AUDIO TRANSCRIPT: Jillie Dogs serves comfort food and tribute to customers
Sofia Destaso: The people of Syracuse love their hot dogs.
Kelly Blute: I like having both ketchup and mustard on my hotdogs.
Destaso: For many of these discriminating eaters one place has become their hot dog go-to— not just for the food, but for the people behind it. It’s a food truck that belongs to John Bertolero who took a gamble on it.
John Bertolero: When we first started we were having a hard time getting jobs.
Destaso: But, the business slowly grew and what set Jillie Dogs apart was a simple recipe, created at home by John’s wife Jillie.
Bertolero: We would go up to Rooties all the time and one day we were having their Texas Hotsauce. Jillie was like I think I can do better, and I’m like alright. So she started putting stuff together trying a little bit of this and a little bit of that. And she nailed it and came up with that Texas hot sauce, we call it Jillie sauce.
Destaso: That special ingredient — that Jillie Sauce, was their ticket to success. It turned everyday hotdogs into delicacies. Customer Kelly Blute says it is the reason she keeps coming back.
Blute: Their sauce is really what sets them apart.
Destaso: But four years ago life took an unexpected turn.
Bertolero: I’ve known her since freshman year of high school okay, dating all the way through, married, 32 years of marriage. Working side by side. So when she passed away you know it just kind of left a huge void.
Destaso: The business they created — the life they created was suddenly gone. John knew he’d never forget Jillie, but he wanted to find a way to create something that would keep her name and that special sauce alive for everyone. That’s when the food truck, Jillie Dogs was born.
Bertolero: It means a lot because obviously we started it to honor Jill, keep her legacy, her name going.
Destaso: Of course, it’s that one-of-a kind sauce that makes a visit to the truck so special, but a big part of Jillie Dogs is the amount of love that goes into every hot dog they sell.
Bertolero: So we came up with all these different kinds of hot dogs with all these different toppings. And instead of just calling them any name you know for a different kind of hot dog, what we did is we named them after different family members that were important to Jill.
Blute: My favorite is the Nash hotdog.
Destaso: And Jillie’s legacy lives on, not just through the name, but through the people who keep coming back. People like Russ Zadke, who’s been supporting John and the truck for a year now.
Zadke: Talking to John and learning about him and Jill. And just being a part of the community and supporting each other. He supports us, we support him.
Blute says the hot dogs are becoming an addiction.
Blute: I don’t even plan on getting food sometimes, kind of just happens because the hot dogs are so good.
Destaso: For John, Jillie Dogs is a way for him to keep Jillie’s spirit alive and a way to heal, one hot dog at a time.
Bertolero: It’s important to me because it helped me kind of recover. I know she’s looking over me right now and I know she’s watching. I know she is happy with what we have done, what we have accomplished so far.
Destaso: Reporting for N-C-C News, I’m Sofia Destaso
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC NEWS) — One Syracuse food truck is drawing customers for more than just its menu. Jillie Dogs has become a local favorite not only for its signature sauce, but also for the deeply personal story behind it.
The truck is owned by John Bertolero, who launched the business after taking a chance on the food truck industry. In the early days, he said, success was far from guaranteed.
“When we first started, we were having a hard time getting jobs,” Bertolero said.
What sets Jillie Dogs apart is a homemade recipe developed in Bertolero’s kitchen by his wife, Jillie. Inspired by Texas hot sauce served in restaurants, she began experimenting with her own version.
“She started putting stuff together, a little of this and a little of that,” Bertolero said. “She nailed it.”
The result, now known as “Jillie Sauce,” turned standard hot dogs into a signature item. Customers like Kelly Blute say the sauce keeps them coming back.
“Their sauce is really what sets them apart,” Blute said.
But four years ago, the business — and Bertolero’s life — changed forever when Jillie died. The couple had been together since high school, married for more than three decades and had worked side by side building their livelihood.
“When she passed away, it left a huge void,” Bertolero said.
Determined to preserve her memory, Bertolero transformed the food truck into a tribute. Jillie Dogs was created to keep her name, her recipe and her spirit alive.
“It means a lot because we started it to honor Jill and keep her legacy going,” he said.
That legacy extends beyond the sauce. Many of the truck’s specialty hot dogs are named after family members who were important to Jillie, adding another layer of meaning to the menu.
Customers say the sense of community is as strong as the food itself. Russ Zadke, a regular at the food truck, said supporting Jillie Dogs feels personal.
“Talking to John and learning about him and Jill — it’s about being part of the community and supporting each other,” Zadke said.
For college students like Blute, the hot dogs have become hard to resist.
“I don’t even plan on getting food sometimes,” she said. “It kind of just happens.”
For Bertolero, every hot dog served is a step toward healing and remembrance.
“It helped me recover,” he said. “I know she’s watching, and I know she’s happy with what we’ve accomplished.”