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7/1/2020 0 Comments

The Singing Sliders: So Good They'll Make You Want To Sing!

James Hanton, owner of The Singing Sliders
Pictured: Owner of The Singing Sliders, James Hanton. (Photo: Corey Lynn Tucker Photography)
By Alexandra Frisbie
On most Wednesday evenings parked outside the Little Red Barn in Winsted, CT, or on other days around lunchtime on South Main Street in Torrington, or in an industrial area on the town line with Harwinton, you will find James Hanton in his silver food trailer, happily cooking sliders and sandwiches for a crowd that may include hungry and tired truck drivers, workers who just want to take a break and enjoy some delicious fresh food, or patrons of the nearby brewery who would like some tasty pulled pork to accompany the beer in their bellies. Depending on how busy he is, Hanton may be singing while he cooks, a nod to his business name and slogan.

A few years ago, after working some jobs that didn’t pan out, Hanton began to dream about launching his own business venture. The idea of being his own boss and having job security was appealing. He thought about cooking, which he enjoys. Having been raised in South Carolina on Southern cooking, Hanton noticed that while there were plenty of Italian and Chinese food options, there were not many places serving fresh BBQ pork and Southern food locally in Connecticut. He and his wife also realized that at the time, there were no food trucks in their area. So they bought books and learned about the food truck business. They visited locations with food trucks, including the Long Wharf in New Haven, to see how they were run. Hanton took the CT Food Safety Management Course and got certified. In October 2018, Hanton and his wife, who co-owns the business, opened The Singing Sliders Food Trailer in Torrington.   

According to Hanton, who has worked in restaurants, the big difference with food preparation in a food truck is understanding the difference between what you would like to serve and what you can serve. Despite the limitations, Hanton says he will only cook and serve food that is fresh, not previously frozen. When asked how quality translates in what he offers, Hanton replied “I like to serve food that tastes good, is good quality—fresh, not frozen. I make it with love.”
James Hanton, owner of The Singing Sliders
The Singing Sliders, Torrington, CT
The Singing Sliders, Torrington, CT
“I like to serve food that tastes good, is good quality—fresh, not frozen. I make it with love.”
Customer favorites are the BBQ bowl and pork sandwiches and sliders. Hanton explained that the sandwiches are larger than sliders; they are served on larger rolls that are sometimes lightly toasted. These days, he is constantly tweaking and adjusting the menu, entertaining customers’ suggestions and trying out healthy options. Some have requested the return of the orzo bowl with sautéed vegetables. Hanton offers a choice of sauces in which he will sauté the vegetables. If an item becomes popular, he may add it to the menu, at least temporarily. Recently, Hanton’s grandson took a cheeseburger and topped it with the mac and cheese Hanton gave him on the side. An aspiring rapper whose nickname is “OK Nitro,” his grandson topped that with BBQ sauce and raved about it.  Hanton dubbed it the “OK Nitro Mac and Cheeseburger” and put it as a special on the menu. 
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The success in launching his food truck business did not come easy. Hanton recalled a time when he was getting started that things weren’t going well and he almost gave up. He was not confident that he would be able to make his dream a reality. Then it occurred to him that as bad as he felt, many others were much worse off. He felt compelled to help others instead of feeling down on his luck, and began to give away food once a month, no questions asked, from his food truck.  He said that when he began to look at things differently, he began to see success—yet he continued to regularly provide free food. Due to COVID-19, he had to suspend this community effort, but he hopes to be able to resume soon.
The Singing Sliders, Torrington, CT
The Singing Sliders, Torrington, CT
The Singing Sliders, Torrington, CT
The Singing Sliders, Torrington, CT
The Singing Sliders, Torrington, CT
The Singing Sliders, Torrington, CT
I had to ask about the name of the business. Did the sliders themselves “sing” somehow, or does Hanton sing? He said that on some days he may be singing while cooking in the truck, but it was really his wife who thought up the name. He says it refers to the food—the sliders are so good they will make you sing! As for the singing sliders on the trailer, Hanton’s daughter drew the art freehand, which was transformed into an image that could be placed on the trailer.

Today, Hanton says what keeps him going is the independence of running his own business and having a job that allows him to interact with people. He says he has many repeat customers and is starting to build a fan base on social media. He likes to use Instagram and Facebook to let his followers know where he is going to be during the week. The three words he said best describe his business are “happy, satisfying and local.” 

Hanton has catered for small groups (up to 150 people), including at the Little Red Barn brewery in Winsted, where he parks on Wednesday evenings. He has traveled to Waterbury and New Milford and is willing to bring the trailer to other locations in Connecticut.
One thing is for sure—if you see the silver trailer with Singing Sliders on the side, be sure to stop right away and get a bite. You won’t regret it.

​HOURS (Year-round):
 
South Main Street, Torrington (at the Harwinton line)
Monday and Thursday: 11:30am-3:00pm
 
Industrial Park/Altra Industrial Motion, Inc, New Hartford, CT
Tuesday and Friday: 9:00am-1:00pm
 
At the Little Red Barn, 32 Lake Street, Winsted, CT  (www.lrbbrewers.com)
Wednesday: 4:00-8:00pm
 
View the WSFB story on The Singing Sliders
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​Author

Alexandra Frisbie was born and raised in southern New Jersey. She attended Rutgers University in New Brunswick NJ, from which she graduated with an engineering degree (B.S., Ceramic and Materials Science) in 1994.  She received a Juris Doctor degree in 1997 from the University of Dayton Law School in Ohio, where she participated in the Program in Law and Technology. 
 
She began her career as an intellectual property attorney with a large general practice firm in Columbus, Ohio, then joined an IP boutique firm in New York City, where she moved in May of 2001.  In 2005, she became in-house intellectual property counsel for the Consumer Products division of MeadWestvaco Corporation. In 2007, she relocated to Farmington, CT and joined United Technologies Corporation as an intellectual property attorney, first with Otis Elevator Company (from 2007-2010), then with Carrier Corporation (2011-2016).
 
Today, she is a Product Safety Manager at Carrier Corporation, which separated from United Technologies Corporation in April 2020 and is now an independent publicly-traded company.
 
Alexandra lives in West Hartford, CT with her twin daughters.  

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PHOTOGRAPHER

Corey Lynn Tucker Photography
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Born and raised in Connecticut, Corey Tucker is a creatrix. She is self taught and pursues art, fashion, culture and ethical travel. Corey started her own photography business and creates styled shoots, portraits, fashion and wedding photography.

Corey is passionate about the planet and social justice.  She embraces culture and diversity. Nature is her church and she enjoys finding beautiful locations to share with her couples for adventurous photography sessions. She started The Luminists and leads photographers on monthly photo art tours, has taught photographer workshops and mentors photographers. She loves styling and dreaming up magical styled shoots to change the wedding industry through sustainability and diversity.

Corey has volunteered at Help Portrait, donated her photography skills, done giveaways and supports her community with her talents.  She sells prints to benefit The Innocence Project and happy to be a contributor to ShopBlackCT.com.


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