The beginning
How it started
The story of Lucky Lou (Louis T. Camassa) begins with a career change. A layoff in a time when no one was hiring. Not one to be deterred, he took this opportunity to become an entrepreneur.
He invested his life savings to purchase a beat-up camper and converted it into a hot dog truck. You see, in New York, hot dog trucks were strategically located on all major highways. During summer weekend trips to the Hamptons, you’re guaranteed to see a few hot dog trucks with lines of people waiting to be served.
With some elbow grease and the generous help of his friends, he converted the camper into a cute little hot dog making machine!
Life as a food truck vendor is demanding. You get moving at the crack of dawn to get supplies and travel to your location. For prep, you need to setup up your umbrellas, picnic tables, and get everything you can cooked.
You meet a lot of interesting people and create friendships that last a lifetime. Food has a magical way of connecting people.
After a few years on the road, Lucky met “Sal”, an owner of a small luncheonette in Ronkonkoma. Sal encouraged Lucky to ditch the hot dog truck and invest in a brick-and-mortar location.
Another step
Maria & Lou's Luncheonette
Lucky found an outdated luncheonette in Centereach, New York. He bought the lease and started renovations. He recruited some of the friends that helped him on the hot dog truck and transformed the old 1950’s style look into a modern-day luncheonette. He served breakfast and lunch, everything from hamburgers to egg creams, and of course, rice pudding.
He hosted oldies nights, where it wasn’t uncommon to see vintage cars pack the parking lot. Free turkey dinners were held during Thanksgiving to provide for those who didn’t have family or friends to celebrate with.
He hosted events for charities, and catered activities for the fire department. He forged strong relationships with those in the community and created an extensive network of friends.
There was Scotty the fire department chief, Andy the Greek, Bob the priest, Nelson the homeless man who always came by right before closing to get a hot meal. Over the years, Lucky developed relationships with a lot of people. He shared in their life and provided more than a tasty meal, but a friendly place to visit, kick-back, and have fun.
Despite the large menu, and variety of “specials”, rice pudding always made people smile. It was the finishing touch to a hearty meal. 8 years later, Lucky sold the luncheonette, going back into the workforce. His friends kept in touch, mostly to order rice pudding for family festivities or special events!
Lucky Lou's Will
Make Your Day
We are going to make breakfast, lunch, and snacks more interesting: tastier, healthier—as a staple part of every meal and as a delightful tasty treat during the day!
After years of cooking rice pudding for family and friends, a local 7-Eleven got a taste of the goods and asked him to get serious and start producing for retail sales. And so, Lucky Lou’s Gourmet Rice Pudding was born.
Today, Lucky Lou’s Gourmet Rice Pudding is still all about family and friends.
