Over the past couple of years, the Boone street food scene has grown immensely. For such a small mountain town, we’ve got some solid options when it comes to dining a la truck. I practically live for my lunch break on the days of week when I know the taco truck will be parked on Howard Street in downtown Boone! In this blog post, we will explore the rise of the food truck, and we’ll tell you why we love food trucks. Most importantly, we’ll share some information about a few of our favorite local food trucks.
The rise of the food truck.
Food trucks have been around for a long time. In the 1600s street vendors could be found selling food from push carts on the streets of New York City. In the late 1800s, the chuckwagon was invented, and it sold food to those making the treacherous journey out west. A chuckwagon was a type of “field kitchen,” and the word “chuck” is actually slang for food. In the late 1930s, the classic Oscar Meyer weiner truck made rounds around town selling – you guessed it – hotdogs any style. Flash forward to the 1980s, and food trucks were heavily marketed to college kids. They were dubbed “grease trucks.” It’s safe to say that food trucks have come a long way since those days.
We love food trucks because…
The variety and creativity is astounding.
It’s a truck, right? How much variety and creativity can take place in such a small space? We’ve come to realize that despite their small size, our local food trucks offer a variety of unique specials. Think about it: there’s not much storage space in the truck, so you have to use up all of your ingredients pretty quickly. Fresh ingredients are constantly coming in, and different specials can be dreamt up on a regular basis.
Affordable and gourmet? Yes, please.
Gourmet doesn’t necessarily mean a 5-star, fine dining experience. Gourmet can be affordable, too. We love how food trucks make gourmet accessible to everyone. In Boone, we like to think many of our food trucks are slow food… fast.
They’re often small, independently owned businesses.
We love how food trucks come in all different shapes and sizes, and it seems like there are endless creative twists and concepts. Food trucks allow entrepreneurs to follow their dreams. It takes a lot of money to open a restaurant, so opening a food truck can be much more feasible for many entrepreneurs.
A food truck goes where you go.
Simply put, there’s nothing more convenient than that. Read on to learn about a few of our favorite food trucks based out of Boone, NC. We’ve linked back to each one, so if something catches your eye, you can check the truck’s schedule and try it out for yourself.
Just keep truckin’ on…????
All Thai’d Up: specializes in handmade dessert ice cream rolls. Yep, you heard me. Gourmet Thai ice cream rolls… and smoothies.
El Tacoriendo: is amazing. Make sure to go early because they’re so popular that they often sell out. The ACP wrap is a favorite for those of us at the Horton. We love their tacos and churros, too.
Betty’s Biscuit Truck: offers all kinds of delicious biscuits…and espresso! Plus, they’re got such a charming aesthetic. Arguably the cutest truck in town.
Farm to Flame: is wood fired street food. They pride themselves on their ability to balance innovation and sustainability. Make sure to check them out.
Everybody’s Loaded Biscuits: wake up and get loaded. They know how to make some biscuits and pride themselves on serving a true eastern North Carolina breakfast delicacy.
Blue Deer Cookies: serving ice cream cookie sandwiches, cookies, and NC made ice cream. Coming at you from a beautifully restored vintage camper. Each cookie is baked fresh daily on the camper.
We hope you get a chance to try out one (or some, or all) of these locally owned food trucks. Know of a truck that we didn’t write about but need to try? Reach out to us! And in the meantime, make sure to sign up for our email list to stay up to date on all things Horton.
