Will the city support our culinary diversity?
Mobile food ventures have been part of the international culinary world for as long as civilizations have existed. Busy Bangkok intersections are the poster child for hustle and bustle with innumerable carts slinging delicious bites, eclectic smells, Thai Tea, and fresh local scrumptious yummies du jour. But wait a second, I’m not in Thailand. Can this really be Chattanooga?
The Chattanooga Street Food Festival is an annual gathering of the city's roving culinary institutions. As I walk down the corridor, it starts to feel like our beautiful city is catching up to the hype of one of the world’s greatest ways to eat. Cities like Austin and New York have long followed the trend of food-on-the-go, filling the bellies of hungry business folk and blue-collar Americans alike.
Over the past several years, the Scenic City has struggled to nurture a strong food truck scene due to immensely restrictive regulations from the local government. This festival is one of the few places where they are embraced and celebrated.
It isn’t just the early mornings, treacherous and erratic weather, competition, or the myriad other issues that make life hard for these gastronomic road warriors. In Chattanooga, it’s a battle to even exist as a legitimate business.
In 2012, the Chattanooga City Council passed an ordinance prohibiting food trucks from parking or operating on any city streets (with the exception of some key special events). Trucks were forced to close up shop and move from locations that they had occupied for their entire existence. The only remaining option was to find a private piece of land to vend from.
On May 29, an article from The Chattanoogan surfaced claiming that a new ordinance will be considered by the city council on July 10th, just a few days from now (though the Chattanooga Department of Transportation requested that their presentation to the Council be postponed to the July 24 meeting so that they have "more time to prepare").
After six years of prohibition, could a solution finally be on the table for our city? Or will we continue on a dull path of retrogression, a food scene restricted to brick-and-mortars?
Executive Chef Rebecca Barron of Chattanooga’s famed St. John’s Restaurant is a strong advocate for more inclusive regulations: “I think we are really missing out on potential cultural opportunities for our city. I would love to see more variety in our food scene and I hope the city is willing to review its current ban.” Despite intensively prohibitive regulations, the food trucks of Chattanooga have found ways to survive and to follow their dreams to savory greatness.
One truck, in particular, stands out in the fight to operate a successful drifter. Spill the Beans is a gourmet coffee truck and one of the longest running in the city. Since 2013, the establishment has offered up coffee, espressos, smoothies, chai teas, and more. Their partnership with the Chattanooga Coffee Company ensures locality and deliciousness. Proprietor Lisa Dunny decided to move from a stationary stand to a mobile cart in 2015.
After years of successful enterprise on Lookout Street, the city suddenly pulled the plug and required Spill the Beans to vacate the spot.
“It became rough when the city enforced their code stating food trucks weren’t allowed on the street. I used to park on Lookout Street every Wednesday for over two years in the same spot and no one ever bothered me.”
Lisa started a petition to show the communities stance on food trucks. Within a week she had 3,800 signatures. It now sits at over 4,700 signatures and is steadily climbing. “Apparently the citizens of Chattanooga wanted food trucks too!” exclaims Dunny.
Another of Chattanooga’s carts, The Green Tambourine, is Chattanooga’s only vegan focused mobile eatery. The word “vegan” is off-putting for some eaters, but rest assured, it is not a tofu-only club meant to exclude the carnivorous.
The cart offers up delicious and healthy creations that celebrate seasonality and locality. A rotating selection of fresh hummus, smoothies, and kombuchas are always available. Think dishes like waffles with berry compote, almond ricotta and mint, or organic rice bowls with quinoa, sesame slaw, avocado and chickpeas with tahini ginger sauce. There’s no need for meat when you’re eating this good.
The Tambourine is a community-minded establishment which offers “Feed It Forward” meals. You can anonymously purchase a meal for someone who can’t afford one. The cart will then travel to different food deserts around town and provide the needy with healthy, substance-based meals. Recently, Mindful Market Chattanooga (operated by Conscious Community Coordinators) raised enough money to purchase 125 meal vouchers.
