Joe Kennedy

Joe Kennedy is routinely named the region's best writer by readers of The Roanoker magazine.

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All of the talk about moving the Roanoke Weiner Stand finally got to Cornell "Dee Cee" Jones.

It seemed like every story in the newspaper and on TV had the stand's fans raving about its dogs.

Jones called me up and left a message.

"I believe I've got the best hot dogs in town," he said.

Jones operates Dee Cee's Deli on Orange Avenue in Northwest Roanoke.

He has sold short-order food on the avenue for nearly 18 years.

He has spent nearly seven of those years in his purple-painted fortress where everything is take-out; you have to go inside to talk to him through a window or an intercom and you exchange money for food through a slide-out box.

He runs the business by himself Mondays through Saturdays from 8 a.m. to midnight.

A feast of food

The furor over the Weiner Stand started when the art center's officials mentioned that a renovation might cause the Roanoke landmark to move.

Its defenders barked. Jones got fed up.

His menu lists 116 items including his piece de resistance, the footlong Rosie Dog.

It consists of two hot dogs, ham, turkey, bacon, chili, cheese, ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, sauerkraut, peppers, tomatoes, hot sauce, onions, relish and slaw, plus a bun. That's 18 components.

It sells for $4.10, plus tax.

Jones claims to sell the best hot smokes -- a sausage that can be hot, spicy or mild -- on earth.

He provides good patter, too.

Turning point

Jones' mother brought him to Roanoke from Washington when he was a teenager because he was getting in trouble.

He graduated from Lucy Addison High School, joined the Army and served four years, one in Vietnam.

Back in Roanoke, he was convicted of selling drugs. A judge sentenced him to five years in prison, and he was granted parole after three years and seven months.

Eight months later, he was charged with armed robbery in Roanoke.

He received a 30-year sentence, served 10 and came home again. He found a job with the Holiday Inn. Then he sold jewelry.

In 1989, he started working at a small cafe on Orange Avenue. Four months later he took it over.

In 1997 he bought land to the west at 2004 Orange Ave., and in 2000 a contractor completed the block structure he works in now.

He hoped his grown son and daughter would take over the business.

But cooking is hot, messy work. They opted out after less than a year.

"I said, 'Why you doin' this to me?' "

He laughs. "It's all good."

His second prison term changed him.

"When you're locked up for 10 years, you're ready for discipline and patience," he said. "Once you make up your mind that you ain't goin' home, you gotta do this time, then you begin to live."

After his release, he spoke to a wise uncle who told him to make a plan and stick with it.

Jones wears glasses and has a white beard.

His attire includes a green sweat shirt, a red apron and a knit cap with blue and yellow stripes.

He will be 61 in November. He wants to sell Dee Cee's before he turns 62.

"I'm like Tiki Barber," he said. "I want to get off the field while I'm still standing up."

He said he owns the building and has almost paid for his nearby house.

He offered me a hot dog and a hot smoke. Each came with mustard and chili.

Both were delicious, but I'm no connoisseur, so I can't declare a champion.

That's OK. This story isn't about hot dogs. It's about life.

"I stuck to the plan, didn't I?" Jones said. "It wasn't easy, but I stuck to the plan."