Daryl Cooper, the most recent evening resident popping up at The Yolk in 7^th Street Public Market, started his business serving brunch. He launched a food truck, called The Cookin’ Coop, back in July of 2016 serving dishes such as fried French toast bites, BLTs with fried green tomatoes, and chicken and waffles. On the side of the truck is his logo, a chicken with shades and a flat brim hat, and because of that, Cooper was constantly asked whether he served chicken.

Tired of explaining he was a brunch truck, he decided to shift focus to chicken sandwiches a year and a half ago.

“That’s working way better than brunch,” Cooper says.

After graduating from Johnson & Wales in 2012, Cooper worked locally in restaurants, hotels, and country clubs. He decided to go out on his own, and financially, he says, launching a food truck was the most affordable thing to do, costing about a tenth of what he’d pay to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant. He found a food truck on eBay, and flew out to Los Angeles to pick it up. After replacing the battery and tires, he hit the road — only to break down in rural Texas. After waiting all night and into the morning for AAA to get there with something big enough to tow the food truck, Cooper was advised by a mechanic to scrap the whole thing. The engine was old, and it would be hard to track down a replacement, let alone a good one.

Two weeks after searching online, Cooper found a replacement engine and had it shipped to the mechanic. Six or seven months after buying the truck, Cooper finally had it in Charlotte.

With each paycheck, he’d buy a new piece of equipment until The Cookin’ Coop was finally ready to hit the road. His chicken sandwiches, made with brined breast meat, can be ordered fried or grilled.

Popping up in the market, Cooper says, has allowed him to try new things he didn’t have the space or equipment for on the food truck, like hand-cut fries and elevated toppings. The Cookin’ Coop will be at 7^th Street Public Market after 3:30 p.m. through July 28. He also hopes to gain a bigger following in his time there, giving him a larger customer base when he reopens the food truck.

Planning your first visit? Cooper says to order to O.G., his original sandwich. Served topped with thick-cut bacon, cheddar cheese, pickles, and a homemade bourbon barbecue sauce, it’s a hearty sandwich that I could finish only half of, but maybe that’s because I ordered it with the delicious fries topped with crab gravy and couldn’t stop eating them. See those below. —Kristen Wile

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