HAVE FOOD, WILL
TRAVEL Food trucks add a wealth of variety to Bluffton’s culinary scene. BY BARRY KAUFMAN PHOTO BY ROB KAUFMAN
Twelve years ago, they were the hottest new culinary trend sweeping the nation. Six years ago, they had been written off as a fad. Today, food trucks have become more than just a trend or a fad. They are a vital part of the culinary offerings in towns across the country, even in small-town Bluffton. You’ll see them all over town: Chef B’s Eatz with its vibrant urban paint scheme and delectable Lowcountry fare. ‘Murican Border with its distinctive monochromatic truck dispensing mouth-watering tacos. Even high society has gotten in on the act, with Big Carol’s Food Truck serving up gourmet fare to the sophisticated folks at Palmetto Bluff. Even the brick-and-mortar restaurant industry, once mortal enemies to their more mobile cousins, have gotten in on the act. And as people clamor for more variety in outdoor dining, whole cottage industries have sprung up around the simple idea of parking a kitchen in the middle of a party. Take a look inside the distinctive tealand-black Pizza Co. truck, with its wide pizza oven dangling off the back, and you’ll find Marshall Sampson, co-owner of both Pizza Co. and Santa Fe Café. Having one foot firmly in fine dining and one in food trucks has given Sampson a unique perspective on their growing profile over the bridge. In fact, when Pizza Co. expanded, adding the new Burnt Church Distilleryadjacent shop to its flagship Main Street 28
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Hilton Head store, it was the truck that led the way. “When we got into Main Street and started looking at it, we started thinking we wanted to get our foot in Bluffton (before opening full time),” said Sampson. “Once we saw how this model works on the island, I thought, ‘I can definitely make this portable.’” It came at just the right time. With the shutdowns and uncertainty that plagued 2020, a little bit of comfort food right on your doorstep was just what the doctor ordered. And with Pizza Co.’s food truck offering the exact same 90-second perfection as its brick-and-mortar counterpart, people ate it up. “Right when the pandemic started, I started calling all the HOAs to set up in different neighborhoods. People were afraid of going out, so I’d just come to them,” said Sampson. “That became our business model – we did that the whole last year.” And don’t think that with a smaller footprint comes a smaller workload. “It’s definitely more involved,” said Sampson, noting that a food truck requires extra steps in cleaning, preparing, loading and unloading. “And then you’re in food truck with an 800-degree oven when it’s 110 outside,” he said with a laugh. “You lose the pounds pretty quick.” Even with restrictions lifted and more people venturing back out into their favorite restaurants, the novel concept of outdoor dining wherever you feel like it has caught on. You’ll find numerous examples,
like Savannah’s eccentric Starland Yard, where a dizzying array of food trucks dot the calendar. Closer to home, Lot 9 Brewing Co. has made their daily rotation of food trucks a major part of the appeal, assuring that no two visits are the same. The latest food truck park can be found just on the outskirts of Old Town Bluffton on May River Road. Called “Backyard State of Mind,” this self-described hangout offers a space where food trucks could have a reliable spot to build a crowd of regulars. “It’s a little bit free-flowing,” said David Meeder, who founded Backyard State of Mind with his wife Shelley. “Something inclusive, diverse and safe. The deal is, you want to break down the barriers for why people say now. It’s just easy to come in, grab what you want and either hang out for a while or take it to go.” Plans at Backyard State of Mind will eventually include a beer garden and live entertainment, but for the time being it’s providing a regular home for food trucks and a place where patrons can try out everything from Thai food and slowsmoked BBQ to ice cream and coffee. “Ultimately what we want here is variety,” said Meeder. Don’t we all? Once dismissed as a fad, they’ve proven their staying power. Once maligned by restaurants, they’re now being embraced by savvy restaurateurs. Food trucks have opened up new avenues for hungry diners, and have become an integral part of our culinary experience.
