SPRINGFIELD – There was a flurry of activity in the small brick building at the entrance of the 350 Complex at 350 Worthington St. on July 3. It was opening day for Chef’s Wayne’s Cajun on the Go.

Inside the tight but organized quarters dozens of lemons were being squeezed for the homemade lemonade and sauces were being tasted to make sure they were properly seasoned.

What used to be a hot dog and hamburger stand is now the latest venture from Wayne Hooker, better known as Chef Wayne, chef and owner of The Big Mamou.

Cajun on the Go is a way for Hooker to “take the take-out pressure off the mothership,” he said with a smile, referring to the Big Mamou, which is nearby.

Fueling the satellite restaurant is his interest in smoking. “I love smoking. I wanted to make my own pastrami and sausage.”

He purchased a smoker that can handled 175 pound of meat at a time and started last December to experiment. He said the key to the success of the product is the brine in which the meat marinades before smoking and then the smoking itself – what temperature and for what duration.

It has taken him a while – through trial and error – to develop his process. Hooker has been documenting his efforts on his Facebook page.

His goal was to develop his own pastrami, which he explained is brined for five days before it goes into the smoker.

Hooker is offering a menu with a lot of variety. He features his own version of a burger – with roasted red peppers, and a sausage and cheese fondue – and a steak and cheese sandwich – house smoked prime rib with Cajun fondue – as well as a pulled pork sandwich and his pastrami.

“I love the pastrami,” he said.

He also features a New Orleans Muffuletta sandwich – capicola, hard salami, mortadella, provolone cheese and olive salad. He called it “the sleeper” on the menu.

For entrees, Hooker is offering a Cajun pasta, crab cakes, house jambalaya and a Cajun pork and beans. He is also offering a green salad that can be topped with salmon, shrimp or chicken and gumbo.

Although there are several picnic tables, the new eatery is designed to be a take-out place. It is closed Tuesdays and Sundays, and open the rest of the week from 11 .m. to 6 p.m. Hours may be extended on Friday and Saturday nights.

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This reporter couldn’t come back from such a story empty-handed nor could he do a story without talking about the food itself. I purchased three items: the Zydeco Salad with field greens, tomatoes, corns, black bean salad and other fresh vegetables with the house dressing and grilled salmon.

I also ordered the crab cakes, which come with Cajun pineapple slaw and fries. Of course I had to try Hooker’s pride and joy, the pastrami.

Assistant Managing Editor Payton North gave a big thumbs up to the salad with the generous portion of grilled salmon, while Prime Editor Debbie Gardner said of the crab cakes, “The Cajun crab cakes from Chef Wayne’s Big Mamou Cajun on the Go can only be described as sublime! The generous cakes offer a perfect balance of flaky crabmeat and Cajun spices, enveloped in a light coating of breadcrumbs and fried to a delicate golden brown. Accented with Chef Wayne’s Cajun remoulade – which offers just enough heat, but does not overpower the delicate crab flavor – these are among the best crab cakes I’ve ever had and I’ve sampled such fare up and down the East Coast, including Maryland – know for their crab – and Joe’s Stone Crab – a renown seafood eatery in Miami, FL.”

I will readily admit I have been waiting to try Hooker’s pastrami ever since I first learned he was going to offer it and I’m happy to say the wait was worth it. The hefty sandwich features a pastrami that has a very good fat to lean ratio – some pastramis are just too fatty – and the flavor of the smoker is a great addition. It doesn’t overwhelm and the result is something Hooker calls “Springfield pastrami.”