Nija Wiggins is the owner of food cart, Corneey’s, which sells freshly prepared gourmet corn-centric items, and she is on a mission to establish her corn creations, writes Mike Newall for The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

Her creations include deep-fried corn on the cob, jerk-style corn on the cob with jerk chicken and peppers, and Cajun-style corn on the cob with shrimp and turkey sausage.

Wiggins first started selling her corn out of her grandmother’s Mount Airy kitchen in 2018.

The inspiration for her cooking came from the recipes she learned during family Sunday dinners at her great-grandmother’s house in North Philadelphia. 

When it came to pursuing a career in the food industry, her approach was clear.

“I wanted to sell something that you could walk the boardwalk with,” Wiggins said. “Something easy, something accessible, something fun, and something you can dress up anyway you want to.”

Wiggins opened her cart in 2020, becoming a regular at Philly festivals and street fairs. 

Recently, she was awarded a $5,000 grant from Elevate Together, which she hopes to use in part to buy new signage and hire a helper.

Read more about Nija Wiggins’ dreams of making corn a Philly food staple comparable to cheesesteaks and pretzels at The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

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