Nisa, 51, and Freddie, “mid-50s,” own and operate Sista’s Chicken & Fish, a food trailer serving in Madison since the spring of 2020. They were married in 1999 and have four children. Nisa exudes an easygoing warmth that is not at all surprising from someone who has worked as a child care provider for nearly 30 years. Freddie has a gentle disarming laugh.They both are passionate about cooking, and the enthusiasm that they project when talking about menu development is infectious. Family is central to both their personal and professional lives — Sista’s Chicken and Fish is staffed entirely by family members. They set up at various places around town, and are reliable fixtures on Fridays in the Labor Temple parking lot on South Park Street.
What did it feel like opening up in the middle of the pandemic? Were you afraid?
Freddie: We were afraid. Because it only takes a couple of bad reviews or comments or something to go wrong with a new business. That’s all we needed — somebody to say “I was infected or I came in contact [with the virus]. So that was kind of scary. We had to toss that around back and forth. “Do we really want to do this?” It was a learning curve. It kind of put us in a situation that had us on our toes. We didn’t miss a lot of stuff that we may have missed during regular times. It was our first time out, [and] it probably was helter-skelter.
Nisa: I was ready to go. Freddie was a little apprehensive. But I’m like, come on. All we can do is try. If it doesn’t work, it is what it is. You know, we won’t know if it will work if we don’t try. So let’s go. We got out. And it was crazy. There weren’t very many restaurants you could go into. Everything was shut down. So that first week, we were swamped. It was ridiculous. It was me, Freddie, my son and my daughter — once we got the flow of it, it was OK.
I don’t know how to cook small. Because we have a family of six — me, four kids, and then my husband — and then extended family members. I’m a certified childcare provider as well. So during this time, between four and six p.m., I probably have about eleven mouths to feed. So I don’t know how to cook small.
Freddie’s been in the food service business. I’ve never worked in food service. I’ve always been the home cook. And I’ve always had people asking me, “Can you make me some of this? Can you make me some of that?” So that’s how it started, I would cater things for people who didn’t know how to make macaroni and cheese or who didn’t know how to make etouffe or jambalaya.
What is your favorite dish that you’ve cooked?
Freddie: Alligator. The guy that we ordered from was a nice dude. My nephew ordered it, and the guy gave him a recipe. We soaked it in seasoned buttermilk for about a day, then we rubbed it down, soaked it in whiskey and ice and seasoning for another day, rinsed it off, and put a dry rub on it, wrapped it in bacon and we smoked it. And that was probably the wildest thing we’ve done so far.
What is your favorite part about service?
Nisa: I like the conversations. Every day is something different. You know, people will come to the truck so excited to get something. It’s those conversations like, you know, we’re not strangers. Just seeing their faces smiling, laughing. That’s the best part for me. I walk away, my ankles hurt. My back is cracking. But it’s rewarding to see we actually made somebody’s day.
What do you want people to know about what you do?
Freddie: We don’t do it because we have to. We do it because we enjoy it, and it’s something we want to do. We really enjoy the opportunity to cook.
Nisa: At the end of the day, you gotta care about what you’re doing. And care about the food. And the love that I put into those little cakes, and the catfish batter. I want people to know what I’m giving them. I’m giving them a lot of love and a little piece of me. Because the same things they get from the truck, that’s what I cook for my kids, my family.
