Smitty,” said he learned cooking from Joy Mack, his grandmother. Mack cooked for the family for a long time before she passed away several years ago.
Whenever her children and grandchildren went over to her house on holidays, Mack always made sure everyone had great food, according to Smith.
He inherited the spirit from his grandmother and marked the saying “Food made with love” on the counter of his food truck.
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to close last March, Smith collaborated with several community members and initiated Operation: 1,000 lunch. Smitty’s & Co., along with other food businesses, provided and distributed brown bag lunches to 1,000 students in need.
Smith said he has also partnered with 419 Barbershop for a back-to-school drive. They collected school supplies such as folders, papers and pencils for parents to pick up for their children.
On June 19, right after Juneteenth became a federal holiday, Smith co-hosted a celebration at John Todd Park with vendors, informational booths and giveaways available.
He said the organizers plan to start a Juneteenth Festival committee to hold the event annually.
“I just feel like they are needed,” Smith said of his participation in the community. “Like the way to be successful with anything, you find the need and then you fill the need.”
Although he said he didn’t benefit financially from those events, Smith keeps doing them because they are essential to the community.
“You can make as much money as you can, but if you don’t help (those in need), I feel like you’re not fulfilling the purpose,” he said.
Besides Mansfield, Smitty’s & Co. goes to Crestline, Bucyrus and Ashland from time to time, Smith said. Those interested can check the business’ Facebook page or Street Food Finder to check its schedule.
