Looking to bring a new food offering to the Cape Region, Kathryn Robinson has opened flame-roasted First State Corn & More.

“This corn thing in Florida is crazy,” said Robinson. “We’re super excited to be offering something different.”

Located off Route 1, in the parking lot behind Chick-fil-A, Robinson said First State Corn & More is something she and her husband James Petion had been wanting to do for a number of years. They were living in Florida, and while family responsibilities pulled them to the Cape Region, they never lost that desire.

“After settling in, we realized how food-driven this area is, so we decided to give it a try here,” said Robinson. “There are other places with something similar, but this is the real deal, and nobody is doing it this way.”

First State Corn offers fresh-roasted corn eight different ways, including cobless in a cup. Robinson said the custom-made roaster was built in Texas and holds nearly 300 ears of corn. She said the ears are roasted with the husks on, and then flavoring is added afterward by peeling the layers of husk back.

“The outside is a little burnt, but the corn inside is perfect,” said Petion.

In addition to corn, the roaster is great for baked potatoes, which is why Robinson also offers eight flavors of loaded potatoes.

“They come out super soft and silky,” said Robinson of her baked potatoes. 

If customers need something to cool them off, First State Corn also offers 40 flavors of shaved ice, including several signature flavors – Unicorn, Birthday Party, Miami Vice and Sour Patch Sno. The syrups are made of 100 percent pure cane sugar, not corn syrup, said Robinson.

Robinson said the lease for her spot actually takes up a sizable portion of the parking lot. She said she has visions of sectioning off an area with picnic tables, a tent and live music.

The setup is mobile. Robinson said this means they offer catering and expect to be part of the local event and festival scene when those opportunities fire back up. 

Robinson said the hours of operation will vary until summer begins, but she expects to be open Wednesday through Sunday. Soon, she said, they’ll be open full time. For more information on First State Corn & More, call Robinson at 302-319-4393. She said social media pages are in the works.

“We’re still working on a few things, but we’ve got the equipment and want to work things out now before the summer hits,” said Robinson.