Ten years ago, Thomas DeGeest quit his job as a consultant at IBM to focus on waffles.
The Belgian-born DeGeest was disappointed in what passed for “Belgian-style waffles” in this country, so he committed himself to delivering more authentic fare.
In 2007, Wafels and Dinges debuted with a storefront in Manhattan (“dinges” is a vague term that translates roughly to “things” or “whatchamacallits”) and now boasts six locations around New York, as well as four mobile food carts.
And now, Pittsburghers can get in on the action at Kennywood Amusement Park, where Wafels and Dinges has stationed up for its inaugural summer season.
The menu is pretty simple and true to its name. Customers start with a waffle ($5.61) and can add “things.” These toppings ($1.17 each) range from fruit and dulce du leche to walnuts and Nutella.
There are also six specialty waffles, including the Double Trouble, touted as “de Cadillac of wafelwiches,” which is more or less a fruit-and-whipped-cream sandwich with waffles instead of bread.
Fans of Food Network’s TV show Throwdown, on which celebrity chef Bobby Flay challenges cooks around the country to a cook-off of their signature dish, might recognize DeGeest as a winner from season seven. That dish, the “Liege Waffle,” is available here too, though now it’s called “de Throwdown Wafel,” and described as “legendary victor of the battle with the great Flay.”
And victory, as one knows, tastes sweet.