The Dupont Avenue Pier in Seaside Heights, N.J., July 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)
A roasted corn stand that has operated in Seaside Heights for 14 years is seeking to temporarily move down the boardwalk for the 2024 season, while a bungee jumping ride will return for a second year.
Diana Lamantia, of Lavallette, has run her roasted corn stand on Casino Pier for nearly a decade and-a-half, but found herself without a space to operate this summer. Perhaps a nod to Lamantia’s success, the pier wants to run its own stand this season.
“They took over operations themselves,” she told planning board members at a meeting Monday night. “They actually styled it after our concession and did not renew our lease.”
Lamantia found a new home for stand on the Dupont Avenue Pier, which is currently vacant. Last year, the planning board approved two temporary amusement rides for the pier – a bungee jump attraction and a stuffed animal ride – but this year, only the bungee jumping portion will return.
The Dupont Avenue Pier, Seaside Heights, N.J., June 2021. (Photo: Daniel Nee)
The Dupont Avenue Pier in Seaside Heights, N.J., July 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)
The Dupont Avenue Pier in Seaside Heights, N.J., July 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)
The pier has already been approved for the development of a casual restaurant, however construction of the restaurant has not yet begun. That has left space open for other businesses to find temporary homes, with Lamantia ultimately receiving approval to begin running her stand immediately.
Before approval, board members reviewed issues from waste disposal, to water sources, to electrical needs. Propane fuels the ovens in which the fresh “Jersey Corn” is roasted.
“We have a machine, a huge oven, that roasts corn,” Lamantia explained. “The sanitation is there, we have a small refrigerator, lights and a Coke machine on both sides. We basically just roast corn and serve drinks. As people come up and order it, we pull it out, we peel it, we ask them if they want butter or not … and that’s it.”
Condiments are available on the side; there will be no seating as the stand will operate in a “to go” fashion. Picnic tables, however, are located about a block south in what has become the food court area of the boardwalk.
“The stand is completely removed after the season,” said Lamantia. “It’s bolted into the boardwalk, everything stays seasonally, and then it is removed.”
The board granted Lamantia approval to operate through September. The stand and soda machines will be locked each night and a security gate blocks access to the pier as a whole when it is not open to the public.
Normally, board approvals must be memorialized in a separate vote at a future meeting, however Lamantia was granted permission to begin immediately.
“If there are any questions from the code officer, they can always check in,” said board attorney Steven A. Zabarsky. “You’re approved tonight to get up and running. We can all run over and get some corn over the weekend.”
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