NEWPORT NEWS- Jewelanderson Cannon, founder and co-owner of Windy City Wings, a food truck specializing in Chicago-style chicken wings and steak sandwiches, is opening a restaurant in the Jefferson Shoppes on Jefferson Avenue soon.
Cannon, a veteran who originally hails from Southeast Chicago, operates Windy City Wings with the help of his wife, Ayanna Cannon, as well as a friend and business partner, Coman Thomas.
“My wife and I were thinking about names for my food trailer,” Cannon said. “I created something special for people who’ve never visited the south side of Chicago to experience a wonderful flavor of chicken and steak sandwiches, and she ask me what some other names for Chicago are. I instantly said Windy City and she added the Wings. It works.”
In addition to a variety of wings and steak sandwiches (salmon and chicken sandwiches are also available), Windy City Wings also offers Chicago-style hot dogs, Italian sausages, burgers, and other items.
“Windy City Wings provides a taste you are just not going to get anywhere else other than in Chicago,” Cannon said. “We are having a lot of fun while putting smiles on faces and giving our customers an experience they’ve never had before.”
The food truck serves patrons throughout Hampton Roads and Richmond. Cannon anticipates opening the brick-and-mortar establishment in Newport News by the end of December. Eventually, his goal is to franchise the business.
“We’ve had an overwhelming response,” he said. “My wife knew one day we would own a restaurant, and my partner made it happen faster. He is my best friend and we always wanted to put some type of business together. Since we were kids, we’ve done a lot of things together. It was destined to happen this way. He was in a position to match my investment, and, from there, we went building shopping, and now here we are. We invite everyone to come out and try some of the best Chicago cuisines.”