Sharing outdoor meals with friends and family is one of the greatest pleasures of late summer and early fall. Warm weather, savory aromas and tasty treats come together naturally to create memorable dining experiences.
Many people enjoy preparing their own outdoor feasts in elaborate backyard smokers and barbecue pits. They derive great joy in sharing their grilling prowess in familiar surroundings.
However, an increasing number of al fresco diners prefer to skip the cooking and clean up chores by visiting their favorite food trucks. Today’s mobile eateries offer a broad variety of entrees, side items and desserts prepared by some of the most passionate chefs around. Every day across our community, talented food truck operators offer unique, delicious treats that are sure to tickle the tastebuds of any foodie.
From brisket entrees to vegan delicacies to exotic ethnic cuisine, food trucks have become an important part of the outdoor dining scene. Many popular truck operators have built up large followings of customers who routinely follow them from site to site throughout the year.
In 2024, Hendersonville hosted the inaugural Middle Tennessee Food Truck Festival at Veterans Park. The event drew over 1,000 hungry patrons who enjoyed entrees, sides, desserts and drinks served by 21 food truck vendors.
The festival was the idea of local businessman Jake Kearney, the co-owner of Frosted Luau, an upscale mobile dessert business that specializes in fruit-flavored soft serve ice cream and sorbet. As he began to spend more time on his business, Kearney noticed the passion of his fellow food truck operators as they delivered outstanding food and customer service.
“I wanted to create an event that would showcase the best food truck operators in Middle Tennessee,” said Kearney. “After meeting with the Hendersonville Parks & Recreation team, I decided to create something that would showcase the best of the best food truck options in Middle Tennessee, and give all the outstanding food truck owner operators an opportunity to gain recognition for what they’re doing”
Along with helping the food truck community, Kearney also wanted to give back to a local food-related nonprofit. After researching various organizations, he chose the Feed Sumner Food Bank to be the event’s beneficiary. In exchange for the donation of a canned food item, guests enjoyed free admission to the festival while helping to restock the shelves Feed Sumner’s pantry.
After seeing the success of the inaugural event, Kearney decided to keep the festival going on an annual basis to become one of Hendersonville’s signature celebrations. As a result, the Middle Tennessee Food Truck Festival returned to Hendersonville’s Veterans Park for the second consecutive year on Saturday, Aug. 16. Despite a heavy dose of late summer heat and humidity, this year’s event drew even more vendors and guests than last year. As in 2024, guests were admitted free in exchange for donations to Feed Sumner.
At the end of the evening, Kearney and his team gave out awards honoring the “best of show” in four different categories, along with a single overall “best of festival” winner. The victors included Andre’s Barbecue (Middle Tennessee’s Top Food Truck – 2nd year in a row, and Top BBQ), Mac Shack (Top Comfort Food), Mason’s Hotdogs (Top Sandwiches – 2nd year in a row) and Vansauwa’s Tacos and Vegan Eats (Top International Food – 2nd year in a row).