The Green Tambourine will be setting up a huge event to give away the meals to people in need, but as with nearly every mobile eatery in the city, the Tambourine struggles to find places to set up their business.
“We would absolutely set up more frequently if we were allowed to park on city streets. I would love to be able to serve the downtown working crowd during lunch,” says Chelsey, the cart’s owner. But with the current regulations, serving that crowd remains a pipe dream.
To put a somewhat different twist into the mix, Petunias Silver Jalapeno throws a wrench in the proverbial definition of a “food cart”. A valid argument exists against them being in this article at all. They are not mobile, nor a truck. The silver airstream trailer has given up its wheels to settle in a permanent location on Chattanooga’s bustling Main street.
It’s now a permanent structure that merely has the appearance of being a food cart. Stringently regulated building permits, permanent plumbing, and ground anchoring straps have ensured the structures immutability.
One thing that is not in dispute is the quality of their menu. The trailer offers up delicious options with southwestern flair including my menu highlight, the fish tacos with roasted red pepper sauce, black beans, corn relish, pico and seasoned cabbage. Their pork and beans bowl is not to be missed. The jalapeno corn cake topper elevates the meal-in-a-bowl to exquisite levels.
Virginia Cofer, chef-proprietor of the eatery, has continually developed the soul of the restaurant over the years.
“The best stuff comes from mistakes. Mistakes are the most fun,” says Virginia. I’m trying to listen, but I can’t stop shoving my chicken quesadilla into my face. Her passion for food is apparent within minutes of meeting her. “I like to make people stop and think about their food. It’s all about the love that you put into your cooking!” exclaims the chef, smiling widely.
A newer truck on the block, How We Roll, offers a ridiculous selection of mouthwatering creations. They focus on gourmet egg rolls with both savory and sweet options to please any mood. Grab a Jack Daniels bacon cheeseburger or a pork eggroll and then transition your taste buds to a delicious Reese’s or peach pie roll.
No matter your choice, they all grab the olfactory appeal, making it near impossible to pass up the bright pink truck. The rolls come out freshly hot and packed with piquancy. The Reuben is my personal favorite, the amalgamation of corned beef and sauerkraut dripping down my chin inflicts a floating state of euphoria.
But you won’t find How We Roll parked on Chattanooga streets during normal business days. Without a spot to post up and sell outside of the Chattanooga Market, the truck usually travels around to other surrounding towns with more accepting regulations.
“The main struggle is having a place to do business. We have the customers, just not the location! I receive call after call regarding where we will be set up in Chattanooga. We would love to have a semi-permanent area to set up on a schedule,” says Ginger, the chef-owner.
It’s glorified, the simple life of owning a nomadic eatery, opening shop whenever you see fit, answering to nobody but yourself. It’s a romantic ideal, a world of ease and empowerment and singularity. Reality has a different point-of-view. Chattanooga has the potential to be one of the greatest food cities in the region, but that goal is often blockaded by overreaching regulations and outdated rhetoric.
“The food culture in Chattanooga is growing and has the potential to be something special within not just the region, but the entire country,” says chef Mike McJunkin, one of the leading voices for cultural diversity in Chattanooga’s culinary scene.
“Reasonable rules that balance the concerns of brick-and-mortar businesses, residents, and mobile food enterprises are certainly possible. It’s done in other states and countries with great success,” he adds.
The glory here is shrouded, hidden deep underneath momentous piles of plain ol’ hard work, elbow grease, and excessive red tape.
Want to see more mobile food in your community? Call your representatives and tell them how you feel. Show up at the meeting on July 10th to show your support for food diversity in your community.
Help support our local mobile food scene at the Chattanooga market, follow the trucks on Facebook and talk about them with your friends. Search the petition on change.org and let’s get these small businesses back on our streets. Together we can transform Chattanooga’s culinary potential into reality.
Alex Curry has explored the world as an entertainment technician and traveler. During his three-year stint working in Asia, he fell in love with the cultural and culinary delights of the world. Alex spends his spare time studying food and travel.