St. Pete chef who is deaf takes new approach to food truck orders

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A new food truck in St. Petersburg has a different way of taking customers’ orders. Rather than telling the staff what you want, you fill out the menu.

The chef and CEO, Anna Cerney, is deaf, and she said she wants her business to inspire others. Her dad, Brian Cerney, is her interpreter and business partner.

Anna said some of her bosses in the past doubted her because she’s deaf, so she started her own business, opening Def burger in 2021. 

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"That was our goal, to serve the community and include the increased opportunities for communication both ways, help hearing people know how to communicate with deaf people, and give deaf people the opportunity to demonstrate that they can do anything," Anna Cerney said.

She said cooking is her life’s passion.

"I have a heart for cooking, the taste, texture, smells, the overall experience of food," Anna Cerney said. "And so, I enjoy watching people who enjoy the food. So, I like to see their expressions and how they're experiencing it. That gives me more feedback than anything."

They recently moved from Georgia to St. Pete, wanting to live somewhere warmer near the beach. They opened their doors at 54th Avenue North and 16th Street North on Wednesday.

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"This location lets us have a lunch crowd," she said. "We happened to be two blocks away from the Northeast High School. So, we're looking at an after-school, service crowd. We'll see how many kids are interested in our food, and then there'll be the evening crowd."

Customers can choose between burgers, tacos, wings, fries, their famous coleslaw and other options.

"We ask you to write things down or use your phone or gestures or sign language," Anna Cerney said, talking about the ordering process.

She and her dad are also renovating a suite in the shopping center next door. They hope to open a brick-and-mortar Def burger in the next several months and then travel to events with the food truck.

Right now, Anna and her dad are the only employees.

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"Once we are able to afford hiring other people, we want people who sign, preferably deaf. They don't have to be deaf, but we need to be able to communicate easily on the truck. And so, the idea is to hire from the deaf community as much as we can. We need people to prep food, people to learn how to be, an excellent chef and we will train and get them there," she said.

The food truck is open Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.