A New Beginning

A long time ago in a neighborhood far, far away.

Time to actually launch a website for this new business of mine.  Not much here, yet.  But it’s a start.  A start of something new.

Why am I starting a food truck?  Am I crazy, insane, stupid or all of the above?  I suppose I’ll know the answer in a year or so.

A long time ago, in a Cleveland neighborhood named Slavic Village, I started what became a brief fall tradition for my friends: The Annual Chicken Roast.  (This goes way back to the early 90s when people could afford things like food and beer.)  My dad had a lifelong friend that ran a poultry stand in Cleveland’s West Side Market and I was able to get half-chickens at wholesale prices.  I don’t recall the whole menu for the Chicken Roast but it involved a half-chicken, a couple sides and all of the Genesee Beer you could drink for the lofty sum of $5.  Nostalgia.

We only had a few Chicken Roasts before life got in the way and my job relocated me to CA.  But these events made me realize that I really enjoy cooking for friends.  It’s a satisfaction that’s difficult to describe adequately.   Almost 30 years later the annual Chicken Roast became Meat Fest at my home in the woods of New Portland, ME.  Meat Fest was an annual event, usually in early October when the fall colors are most spectacular.  I’d smoke a bunch of different meats and the menu would change every year.  (Smoked rabbit was a hit!)  Meat Fest ran for 3 years before Covid messed things up and life took a new direction.  Meat Fest scratched that nagging itch of wanting cook great food and watch friends and family enjoying my efforts.

As post-pandemic life was kinda-sorta getting back to normal in the summer of 2023 my neighbor decided he was going to host a few summer events in connection with his Maine OCP compliant medical cannabis business.  I don’t know when or why I had the idea that I’d like to cook for the events to raise money for the charities that he wanted to support.  (Read this Instagram post to get a feel for the impact these events can have for a small, rural community.)  It was so much fun and the feedback was genuine and positive that I started toying with the idea of starting a food truck.  That idea grew into a business plan.  And now I’m actually building the truck, a process that I am enjoying immensely.  If you’re curious  you can follow along on my Instagram page to see the progress.

Eventually this site will contain a lot more info: daily menus, locations, times, online ordering, etc.  I’ll be tackling all of the stuff that’s necessary for a modern food truck experience and a successful business.  In the mean time thanks for visiting.  I don’t use Facebook as often as Instagram but I will be posting some updates there from time to time on the Smoked Food Truck page.  I’d appreciate a follow, every little bit helps when launching a new business.

And here’s the truck with a crappy Photoshop mock-up of a logo idea:

Thanks for reading and I hope you’ll let me feed you this summer.  I’m hoping to be ready to open in June if all goes well with the truck build.

-Mark