Deaf chef inspires, plans new restaurant ‘Def burger’ in north St. Pete
/Anna Cerney, PICTURED, STARTED DEF BURGERS WITH HER FATHER AND BUSINESS PARTNER, Brian Cerney. | DEF BURGER
Anna Cerney carefully watches the grill as she flips burgers and prepares toppings, timing everything to be fresh and hot for every customer to their exact liking despite a language barrier - Cerney is deaf.
Cerney, who's overcome a history of restaurant operators doubting her skillset due to deafness, is proving to the world that she is more than capable of serving up delicious burgers and other dishes out of her Def burger food truck in St. Petersburg.
"I like developing relationships with my customers. If there's something wrong, I will know because I will read their reactions," said Cerney, who's a perfectionist at heart.
Her father and business partner, Brian Cerney, acts as an interpreter.
The food truck, parked at 1506 54th Avenue North, is wrapped with the "Def burger" business name in a graffiti-style font, images of fries and tacos, and visual menus listing ingredients for those with allergies.
The Def burger food truck is currently parked at 1506 54th Ave. N. where Anna and Brian Cerney have inked a lease for a brick-and-mortar space. | veronica brezina
The Cerneys are doing test runs as they await their final inspection, which is required to receive their Florida food truck license. They expect to obtain it soon.
Although Brian continues to serve as Anna's primary interpreter, Anna doesn't want the hearing population to heavily rely on Brian to break the communication barrier. A monitor is next to the service window, teaching those interested how to do basic signing to order food items.
"A lot of kids will watch the video and order for themselves in sign language, and parents will be surprised," Anna said.
Anna, who was raised in Russia and learned English and American Sign Language, understands some may have difficulty signing. She previously taught ASL to young children.
The Cerneys recently inked a lease for the sole remaining 2,250-square-foot unit in the neighboring retail plaza owned by Robert Blackmon | blackmon properties
Def burger has paper-printed menus for customers to circle the food they want, preferences, and sides such as loaded baked potato skins, garlic parmesan fries, and fried pickles.
Anna highly recommends her Def burger stacked with a quarter pound of ground beef cooked well-done, topped with remoulade sauce, provolone cheese, and Anna's popular slaw delivered on a sesame seed bun.
She also serves tacos, beef hot dogs, quesadillas, and sandwiches.
"We don't want people to go to Def burger for only the food. We want people to go to Def burger for Anna to cook them their food. They know the chef and that she'll take care of them," Brian said.
The Def burger is made with a quarter pound of ground beef cooked well-done, topped with remoulade sauce, provolone cheese, slaw, and delivered in a sesame seed bun. | DEF BURGER
The Cerneys recently inked a lease for the sole remaining 2,250-square-foot unit in the neighboring retail plaza owned by Robert Blackmon, a former city councilmember and developer.
Following the official launch of the food truck, the goal is to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant later this year in the space and hire workers in the non-hearing community.
In the plaza, Def burger will join existing tenants Spindrift Aesthetics, Fem Iron Infusion Center, Bayview Barber Co., and 54th Avenue Hair Studio.
"We are thrilled to have Def burger at the Hillside Center and to have the Cerney family in St. Petersburg. Their entrepreneurial mission is emblematic of the St. Pete way, turning their unique story into an interesting and inclusive business," Blackmon said.
Def burgers' space was originally home to Hillside Sundries when the plaza opened in 1957.
A PHOTO OF THE NEW SIGN AT HILLSIDE CENTER | BLACKMON PROPERTIES
"During renovation, we uncovered and restored the original terrazzo flooring, hidden under gobs of glue and carpet. Def burger is the realization of adaptive reuse, combining old and new," Blackmon said.
The Cerneys are fundraising $10,000 to cover the costs of new kitchen equipment for the space. To learn more visit the GoFundMe page here.
The duo formerly operated their culinary business for over a year at a brewery in Georgia and attended numerous festivals and events.
Def burger expects to open soon in a food truck at 1506 54th Avenue North, where they are building a permanent location that is set to open later this year. They will be open Monday through Saturday from 11AM to 8PM. For more information, visit their website.
