Raise your hand if you’ve ever bought ice cream from a truck that drove through the neighborhood playing a tinny chime to alert all that cool treats were on the way.

In the United States, ice cream trucks started gaining popularity in the 1950s and still provide summer relief to both kids and adults. While the stereotypical ice cream truck may not have changed greatly during the years, efforts are underway to modernize them. For example, Nissan has designed a prototype for a zero-emissions ice cream truck complete with roof-top solar panels.

While food trucks in Coweta County may be a fairly recent phenomenon, mobile food has a long history in the U.S. By the late 1600s, food carts on the streets of New York were being regulated by the government. Mobile food continued rolling into American culture, propelled by practical entrepreneurs. In 1886, the first chuckwagon served as a portable cafe for folks crossing the Old West. The now pop icon Oscar Mayer Wienermobile hit the streets in the late 1930s.

In the 1960s, food trucks began showing up at construction sites around the country and about 15 years later, an old ice cream truck was converted into the nation’s first taco truck, which sat outside a bar in East Los Angeles.

After that first taco truck, the number of food trucks just kept growing. Food trucks have starred in movies like Jon Favreau’s 2014 movie “Chef.” The plot revolves around a chef who loses his restaurant job and cooks (mostly) happily ever after in a food truck. The Food Channel put food trucks on television in “The Great Food Truck Race” starting in August 2010. The show recently wrapped up its 14th season.

Food trucks are big business today. According to the 2017 Economic Census, sales from food trucks in the U.S. increased 79% between 2012 and 2017, rising from $660.5 million to $1.2 billion.

While a restaurant may serve the same community all the time in a particular neighborhood, the food truck’s neighborhood moves along with them. Most successful food truck operators realize they don’t need a long menu, and most menus tend to be oriented towards specialty foods, giving interested diners authentic tastes from different cultures.

Food trucks have to follow the same regulations as brick-and-mortar restaurants. The truck’s owner is required to have a county business license and trucks are inspected by the Department of Public Health. Some regulations, such as needing a constant power source for refrigeration, may be more challenging for food trucks.

Newnan and Coweta County have a great food truck community. While many food trucks are based in Coweta, special events draw trucks from surrounding counties. Some local restaurants, like The Mad Mexican and Heirloom Bakery, have expanded their businesses with food trucks. Within hours of the tornado last spring, several local food trucks were quick to appear on Newnan streets to help feed volunteers and residents.

Local trucks offer diverse menus. There’s more than one barbecue truck, and Coweta diners can taste foods representative of Argentina, New Orleans and other locales.

Me Lumpia Long Time is a perfect example of diversity in local food trucks. Candace and Robert Teague opened their food truck in 2019, with the idea to bring Robert’s mother’s traditional lumpia recipe and other Filipino favorites to Georgia. Lumpia is Pacific Island-style barbecue, which features a thin, crepe-like pastry skin called “lumpia wrapper” with a variety of fillings.

“We noticed that lumpia was the first thing to go at every barbecue we had,” said Robert, adding, “My pleasure is in the sense of nostalgia I have watching people having fun and enjoying the food.”

The Catfish Hauler continues a family heritage of good cooking since 1929. Stephani and Robert Wise relied on Robert’s knowledge of catfish when they started their business in 2017. Robert grew up in the restaurant business, from Jackson’s Fresh Air Barbecue, to Catfish Hollow to Goldens on the Square. “People are thrilled that Robert’s making the same food they miss – the Mississippi catfish, fried shrimp, coleslaw, hushpuppies and many other favorites,” says Stephani.

Robert says he opted to run a food truck instead of a stationary venue because “the food truck isn’t one-tenth the headache of a brick-and-mortar restaurant.”

Mitchell Coleman, founder and now a partner in Smoked Out BBQ (ATL) serves up more traditional food, but with a twist: everything is either grilled or smoked. You can find him cooking everything from ribs, to salmon, to lamb chops. He grills vegetables, like asparagus and Brussel sprouts, and smokes his Mama’s Mac & Cheese. He enjoys bringing people together through food by serving what he calls “five-star dining on the side of the road.” While his truck’s name includes “ATL,” his family roots are in Coweta and he can be found dishing up meals here a lot.

Most of the food truck action in Coweta and the surrounding area is found at special events put on by churches, homeowners’ associations or local businesses. This summer, Me Lumpia Long Time routinely set up at Tractor Supply Company, and a variety of trucks were on hand on Friday nights at Resurrection Lutheran Church’s Food Truck Friday Nights.

Want to find your favorite food truck or discover a new one? Keep an eye on their individual social media pages. The Newnan Times-Herald and city and county websites are also good sources of information.

Or maybe, just follow your nose. NCM